Webterview with Ate Gaming Katalyst

Ate gaming is one of the best gaming clans in India. This is an interview with the manager of Ate gaming, Karthik Rao.

How did you get your name ‘Katalyst’? Tell us about it.

I used to like Chemistry subject during my Pre-University. And there was “Catalyst” used in Chemical reactions & I tweaked it to get my nick “Katalyst”.

How did you get into gaming?

A friend of mine took me to a LAN center during my school days. I played NFS II which I still would love to play anytime.  I then moved to few other games, Commandos was one of my favorite game titles back then.  I was not gaming much. I preferred indoor / outdoor sports to gaming. But then my best buddy introduced me to Counterstrike 1.6. We used to play a map called cs_india which was crazy fun since none amongst our friend circle knew the game that well. I later got addicted to Counterstrike 1.6.

What are your favorite games and consoles?

eSport titles like Counterstrike 1.6 / DotA / FIFA / NFS are my favourite titles. Then there are Commandos / Mafia / Hitman. Not really into Consoles since I don’t own any, But I would shift to console shortly. I like both Microsoft XBOX 360 (+Kinect) & Sony PlayStation 3. I would like to game Street Fighter / Tekken / Gears of War / Halo on consoles. I have over 30 game titles on my Steam, but I always open CS 1.6 when I find time.

How did you meet the ‘Ate gaming’ crew/team?

Back in 2006, I used to interact with Amar ‘rey’ Ratnam, who I happen to meet online while playing CS 1.6. We became online buddies & then I proposed if we could build an organization more like SK Gaming. I met Amar in Mumbai. He then gave me the ‘Bad’ news that Games2Win offered a contract to the team, which meant that my plans had to be kept on hold. Later in 2009, Ate Gaming had no support. eSport events was almost dead with recession hit industry. I wanted to resume my plans; But Amar had left the team. I started interacting with Mikhail ‘Rshkhn’ Mehra, to whom I proposed the same idea. He agreed. We later met for the first at Rush Gaming in Hyderabad in 2010.

What got you interested in the ‘Ate gaming’ manager post?

It so happened that I was one of the lucky Indian gamer to play Team fnatic. They were at Bangalore for inauguration of a Reliance Web World, where I got a chance to meet them & game with them. I & my friends made a team to play against them. We lost no surprises. I could see the difference in my game & their game. I lost motivation to game on a serious level. I knew neither me nor my friends had time to practice & improve our skills. But I love eSports culture. I want to see an Indian team reach to the level of International organizations & hence I thought of supporting Ate Gaming & help them reach the same. I approached them & created the ‘Manager’ spot myself.

Describe the ‘Ate gaming’ crew/team.

I have a small crew to manage the backend. A few already know that my polish friend Marek ‘malydok’ Pietrzak takes care of the graphics. When I approached few Indian artists (who were a part of gaming communities), they refused to be a part of Ate Gaming. They were looking for benefits from start. I later approached Marek who I met through Garena. He has been working voluntarily from the start. Also, Adarsh ‘showsTopper’ Chandran does few frag videos when he finds time.  Without the support of these two, I don’t think I would be able to keep the Ate Gaming community active. I owe these two a lot. I would say the Indian eSport Community should thank them for their services   Thanks a lot Marek / Adarsh.

Regarding the team, I would say the CS 1.6 squad is one of the best. We have a balanced team. Ben ‘r4iD Varghese being the captain & the motivation for the team, Ritesh ‘RiTz’ Shah a clutch rounds expert, Pranay ‘Wuzz’ Bhatia with his AWP & them being backed strong by Kunal ‘PeXXeR’ Bhatia & Akshay ‘KappA’ Sinkar. It’s a mix of experience with young talent which is giving us good results.

Naveen ‘AAA’ Uraon is one who I think deserves much more than what he gets right now. He is a true fighter. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins some International event in the near future.

Sagar ‘lOvEsX’ Vyas is also an upcoming talent. Although, we don’t think that he has reached the peak, perhaps in the near future he would prove his worth in our organization. We have lot of expectations from him.

We have a COD / DotA team. Our idea is to grow the COD / DotA as big as CS 1.6 in the near future which is why we have a squad for the same titles.

‘Ate gaming’ is known to be the best gaming team in India, how did ‘Ate gaming’ achieve it?

We have roles decided. Management has a role. Players have a role. It’s a 3D Role  

Management: Discuss – Decide – Deliver

Player: Desire – Dedication - Discipline

What are your further plans for the team?

We are looking to make Ate Gaming a strong organization. We need more teams / organizations like Ate Gaming. Only then will eSport Culture grow in India. Our goal is to establish eSport Culture in India. If the community supports us, it would be faster, if not we would require more time. But definitely, we will achieve our goals. We are confident & equally motivated. You shall see few more sponsors added in the near future.

Favorite music genre?

Trance

Your team has achieved a lot; you may have many haters as well, what would you like to say to them?
Criticise more!

What motivates you the most?

Criticism

Who would you like to credit for all your success?

Everyone has contributed. Our management, player squads & you Indian eSport Community members. Without your support, I don’t think we would stand where we are right now. Also, I would like to thank Cooler Master & their Indian team for supporting us strong in recent times.

Any final shout outs?

I would like to thank Cooler Master & Cooler Master India Team for their continued support. With their support, we plan to reach our goals.

Message to Community Members: United we stand – Divided we fall. Indian eSport community has to understand this. Support the right initiatives, only then would you see eSport Culture grow in India.

Finally I would like to thank Karthik for the interview. I hope that Indian gamers are inspired and motivated, peace out.
Ate Gaming fan page
My fan page <-I post some epic stuff here:]

-Mufaddal IfuM Dewaswala