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

Webterview with koopz

Hey guys, as you all know I am a movie maker and a graphic designer I love people with the same interest. And so to share views and thoughts about the same, I have posted a ‘Webterview’ with Oliver Thorsen, founder of Artist Universe.

How did you get your nickname 'koopz'? Tell us about it.

Was searching for fonts one day and found a koobs font, which sounded cool but looked terrible, so I modified it a little, and back then it was 'the real deal' to use z instead of s and shit like that :D

Why did you got interested in movie making and graphic designing ?
I used to photoshop a lot, made banners for virtual soccer sites and such stuff - was hell of fun. My mate introduced me to counter strike, and after playing that for some months I discovered frag movies, and found them interesting to make.

Tell us about your film and graphic designing education?
I'm not educated as a designer nor a visual artist. I'm just an amateur, doing it for fun.

What do you do to make your movie different from other movies?
Try to stay original. I never liked being just like everyone else. I've always been 'that strange kid', no matter what - music taste, clothing, interests and such stuff. People should stop thinking about what people think. Hell, I don't give a fuck if you wear Canada Goose or some unknown brand that’s 10 times cheaper. Respect to the few who are themselves, without getting affected by whats "in" and whats "out".

What kind of movie making  and graphic designing do you like the most?
Started digging the real life- fantasizing mind blowing kind of deal. As long as my productions makes people think, I'm satisfied.

How would you describe your movie making process?
Hectic, unknown and un-organized. I never know where my clips will end. I most likely drag in a song I like, start cutting it and from there it can go anywhere - to YouTube with thousands of hits, or to my recycle bin with yea, no hits.

How many hours do you put in for your movies  and graphic designing?
Way too many. Increased Value took me half a year to record, develop and produce. It's not that I'm lacking motivation, I just can't get satisfied with my own stuff.

List down some of your favorite movie makers  and graphic designers.
Oh well, talking about CS:S editors or gameplay editors in general, I really like FGW from InfProd. He has been doing his thing ever since I saw his first clip - yet he never disappoints. Quality stuff indeed.

Where can readers view your films  and graphic designs and learn more about you?
My YouTube, my facebook or my flickr.
http://www.youtube.com/user/koopzable
http://www.facebook.com/koopzable
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oliverthorsen

Editing softwares?
Sony vegas pro 7, adobe after effects cs5.5, adobe illustrator cs5.5, adobe photoshop, FL studio 9, adobe photoshop cs2(oldschool, actually its the exact same copy as I started with - 4 years ago), Autodesk Lustre & Maxon Cinema4D


Favorite music genre?
Dubstep, the garage way. No wobbly bass that makes your brain cells shatter, nice and chillful tunes.



What are your further plans?
Business school/gymnasium, international film school and then we'll see whats going to turn out.

Will you edit other gaming movies in future like BF3, COD etc?
Might do, haven't planned anything.

Is movie making  and graphic designing your primary source of income?
It's my only income.

What do you like more 2D or 3D?
2D, vintage style.

You have won many competitions in movie making, you may have many haters as well, what would you like to say to them?
Make love and the world will follow.

What motivates you the most?
The ability to visualize thoughts and inner pieces of yourself that normally wouldn't be shown to other people.

Who would you like to credit for all your success?
My mum, my stepdad, my many friends and every single piece of inspiration I've got.

Do check out his channel and his facebook page. Thank you koopz for the webterview.



-Mufaddal 'IfuM' Dewaswala