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Ankit "V3nom" Panth is one of the most prominent personalities in the Indian gaming community, and he is known for his stints in Counter-Strike 1.6, CS:GO, and Valorant. Besides this, he is a signed athlete for Red Bull and has been among the faces of Indian esports. He also creates content on his YouTube channel, where he streams games occasionally.
In a conversation with Sportskeeda Esports, V3nom talked about his journey in esports and gaming, his thoughts on the Indian esports scene, and more.
"You can't just rely on gaming": Red Bull athlete Ankit "V3nom" Panth's advice to aspiring gamers
Q. Let's begin by tracing your initial steps in the field of gaming. Can you share how you initially got involved in gaming and describe your transition into a professional esports player?
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V3nom: I returned from school one day and saw a cafe called Boomerang. When I went inside, there were a lot of kids playing, so that is when I first learned that this was not an internet cafe but a gaming cafe. I later started playing once a week, made new friends, and liked that atmosphere.
We started making cafe teams and competing in cafe-level tournaments. I was also getting better on the go. When we crossed that amateur path, we went to the semi-pro, and then I learned there was a WCG tournament. If you won WCG, you could represent India on the world stage; that motivated me. That is when I started taking things seriously, thinking that if I won this tournament, maybe I could represent India.
Q. How did your family react to this decision, and what kind of support did they provide throughout your journey?
V3nom: They were completely against it earlier because they had no clue what gaming or esports was. There was a site called Godfrag, so I showed my parents that this is NIP; they are a world-class team. My parent’s question was that this happened internationally, "India se kaun hai?"
So, it was not easy, but then, once I started winning tournaments, people started writing about me in the media, and I was getting a decent amount of prize money; they could see that something was happening.
Then one of their doubts was that gaming is gambling, so I had to delete that misconception. I got goodies upon winning the events. I used to get a lot of mousepads, mice, keyboards, and headphones home, so they thought that I was stealing something or was putting money in a machine from which I was getting these rewards.
So once this misconception was over, they started understanding. They gave me some time, and the only thing they wanted back in return was my studies. We made a pact that I would not neglect studies, and I would complete my basic graduation, and side by side, I would continue pursuing my passion. I knew I had to get a job somewhere if this did not work out.
Q. Your career has been marked by significant achievements, from your days of 1.6 to CS: GO and now Valorant. Can you recount some of your most cherished and stand-out memories from your career with our readers?
V3nom: For CS 1.6, Chitkara, I think it was in Chandigarh or maybe Jalandhar; I forgot the city. I got a cheque of 1 lakh, that is 20000 distributed to each player, and it was my first significant earnings. I called my parents and told them that is what I have won. At first, they did not believe me, but when I shopped for them, they realized this was serious. This was one big memory.
In CS:GO, it was when we won the Indian Esports Championship at Phoenix Market City in Mumbai. I remember we were down 3-12, then we made a comeback to win the series against D5. Then again, finishing top 8 and top 4 in the ESEA Asia Pacific rankings, we competed extensively with international teams. So, these are some of the moments that I will cherish forever.
Q. Can you offer some lesser-known facts about yourself outside the game's server that your fans might not know and will find interesting?
V3nom: The fans might not know that I also DJ a lot. DJing helped me basically to get funds for my first gaming PC and helped me in my overall gaming journey. Nevertheless, I did not learn DJing, and it just happened randomly. I started playing at house parties, and then from there, I got a couple of club gigs. Everyone loved those, so I got a little confidence, and that is how I started making virtual DJ podcasts. Now I have a console, thanks to Red Bull, so I do DJ nights whenever I want to celebrate.
I think maybe fans might not know that I am entirely into fitness. I love to go to the gym, cycle, and go for my runs. These are two things I feel people might not know.
Q. Given your long-standing presence in the Indian esports scene, have you had the privilege of witnessing the gradual evolution of the esports industry in India? We are eager for your thoughts on these developments over the years.
V3nom: It is much better, I would say, right now. We used to have one or two events in a year, and the events have now increased. Earlier, we didn't have big prize pools. I remember I used to get like 500 or 1000 rupees after winning the event. Today we see players getting lakhs and lakhs of rupees. It still needs to increase and improve, but it's better than before. So, there is a gradual improvement in all of that.
Moreover, when I used to go to my sponsor meetings, it was tough to explain that we are esports athletes, we compete, and people watch us. Now they know what we do when we say we are a gamer. They understand our job, so we don't have to explain much, so these things have evolved a lot.
Q. As there are very few Valorant during the off-season, numerous Indian organizations have chosen to release their rosters given the uncertainty. What are your thoughts on the state of the Valorant ecosystem in India, given these circumstances?
V3nom: Yeah, I am also worried about that because prominent organizations are dropping players for the off-season. When the VCT arrives and the chance to get into the league arrives, they start signing rosters. I would say there should be a plan because we have a lot of tournament organizers now in India.
Maybe they should sit together and plan the tournaments together. So, the organizations and team owners have an idea and can sustain themselves because it is all about sustainability.
Without tournaments, the organizations will not have money to pay the players. If you don't play, sponsors will not pay them, and there will be no numbers talking. Hence, it's a circle where everyone must come together to sort this out.
Everyone is trying, but to build a sustainable ecosystem, you must make players and team owners aware that these tournaments will happen so that the players can also give their best and have a timeline because we also, as players, have to sort out multiple things. Many kids have to sort out their schools, colleges, and exams. So they can plan things, their tuition, and everything.
Q. We have seen Indian Valorant teams displaying commendable efforts, fighting against the region's best teams, but they are yet to achieve anything substantial. Why do you think this is the case? In your opinion, how can the situation be improved?
V3nom: I think we start on a good note, and then somehow, we get lost between these social media numbers, fame, sponsors, and money. People forget that in the long run, whenever you stop performing, this will all go away; you need to perform consistently and never forget why you started. You started because you wanted to represent India on an international stage.
We all have been trying, and thus far, we have failed. We have some achievements, but they are not significant or substantial enough that people can be proud of themselves. We must try harder because we have now been given many opportunities. The brands have started helping us, and the tournament organizers are hosting many tournaments.
So, there is something that is not right. Earlier, we used to cry that we didn't have organizations. Currently, there are multiple organizations and multiple brands that are sponsoring teams as well as athletes. One problem I feel is the mindset.
Our mindset needs to improve, our attitude needs to improve. You should always be motivated and start taking things seriously because the competition is increasing, and you can be easily replaced now. There are a lot of upcoming kids who have started taking things seriously and have better game mechanics and understanding because they have been open to the world of global gaming.
You have been given everything you require, be it a boot camp from the org or tournaments where you can compete. Our foundation might be weak, and we must improve our understanding of the game. I feel that is missing somewhere. Like over-peaking and making aggressive moves, because that's what happens in the Indian circuit, like in the SA circuit.
We can win here easily, and we can defeat the teams because we know each other, we know each other's playstyle, we play so many tournaments. A lot of players have switched from CS now to Valorant, so we know how they play and how they react right. So, in the internal rivalries of the SA scene, players feel that when we can win here, we can win there also.
I have seen it takes the international teams only two to three rounds to understand how we play, and they counter us very easily. At least we have started getting a little better, but I don't see a significant improvement. That needs to change, and that will only happen when we stay true to the cause that we want to develop a scene where people fear the Indian teams, where people don't take us lightly.
I am not saying do it immediately; it's not going to happen but put a target on yourself like, "Okay, this is maybe in a two-year gap or three years, I want to maybe be top two or top three in SEA," that's when the change will happen. Right now, we are just busy competing against each other and enjoying that we are number one, number two, number three, and that's not going to help. That's what I feel.
Q. You have been associated with Red Bull as an athlete for a while now. How has the brand contributed to your journey and also played a role in the advancement of the Indian esports ecosystem?
V3nom: Red Bull has played a very important role, to be honest. When I first met with them, I told them about the issues we face as gamers. Only a brand like Red Bull believes in growing scenes from the ground up; they have done it with dancing and the underground music industry.
I told them we need to do something for CS, Dota, and Valorant, not just one game. We need to help the entire gaming community, and that's when they said, let's go for it. We used to do Red Bull Flick for CS, Red Bull River Runes for Dota 2, now we are doing Red Bull Campus Clutch for Valorant.
Red Bull is giving people a stage, college students primarily in Campus Clutch, to showcase their talent so that they know what it feels like to be on a stage and if you go pro. They believe in the scene in gaming specifically, and now they have given their 100% support, be it products or sponsorships or doing events. This is what I like about Red Bull as a brand.
Q. Red Bull Campus Clutch is back for one more season. How important are events like these in promoting esports and gaming at the grassroots level since it allows young talents to prove their mettle?
V3nom: Events like Red Bull Campus Clutch are very important, to be honest, because when I started college, we used to play there. Still, there was no stage, we didn't have any experience, and that's when my hands started shivering when I played a semi-pro or pro-level tournament where people have that experience of playing on stages.
Through the Red Bull Campus Clutch, we are giving them that stage. You can showcase your talent and represent your country internationally. We are helping them develop these skills so that they are patient, confident, and motivated to pursue this as a career.
Q. Besides CS:GO, you have also dabbled with esports in Valorant. However, you have not been very actively seen at the tournaments recently. Can fans expect to see you making a professional comeback in either Riot's or Valve's shooters?
V3nom: I want to compete and await the right contract. I have multiple options at the moment. I am still figuring out which one I should take. It depends; the negotiations are on, and let's see which game, Counter-Strike or Valorant, but I definitely want to compete and go on that stage again.
Q. What message would you like to convey to aspiring Indian players who aspire to make it big in the field, irrespective of the game?
V3nom: My message to all aspiring gamers is not to neglect your studies. Yes, I understand you are passionate about esports and want to do it full-time, but there is still no surety. You can see a lot of teams are releasing rosters, and then again, when tournaments come, they sign them back. You can't just rely on gaming.
Also, if you want to be a content creator, streamer, or influencer, there is still no guarantee. But if you keep a backup ready, you can pursue this. I am not saying everyone is going to fail or everyone is going to pass. That's not up to me. That's up to you, your hard work, and your consistency, but keeping a backup and listening to your parents will do you no harm.
