Gaming for the win

JackeyLove plays League of Legends. PROVIDED TO TEENS

Zhou Ziyang, 11, Xi’an
I love playing video games and wish to become a professional esports player one day. However, my mom and teachers don’t like this idea. Now, I’m kind of confused about their worries as well as my future.

JackeyLove (Yu Wenbo), 22, Shanghai
I started to play League of Legends at 13. One year later, I became a gaming livestreamer. As my game rankings got higher, I became a professional player and won the 2018 League of Legends World Championship with my teammate. Now I’m playing for the TOP Esports club.


JackeyLove (fourth from the left) and his teammates at the TOP Esports club. PROVIDED TO TEENS

Zhou: What’s the schedule like for professional esports players? How busy are they with training?
JackeyLove: A professional esports player usually trains for 15 hours per day. Take my club as an example. We have three rounds of team ights from 2 to 10 pm – after each round, all the players and coaches will get together and review. Big competitions usually take place at 3 pm, 5 pm or 7 pm, so we need to follow the timetable when training. After team training, each player will have ive to six hours of personal practice, which means that we normally get to sleep after 4 am and get up at around 1:30 pm. Apart from training, we play in competitions for around seven to eight months per year. If our team loses early, we may have longer vacations, haha! But all in all, a player’s schedule is tight and very diferent from common people.

Zhou: What qualities and abilities should an esports player have?
JackeyLove: To be honest, for this job, talent is more important than hard work. This means you need to have quick reactions, good concentration and tactical thinking. A player also needs to handle pressure well. We normally need to perform at big events with crowds and bear harsh criticism if we don’t play well. What’s more, the hunger for victory is vital as this is a very competitive sport.

Zhou: How can I become an esports player?
JackeyLove: An esports player’s career usually starts early at around 16 years old and lasts to ages 23 to 25. In my time, it was common for an ordinary gamer to get high rankings before esports clubs could reach them and help them start a professional career. But now, there are more youth training camps for young players. This means more opportunities as well as more rivalries. So if a teenager turns to esports just because they want to avoid school or like playing games as a hobby, they’re not likely to earn a place here.

Zhou: How much money does an esports player make?
JackeyLove: Players who play at big events usually earn millions of yuan a year while top players can earn tens of millions. A rookie who has just entered this industry usually makes a few thousand yuan per month. Our revenue is made up of salaries from clubs, prize money from competitions, and commercial activities such as commercial shoots and livestreaming.

Zhou: What kind of keyboard and mouse do you use?
JackeyLove: Just normal ones. My keyboard and mouse are offered by our sponsor and cost no more than 2,000 yuan. But I can also play well using equipment of 50 yuan. It is the player that matters.

By GUI QIAN, 21st Century Teens