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Valorant has emerged as one of the most popular first-person shooter games across the entire globe. The very nature of the game, as well as its fun yet competitive elements, has established it as a major name in the esports scene. Currently, the hype for Riot’s title is going strong with new content constantly being introduced to the game.
Besides professional players, Valorant has undeniably become the bread and butter for a large number of streamers and content creators. India's gaming community has taken a special interest in this famous multiplayer FPS title. Although the grind is steep for streamers, Valorant has quickly established itself as a solid option to become a successful and relevant content creator.
On that note, Amit “fa2” Thakur is a content creator for Velocity Gaming (VLT) on YouTube with a current subscriber count of 131K. Other than being one of the most recognized Indian streamers of the game, he has professionally debuted in tournaments like the Skyesports Souvenir 2022 in Mumbai and the Skyesports Championship Series in Chennai.
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Fa2 recently made an appearance in the Campus Clutch Tournament Finale that boosted the spirits of all the young participants. Red Bull Campus Clutch is a widely known tournament hosted to pick out India's young and talented Valorant players. The event presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students to make their name in the esports scene. It covers colleges and universities across the country and brings in a total participation of around 2000 students.
fa2 talks about his professional career, the recent Valorant Partnership Program, his personal interests, and more
Sportskeeda recently reached out to fa2 to get his opinion on the current state of Valorant streamers and Riot’s decision to franchise their professional tournaments. Mixed with casual queries about his personal interests and career, fa2 responded honestly to a wide range of questions that covered multiple topics.
Q. Do you think the Indian Valorant community is growing at a pace that can compete with other countries in the Pacific Region?
fa2: In my opinion, Valorant in Asia itself has been steadily on the rise and if we talk about the Indian Valorant community, then it surely has the potential to compete at an international level. Indian teams like Velocity Gaming, Global Esports, and many others consist of promising players, who are grinding day and night to prove themselves.
So, in my opinion, we haven't reached that bar at the moment, but we will surely get there in the near future with a little more dedication and a smarter approach.
Q. What are your thoughts about a region as big as Pacific (APAC) getting 10 slots on the franchising list?
fa2: I think that having 10 slots in APAC offers both merits and demerits. One of the demerits you can say is that the APAC region has more than 30 countries, and considering there are only 10 slots in the list, it will not be possible for most countries to be represented at the international level. One of the merits is that only the best teams, after rigorous filtering, will get a chance to be in those 10 slots and I expect that these slots will increase in the future, or at least I hope so.
Q. Partnerships should be a two-way process in all sincerity. What do you think about Riot’s filtering on which names get to sign up as partners?
fa2: I think Riot has done an incredible job while signing up partners as the selection process has been incredibly competitive since it was divided into three different stages. They also stressed that while they respected previous competitive performances, those were not the only factors in making their decision as they focussed on picking partners that showed the ability to create the most compelling VCT for fans in the future.
Q. What do you think should be the approach of new aspiring Valorant content creators in India? Make a name for themselves through tournaments or fame through streams and highlights?
fa2: I believe that Valorant is one of the key games after CS: GO that has given success to many pro athletes and content creators. As per my experience, I would say that your only focus should be on your streaming schedule, also make sure that highlights are uploaded on a regular basis, and try to maintain interaction and engagement with your audience so that they can enjoy it. This will also motivate them to stay on for longer durations while you are streaming and, as far as fame is considered, it will come to you eventually.
Q. Is it a safe bet to start a career in streaming and content creation now, considering the saturation of streamers in India?
fa2: To start a career in streaming or content creation, I believe that it is not yet "stable" at the moment and is still a dicey bet to play, but for those who are willing to pursue it, then my only advice would be to do as much hard work as you can, be it streaming online on YouTube or any other streaming platform. Don't try to rely on anyone and most importantly, do it only if it gives you satisfaction.
Q. How does it feel to be recognized as one of the top-tier valorant content creators in India?
fa2: During my initial CS: GO days, I always wanted to be a professional athlete but never knew that I would end up being a content creator. It has been an amazing journey so far and there have been many memorable moments like hitting 100k subs on my YouTube.
All thanks to my fellow friend and streamer "TbOne" for motivating me in my initial days to start streaming, "VLT Sentinel" aka "Anna" for seeing the potential in me and hiring me as a content creator for Velocity Gaming, and all of my "JOD" audience/viewers for constantly showing unconditional support.
Q. What type of viewer base do you prefer to cater to while streaming or creating content?
fa2: I prefer anyone who is entertained by me or who I can inspire or motivate in any way possible, be it through my streams or vlogs. At the end of the day, it makes me happy if I can make a sad face smile.
Q. Which name on Riot's franchising list made you happiest in the EMEA and Americas region and why?
fa2: Cloud9 in the American region, as I have been following the team since their CS: GO days and Team Liquid's success in the EMEA region is mainly due to ScreaM, the ultimate headshot killing machine.
Q. What advice would you give to young budding Valorant talents in India who struggle between their academics/career paths and streaming?
fa2: Although streaming has not reached mainstream acceptance all over India, I believe that there will be a time when gaming and streaming will not be a questionable career option as many factors are steadily changing.
One piece of advice that I would like to give to upcoming streamers/gamers is to not compromise on your education or career and give more priority to it than streaming and, in the end, choose wisely what you want to pursue and make sure that the decision is based not only on interest, but on facts and figures as well.
Q. You have previously shown interest in making travel vlogs. Are there any more big plans this year?
fa2: Initially when I started making vlogs, I didn't know that I would get such a positive response as it is a different genre from gaming/streaming, but my audience supported me and motivated me to create more and more vlogs.
As of now, there are no big plans, since most of our trips are unplanned and happen all of a sudden. Although by the end of this year, two of my good friends, Binks and Dhwani, are getting married, so I am very excited to be present at their weddings along with my fellow streamer friends and we will see what happens then.
In general, it was a rather fruitful exchange with fa2 that helped us gain considerable insight into what a successful content creator’s perspective is on current topics. Views and opinions may differ, but ultimately, it is the spirit of succeeding in difficult fields that drives everyone involved in the gaming/streaming scene.
