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His heart palpitates as he enters the battlefield.
The six-man team wears maroon jerseys bearing the Singapore flag. They eye the opposing team captained by Alphacast, a figure who strode to war garnering 58 per cent of the votes in an election for the French representatives.
The battlefield is vast — the largest he has ever seen. But it is also the emptiest. He can hear the whispers of four veterans observing from the sidelines. Dim strips of neon lights illuminate the circular arena. Weapons are kept to a minimum.
Each hero has the same essentials, because winning is about technique, teamwork and a little luck.
He is the least experienced among his comrades. To his right sits Revenant and to his left, Pamyu. The teams take their seats under spotlights. The bases are so close they can smell the enemy. With no time to waste, they clutch their weapons and log on.
Over the next 30 minutes, he attacks the enemy with rocket hammer, particle cannon and graviton surge. The left hand reloads while the right hand fires.
This is the Blizzcon Overwatch World Cup in California, where only the world’s top 16 teams compete. There is no prize money, only glory.
A cameraman documents the frowns that emerge from the steely concentration directed at another world — inches from their faces. The live stream has to impress the millions watching the match from the comforts of their couches.
“It’s just one man slaughtering Team Singapore,” the commentators, known as ‘casters’, say. “France may be able to take the point pretty close right here,” speculate casters Monte Cristo and Doa.
“And that is it!”
Singapore loses the match.
It is never fun to lose. But he knows this is only the beginning. Joel Tan leaves the arena as his in-game name, “Doubted” becomes further cemented into his identity as Joel ‘Doubted’ Tan.
Joel had never seriously gamed before; he heard of popular games such as StarCraft and Dota only recently. In fact, the closest he had come to a com-
puter game was the kid-friendly MapleStory.
But within three months of starting Overwatch last May, after watching his brother play, Joel, 19, competed in his first competition for local esports team Insidious Games.
Two months later, his new team, Avalon.Tempo triumphed at the Overwatch Champions Singapore Tournament at GameStart Asia, a major gaming convention in Singapore.
“It’s a big shock. I never expected myself to be where I am now,” says Joel, an Institute of Technical Education digital animation graduate, who is waiting to join LASALLE College of the Arts.
“It’s both exciting and stressful to be in the competitive scene. Stressful because of the commitment needed and you think, in the future, can you make this a living? My goal is to get invited to big leagues or get a monthly salary,” he says.
“It was my childhood dream to play competitively and suddenly it’s coming to life.”
2020: US$1.5 Billion
The booming esports economy will surge 41.3 per cent to hit US$696 million this year, revealed market intelligence firm Newzoo’s 2017 Global Esports Market Report. By 2020, brand investment will double, pushing the market to US$1.5 billion.
Adidas, Pepsi and Visa are just a few heavyweights who invest in esports. Alisports, a sports division of the world’s largest e-commerce com-
pany Alibaba, launched the World Electronic Sports Games last year with players of over 100 nationalities aiming for a share of the US$5.5 million prize. Enthusiasts can now watch esports tournaments on ESPN. Universities now offer scholarships to student gamers.
In what could be the boldest step yet towards mainstream validation, esports will be an official medal sport at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, announced the Olympic Council of Asia in April. This is in partnership with Alisports, and esports will also be a demonstration sport in at the 2018 Asian Games.
Southeast Asia leads the growth of esports. The fastest-growing region is estimated to have 9.5 million esports enthusiasts, a number expected to double by 2019. If occasional viewers are taken into account, there will be over 40 million viewers from SEA in 2019. Singapore alone has 200,000 esports enthusiasts.
Prize pots in SEA are growing. Recent events in SEA such as Dota 2 tournaments the Manila Major 2016 and ESL One Genting 2017 had prize monies of US$3 million and US$250,000.
Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia now have governing governing bodies for esports, and they are member nations of the International e-Sports Federation, founded in 1998 to promote esports as a true sport. Comprising 46 member nations, its latest addition is Japan. Singapore is not on the list.
Lisa Cosmas Hanson, managing partner of gaming market research firm Niko Partners notes the popularity of esports in SEA, China, Korea and Taiwan.
“One reason for the popularity in SEA is the absence of local teams competing at the global level in other types of sports, such as soccer, baseball, cricket or others. Esports has become the de-facto“national sport” for many of these countries and they are able to send teams to international competitions,” she says.
Another reason is the strong presence of Internet cafes in SEA, which are “prime environments” for teams to play socially and aspire to turn pro-
fessional, adds Lisa.
“Watching someone who’s really good at gaming can be just as compelling as watching Stephen Curry play basketball, Lionel Messi play football or Gordon Ramsay cook.” — James Walton, Sports Business Group Leader, Deloitte
Such growth stems from the massive audience of what is now a spectator sport. The global esports audience will reach 385 million in 2017.
Streaming website Twitch earns more money than Youtube for gaming content. With more people watching an avatar crush its enemy in the League of Legends (LoL) finals than LeBron James in an NBA final, the industry is edging into the mainstream.
The Sport in Esports
As much as esports accelerates its reach worldwide, the term has many wondering how it fits into the language of athletics.
But it is easy to see why.
First, like traditional sports, countless esports tournaments take place globally. In 2016,there were 424 esports events with prizes above US$5,000 worldwide, revealed Newzoo. One of the most well-known tournaments is The International, where the world’s best 16 Dota 2 teams competed for a record US$20.8 million prize pool last year.
Second, just like football, esports teams have player rosters, coaches and managers. One of the best LoL teams of all time, South Korea’s SK Telecom T1, has five players, four substitutes and three coaches.
Third, both activities require intensive training.Esports demand skillful play, where chance is not the sole reason for winning. In both sports and esports, the winners outsmart the competition.
Newzoo defined esports as “Competitive gaming in an organized format; an event or league, organized by a third party, with a specific goal (i.e. winning a tournament or prize money), with a clear distinction between players and teams who are competing against each other for a chance to reach that goal.”
So closely related are sport and esport that they now collaborate. The National Basketball Association has a new esports league for players who excel at video-game basketball. Pro basketball team Philadelphia 76ers acquired and merged two esports teams in September for an undisclosed sum.
And while esports may not surpass popular traditional sports such as football, it has potential to overtake others in terms of viewership, says James Walton, Deloitte’s sports business group leader.
“Esports can easily surpass many of the traditional sports due to its broad-based appeal, international fanbase, and the ability for all demographics to participate. Compared to geographically centred or seasonal sports, like ice hockey or baseball, it will easily surpass in terms of viewership over time,” he says.
The idea of watching someone else play a game may bemuse outsiders, says James. “But if you’re passionate about something, expertise has universal appeal. Watching someone who’s really good at gaming can be just as compelling as watching Stephen Curry play basketball, Lionel Messi play football or Gordon Ramsay cook.”
“Passion Overrides Everything”
While esports may only have exploded recently, some gamers have been competing all their lives.
For Singaporean Ho Kun Xian, arcades were his second home. Armed with $5 of pocket money, he would punch and kick opponents older than him – on fighting-game machines. He loved the hangout because it was the only avenue to find competitors at a time when the Internet was in its dial-up days.
Little did the six-year-old know that he would one day beat 1,600 people to become a world Street Fighter champion.
Xian, now 26, has placed in the top 10 in more than 60 international tournaments and won over $100,000 in prize money in the last three years.
And it was passion that carried the soft spoken gamer through penniless times, long hours of training and questions of “how are you going to make money?”
“Especially in Singapore, it’s difficult to overcome traditional notions of success,” he says.
Thankfully, for Xian, who is the son of a taxi driver and a Singapore Pools counter staff, his parents accept whatever he does so long as he pays his way. Xian has worked many odd jobs, including barbecuing chicken wings at a coffee shop.
His first taste of professional gaming came in 2009, when he won a local Street Fighter qualifier and subsequently represented Singapore in Sweden.
From there, he won several other titles and opened a gaming cafe that closed after three years because of his frequent travels. These days, he travels about twice a month for competitions under the name RZR Xian, after snagging a sponsorship with gaming hardware unicorn Razer in 2014. This was when his “real career” started as he could earn a monthly salary, which is “enough to get by”, says Xian, who has fans from places as far flung as Bora Bora.
“I’m lucky to have been spotted by Razer. But it would be good if there were financial support from the government for esports players here be-
cause we have the ability but not the opportunity. I hope we can be treated equally as sports athletes.”
Echoing nearly all esports players interviewed, some flexibility for NS would also be ideal, he says, especially when skill levels can drop drasti-
cally with inconsistent practice. Even just allowing NSFs to go abroad for tournaments would be helpful, he adds.
Training for tournaments involves gaming eight hours a day, studying new characters, and tutoring other players online for US$100 an hour. The rest of his time, he says shyly, is mainly spent with his tattoo artist girlfriend of three years.
When it comes to peak season, however, a new activity is added to Xian’s schedule — jogging.
“Jogging is the most boring thing you’ll ever do. When you’re jogging, you’re doing the same thing again and again. This trains my mental strength for tournaments.”
Despite the numerous placings Xian has won, winning the Evolution Championship Series in Las Vegas in 2013, considered the world’s most prestigious, was still the most memorable.
“To be able to bring the Singapore flag on stage — I just want to send a message, to tell the whole world that I’m showing you the flag so that you’ll remember Singapore really has a lot of talent, and I’m just representing one of them.”
Such talent includes Dota player Daryl ‘iceiceice’ Koh, who, for the first time in Singapore, set up an esports team house here last October.
Team houses are what they sound like. Members of a pro gaming team live and train together 24/7 with the aim of becoming world champions.
Daryl, 26, and four other players live in the terraced house as Team Faceless.
Unchallenged as the highest-paid Singaporean esports player, the Dota 2 gamer has earned over US$1 million since competing in 2005, even moving to China for three years to play for several big-name teams.
According to online user-generated community e-Sports Earnings.com, Singapore ranks 21 out of 116 countries in the world in terms of earnings; our 286 esports players have earned US$2.2 million.
On the other hand, countries with similar populations such as Denmark, ranked 6th, and Finland, ranked 16th, have earned $10.4 million and $2.9 million from some 830 players in each country.
That said, Singapore seems poised to be a strong player in the esports industry. We have the fastest peak Internet connection speed globally, according to content delivery network services provider Akamai Technologies, and an English-language proficiency that allows us to interact with players from around the world, particularly for massively multiplayer online games.
So why is Singapore behind for now?
Jay Ng, product manager for gaming platform Garena points to “opportunity cost”. A fresh graduate’s pay averages $3,515 in Singapore, according to the latest joint graduate employment survey. That’s the amount to give up when one picks an esports career, says Jay. In Taiwan, the number is about $1,200, according to a poll released by Taiwanese online job bank yes123 last June.
“There’s a high opportunity cost here. So, here’s the question — even if I’m good, do I want to do it?” says Jay.
With the prime age for playing esports being 16 to 21, there’s also school and national service. “If people here decide to pursue this full-time and drop out of school, which is what those in other countries would do, they will still be drafted into the Army,” Jay says.
Giving veteran esports players Wong ‘Chawy’ Xing Lei and Daryl ‘iceiceice’ Koh as examples, Jay says: “The only people who can survive esports are those who go through school and manage to sustain their skills during NS. This means that after booking out of camp, they go to a LAN shop.
And then? They only start making it at 21, 22.”
For esports to flourish, there must be an “ecosystem”, which is currently lacking in Singapore, says Drew Holt-Kentwell, founder and managing director of esports consultancy firm Catalyst.
With investment, players can be paid, become better and get picked up by teams, which will ultimately create the fan-favourite brands that people will spend money on, he says.
Society must also look beyond gamers as the only people in esports.
“People don’t understand that you can get a job related to esports, but not necessarily as an esports player, as easily as you really can today,”says Drew.
“You can work in broadcast and production, social media, team management, graphics and design, marketing — there’s a whole array of jobs in esports. If people understood that you can be involved this way and draw a salary, I think it’ll be a very different case for Singapore esports,” says Drew.
A former competitive player himself, Drew is the proof. Hailing from the UK, he ventured into esports when it was still in its early stages in 2006, competing in strategy warfare video game Battlefield.
After six years, he moved to Razer as head of esports (global marketing) before leaving to set up Catalyst. The firm helps market brands such as Lenovo to the esports community. This process includes hiring professional players to use the brand exclusively and talk about it on social media.
Indeed, looking at adjacent jobs to esports is now also a top priority for the Singapore Cybersports Gaming Association (SCOGA), says its chairman, Nicholas Aaron Khoo.
Founded by gaming enthusiasts in 2008, SCOGA is a non-profit organisation that aims to develop the local esports scene.
Its latest strategy is an esports academy launched in April this year, in partnership with Twitch and supported by the National Youth Council. The academy, which aims to “build a career path for Singapore gaming enthusiasts”, hopes to engage 50,000 youths through game festivals, events and academy programmes.
Trial classes have started since December and through playing video games, participants were also taught teamwork, communication and leadership.
“After all, most people play games, be it mobile games, computer games, and they now recognise that gaming is part of a person’s life.” — Marcus Tan, Overwatch Pro Gamer
While it is easy to claim that the government is not promoting esports, one must understand three challenges, says Nicholas.
“First, which game do you focus on? Because the minute you decide to prioritise one title, fans of other games may say why aren’t you supporting us instead,” he explains.
Second, esports is unlike football which can easily start with “lines and two cones” on a field. With esports, games are owned by developers and there are copyright issues, he says.
“Third, the physical sports conundrum is that only a few successfully make it as a career. There are not many the likes of Joseph Schooling. Same for an esports gamer.”
That said, the government is aware of esports’ potential.
As of last year, the government contributes approximately one third to SCOGA’s funding, with the rest coming from corporations and the public.
In a speech at the launch of esports event Campus Game Fest last June, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu said that as a mother of three, she is aware that esports allow youths to develop positive values such as discipline and sportsmanship.
Nicholas calls the speech a result of years of engagement with the government: “We hope this is just the beginning. So is the government not doing anything for esports? No. Is the government doing enough? That’s a tough question. Can the government do more? Yes.”
Levelling Up
While Singapore may lag, progress is on its way.
For one, Singapore is performing better in tournaments. It was the only Asian country to qualify for the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive world
championships last year. A trio recently came third in a global online FIFA tournament, winning US$60,000. Individuals are also doing well.
LoL player Alex ‘Shinsekai’ Tan, 18, now lives in Taiwan after being headhunted by Taiwanese team Fireball.
Organisations have revived. Flash eSports returned this year after a two year absence, with a prominent FIFA player and LoL team playing under their banner.
Game companies are counting on Singapore’s corporate network to inject sponsorship into the ecosystem. Riot Games, the developer behind LoL, opened an office here last January. Its general manager for Singapore and Malaysia, Benjamin Pommeraud, says: “I’ve been talking to several companies and esports is on their radar now.
They know something is happening so I’m hoping it would happen in 2017.”
“I think Singapore will be a main driver. Its main asset is not its size, of course, but its corporate network. Singapore can kickstart that movement.”
As a self-proclaimed industry senior after competing for nine years, Overwatch player Kenneth ‘Colbat’ Ho, 26, is certain that more amateur players want to compete.
“I see kids who are 12 getting parental consent to compete. There is much more exposure in the media and more female gamers. Esports is really picking up.”
Society’s perception too, has changed over the past decade, says undergraduate Marcus ‘Revenant’ Tan, who has won in Warcraft III, StarCraft II, Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch tournaments since entering the competitive scene in 2009.
“Eight years ago, if you were to say you gamed, people would think you’re a loser. But now, some people think gaming is quite cool, so that’s the big change,” says Marcus, who had previously spent a month training for StarCraft in South Korea.
“After all, most people play games, be it mobile games, computer games, and they now recognise that gaming is part of a person’s life.”
Esports have gone from being about “making it” to “having made it”. It’s past the point of being a joke anymore, says Drew. So, what’s next?
“Inspire esports,” Drew recites his mantra.
“Inspiring esports is the whole ethos about not being afraid of talking about it. When I speak to a taxi driver and tell them about esports, watching their minds being blown is the most satisfying thing in the world. Basically, not being ashamed about what you love.”
For anyone looking to pursue their passions against all odds, tenacity is key, says Xian.
He adds: “If you lose in a match, you should think — are the opponents really too good or is your mindset too weak?
“If you commit to something, you need a lot of hard work. Only people who commit will succeed. And you have to remember: people who commit may not succeed, but if you don’t commit it’s impossible to succeed.”
Our other stories:
ALL WORK ALL PLAY: The journey of a Singapore esports team
READY, SET, GAMESTART: A walk through Singapore’s largest gaming convention
