Have you ever had those moments when you would wake up early in the morning just to play your favorite game? Have you ever thought to yourself “Dang I just put in six hours of gaming today!” Well, you’re just like lots of kids around the world. You might be one of the two types: the casual ones who play for the fun of it or the ones who play it competitively.
Now being casual is not really a bad thing–some games don’t need to be played competitively anyway. The ones who play it competitively usually put in more hours per day. And you might be shamed for it because they think you’re wasting time and that you need to study or work. While technically yes, you have to study and get a job. You do have to be committed to your studies to get a job with a good stable income, but if you want to pursue gaming, well, go for it! It’s actually as serious as real sports and other jobs! Now, there are a lot of conspiracies surrounding this, but you can get the same results like you can get paid, and you get sponsorships and even fame!
For example, there is this competition worldwide, called EVO, short for Evolution. When you go there, it’s like a whole new world and I’m talking Aladdin-type new world. Like a new perspective. When you go to EVO, you will see 1,000+ people just like you in different age groups who love the game. There are nine games in total that are handled in EVO every year and the games sometimes change due to popularity or games that have broken mechanics which break the game completely and can’t be played competitively anymore. The EVO tournaments usually are not so classy but in some moments, you will see two guys sitting back to back with two TV monitors in the middle of a boxing ring. But the best thing is when someone does a very hype and cool play in a game. The most famous and inspiring moment in “EVO is called EVO Moment 37#”. Whoever wins an EVO tournament gets a trophy and a title for themselves, like Best in China or, if you’ve won a lot of tournaments, The Best in the World. And lots of people love to be called the best.
And if EVO isn’t really close to you, you can always just go to a local hutong tournament nearby. Trust me, I’ve been to one, and everyone’s very supportive of the newcomers, even the young ones! There’s this adrenaline rush when you first enter a tournament. Once you sit down on your allocated seat, money is on the line! Whoever wins a local tournament gets a lot of money ranging from RMB 400-800. Now that’s a lot for a high school student. What’s really special about these tournaments is that you don’t need to talk to anyone to know them. Because you all love the game, the game shows who you are and also the friends you make along the way. About 50% of the game heavily relies on what happens in the mind. The other 50% comes from how good you can play the game. Just like in conventional sports, right? And just like in competitive sports, you can pay for a mentor to help you improve in it.
Where do you find mentors, you ask? Well everywhere on the internet, you just have to check. The most prominent one is called ProGuides, where the best of every game is available to coach you. I’m not going to lie- it’s expensive. It costs around USD 60 for one game. If your parents think that’s too much, then you can always go on Fiverr where they give coaching for as low as USD 7. You can also check Youtube. Some Youtubers are willing to mentor.
Now, you might be asking, “Is it safe to bring my eight-year-old child to enter a tournament?” Well, currently it is. many of the “bad” people have already been banned from joining tournaments. But if you really want to make sure, the parents can accompany their child for safety.
Computer or e-games are like sports and jobs now. You can pursue it no matter what anyone says. Thanks to the fast development of the industry, especially in China, we gamers don’t have to feel guilty for putting in lots of hours. Gaming is no longer just a hobby.
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Images: Pexels
This article appeared in the jingkids 2021 March issue
