WATCH: Kempton youngsters team up for eSports
These players say they put in the same effort and time as any other sports person.
It’s fast-paced and filled with skill and strategy. It requires a minimum of eight hours’ practise each day, and may soon be added to the Olympic Games.
Can you guess the sport? Competitive video gaming, better known as eSports, is a thing. It grew from competitive gaming in the internet cafés of South Korea, to televised leagues with over 300 million viewers and R250-million in prizes on the line.
Esports stars may even contend for Olympic medals in the near future, as the International Olympic Committee is considering adding this activity to its list of about 28 sports.
Two days before this year’s Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, eSports even got a trial run.
But is watching someone play League of Legends the same as watching swimmer Michael Phelps win a gold medal or local javelin thrower Sunette Viljoen a silver?
Local gamer Philip Guest (22), username DarkPriest, thinks so.
“You go to a soccer game, you watch the game and people call it a sport. You can do the same with a computer game. It is a sport,” he tells Express.
Together with brother Taydn Scout Guest (18) and Micaela Ghost How (15), he forms part of Zigon, Kempton Park’s very own eSports team.
The three gamers practically grew up together. Micaela is goddaughter to the two Guest brothers’ mom, who calls herself the Mother of Mayhem.
Micaela was introduced to gaming by an older nephew when she was six years old. “I love the feel of a controller and how you can get so involved in a game. It’s a way to relax.”
Philip and Taydn’s dad, by playing Super Mario, got them interested when they were only three.
“It was like my other world,” said Philip, who is also a qualified IT technician.
What started as an escape for many teenagers has quickly turned into a competitive industry. Just earlier this month 16-year-old South African Thabo Moloi won R400 000 in a Fifa eSports tournament.
Team Zigon, who specialises in games such as Counter-Strike and Paladins on PC, is well on their way to also make a big name for themselves. In February, they won an international tournament, although they were only a team for three months at the time.
Preparing for such a tournament takes non-stop practising, said team captain Micaela. Philip agrees. “At pro-level you need to get in seven hours a day, minimum.”
This team often plays from 9pm to 5am.
“In total, we will break for one hour,” Taydn explains.
Apart from dedication, gamers hoping to make it big need a reliable PC or console, and a strong internet connection. Luckily, the latter is covered by Nepic, the team’s sponsor.
“Then, you need the right mindset,” Micaela adds.
“Don’t think you know everything until you’ve actually been out in the field. If you want to go pro, pick a competitive game.”
Philip’s advice: “It takes practise, practise and more practise.”
Whether you believe gaming is a sport or not, it is definitely here to stay.
To see what this team is getting up to, find them on most social media platforms by searching Zigon.
