As casual gamers play for a living, Indian eSports enter a defining phase

One of the biggest indicators of the industry evolving is when publishers (game makers) start setting up offices in India

A little over a decade ago, Ankit ‘V3nom’ Panth found himself in a fix. He had been bringing back money, anything between Rs 500 and Rs 2,000, to his Mumbai home. At other times he’d get home a mouse pad or a keyboard. His parents were convinced their teenage son was gambling or stealing. Panth told them he was winning the money and goodies at gaming tournaments but they found it impossible to believe him.

“I come from a middle-income background, so this was a lot of money,” says Panth, now 29. He still laughs at his parents’ disbelief that someone