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Valorant has grown massively in India, with the rise of several esports players and content creators since its release in June 2020.
The PUBG Mobile ban in India has made many content creators switch to other games. After the ban, many Indian gaming content creators and streamers found their success in Valorant. This boosted the Valorant community's growth in India.
Ankkita Chauhan, popularly known as Ankkita C, was one of the video game content creators who found success in Valorant too, after PUBG Mobile. Apart from Valorant, she has also been seen streaming other games on her YouTube channel as well.
Ankkita is one of the few top female Valorant streamers and content creators in India. She started off her career in gaming with PUBG PC, but after the ban, she is mostly seen playing Valorant. She currently has over 240K subscribers on YouTube.
Ankkita, the Indian Valorant content creator opens up about her journey and future plans
In an exclusive interview with Pratiti Dhang of Sportskeeda Esports, Ankkita shared her journey and experience of being one of the top Valorant content creators in India.
Q: Ankkita, you’re considered to be one of the top female gaming content creators in India. So let’s start our conversation by sharing a bit about your journey from managing to becoming a content creator yourself.
Ankkita: Well, I used to work in a digital marketing agency and in 2018 when PUBG Mobile was released I started playing it a lot. It started causing problems at work. A friend of mine suggested I play out of his gaming studio after work and introduced me to the PC version of the game.
And I absolutely fell in love with it! I started my channel because I was learning PUBG PC, my first FPS game on PC, and wanted to capture the entire journey! And when things started working out well for me, I decided to follow what I truly love doing!
Q: Did you have any inspiration behind taking up content creation in gaming as a profession? What were some of the hurdles you faced?
Ankkita: I didn't really have any proper inspiration. Like I said before, I did it purely because I love it!
Q: Convincing Indian parents to let their children pursue a career in gaming and esports is not easy. Considering that, was the case similar for you? If yes, how did you manage to convince them?
Ankkita: When I started my channel I didn't really tell anyone! I used to stream out of a studio or a cafe after work since I didn't have a PC. And when I decided to finally quit my job, my parents were really supportive of me.
All they asked me was if I'm sure I want to leave a job that's paying me every month for something where the money isn't even 100% guaranteed. My mom has been watching my videos since then and even though my dad doesn't really watch everything, he fully supports what I do.
Q: When it comes to the gaming industry, there's too much sexism and toxicity a female gamer faces. Hailing from the same community, did you ever come across such toxicity? If yes, how did you deal with them?
Ankkita: Yes, I have. I've had different ways to deal with it. When I first started, I used to lose my cool and just lash out at whoever's talking shit or making sexual comments. I had nothing holding me back but now the audience has matured a little and I've grown with them too.
In the past 2 years. I've been dealing with it a lot better, I either make some funny, savage response or we just ban them based on the seriousness of the comment. If it's in-game it depends on what lengths the person has gone to - some we still argue with and some we just mute and report! I basically have a lot of patience left in me right now and only lose my cool after someone's crossed every single limit.
Q: After the PUBG Mobile ban, your content creation mostly shifted to Valorant. Do tell us about your experience when you switched to Riot Games’ tactical shooter.
Ankkita: Fortunately, since it wasn't my very first FPS game, I wasn't the worst! But yes, it was a lot of fun learning everything about this game, from agent abilities to maps, and coordinating with randoms for 40 minutes of my life! It was really funny in the beginning when I'd randomly throw abilities anywhere, and I still do it for fun sometimes.
Q: As Valorant esports grows by the day, the progression is confirmed by the initiation of VCT Game Changers, which saw the birth of all-female squads like Cloud9 White, CLG Red and TSM Female. Now that there is a premise for you to join professional esports in Valorant, do you think of joining it one day, or do you wish to stick to content creation?
Ankkita: I have absolutely no such plans. I play for fun and enjoy creating content. That's what I'm going to stick to!
Q: You have been playing Valorant for a long time now. How does Valorant set itself apart from other games of the genre?
Ankkita: I've been playing Valorant since the beta. And even though Apex Legends is my absolute favorite game, the reason I've stuck to Valorant is that it's extremely fun to play even if you're solo.
There's always so much happening and new things to learn. The agents are great and the maps are fun to play around with! It's pretty good in terms of taking care of hackers. And the skins are amazing! I’m not going to lie, it might just be the skins.
Q: Now that Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) is here, can your fans expect content on this new Krafton title?
Ankkita: Yes! I'm actually waiting for it to be launched on iOS.
Q: Valorant or PUBG Mobile? Which game appeals to you the most?
Ankkita: I'd say Valorant right now because I'm really into PC games these days.
Q: Apart from Valorant, did any other game attract your attention enough to be played recently?
Ankkita: I really enjoy playing Apex Legends, and the most recent game would be Resident Evil Village!
Q: You have recently completed three years of your YouTube career. How do you plan to expand your channel? What can your fans expect from your YouTube channel in the coming months?
Ankkita: They can expect a lot of vlogs. This was my plan in 2020 but COVID happened. But hopefully, things will get better soon and I can start vlogging a lot more.
Q: Any message or suggestion to aspiring female gamers who wish to become content creators or become professionally active in the community you love so much?
Ankkita: The only thing I always tell people is, "Please keep going!" You're going to get a lot of hate, a lot of gender-based hate, and it's not going to stop anytime soon. But don't let that bring you down. Have friends to talk to and focus on the positive!
