Pexxer’ Strike

WORDS BY SAMEER BAIG

From being the youngest professional esports player from India in 2005 to holding the World No. 2 rank for best headshot percentage in Counter Strike (CS), Kunal ‘Pexxer’ Bhatia has done it all! Now retired, he tells us about what it takes to win the crown, and keep it too.

How did you get into professional gaming?

I started playing CS in 2005. My cousin brother from UAE introduced me to CS in a cafe and I instantly liked the game. I used to play on my brother’s computer for which I had to beg him. Finally, one day I got my own PC and started playing online with my brothers for fun and we decided to form a team to take part in online tournaments.

Soon, our team (D5 – Destructive) started defeating everyone in online tournaments at that time. People actually thought that we are hackers and banned us from the servers because we defeated the best team of India. Eventually we made our own clan and started playing on LAN. We were the WCG Mumbai Champions in 2006.

Once D5 dissolved, my brother who was an excellent CS player (Wuzz aka Pranay) got an offer from ATE (top CS team of India). I did not make the age criteria for higher level tournaments (international tournaments) at that time. I joined Team Brutality which was the second best team in India and competency level wise, we were at par with ATE (full form). We played against ATE a year after I joined and we gave them the toughest competition ever. Post this

they offered me a position (in 2011) and my journey in esports began.

Did you pursue your education while you were gaming?

I was pursuing my BBA simultaneously and was managing my college along with gaming.

What is your view of the gaming industry today as compared to the past?

The mentality of parents has changed. During our time, it was considered as gambling. This seems to have changed now thanks to the mobile game, PUBG. Now gaming is in the news and tournaments are being broadcasted which helps change people’s perspectives.

What do you think eventually led to your team becoming obsolete?

I believe that the team had the best players when it came to First Person Gaming (FPS) but we were fixated on the idea that CS 1.6 will last forever and no level or further editions of the game will be able to defeat CS 1.6 in competitive gaming. When CS GO was launched, we had a similar perception. Based on the experience of CS Source we felt that CS GO will not last in the Indian gaming market. We refused to upgrade our game and that’s when CS GO became highly popular and we became obsolete.

Why do esports players retire early in their career globally?

It becomes difficult for any player to focus on gaming as a career as it doesn’t give you much of a return especially in countries like ours where gaming is not viewed in a positive light. It needs full focus, time and dedication which isn’t easy to manage along with a job or pursuing education.

Do you still play games and what are your future plans?

Yes, but not professionally. I play games like Valorant on console as it’s my passion. If you give me a chance today to play professionally and if there is a good opportunity out there in esports, I know that I will take it up as a full time career and pursue it as long as they give me a decent package.

Any message for young gamers?

Please do not keep hopping and switching teams as it will not help you grow. Stability, trust in the team and facing different situations with one team will give you life lessons. While you do all of this, do not quit education especially if you are in India as esports still has to mature here for you to completely quit education and get into gaming.

ACHIEVEMENTS:

• The first youngest professional esports player of India • World’s 2nd best headshot percentage title from HLTV stats (56.6%)

CS 1.6:

• ESWC 2011 India Winner • DSK 2011 First Prize • Masacre 2011 First Prize • MESC Cup First Prize • AHOY Mumbai Qualifiers

Winner • ICGC Season 3 Gold Medal • Chaos Epicenter IIT

Ahmedabad First Prize • ESPRL First Prize • Techstorm First Prize • PlayFactory League Second

Prize • Nvidia RaOne Second Prize

CS GO:

• 1st place at ESL Starter Cup 3 • ROG Masters India Qualifiers

Winner • Indian Esports Championship

Second Prize • Edge Kolkata 2017 (Lan) Second

Prize • 4th Place at ESL Masters India

Summer • Dew Arena qualifier 4 - Winner