Legends never Die; They become a part of You
Waking up Wednesday morning, the first thing I did after cleaning and before break-fast was logging into YouTube to see the results of last night eSports game. “We are champion!” the exact same cheering when the five-Chinese-man League of Legends team RNG won MSI (Mid-season Invitational) in May. Every time our players win a title and go towards the World Final one step closer, my eyes will well up with tears; what in front of us are medals, trophies and prize, whereas I see eSports getting more recognition, and all of a sudden players’ injury, countless days and nights devoted into their career get paid back.
Here is a simplified schedule of a day for eSports players during the intensified training before Asian Game 2018:
7 am: get up (After cleaning and before break-fast, Desktop eSports players will watch game recordings to study while mobile players start practice already);
30 minutes break-fast (Same standard as of other sports players) and travel to closed training place;
11 am — 11 pm: practice and preparation;
Before bed: even more game recordings and discuss about team strategies.
I play a lot League of Legends during my free time. In a nice Saturday Afternoon, normally I will play 4–6 games consecutively; sometimes there is a game of dramatic comeback, other time there are easy wins and losses. I enjoy the excitement and team work involved, and I feel motivated after I turn back to my college study life. If you pay me to play 12 hours of eSports game 5 days in a week, you better sign me a huge contract because I know, for sure, that if I play 15 more games in a day, I will suffer from systematic breakdown: my eyes go bloodshot, my limbs go weak and numb; possibly after 2 months, I would become urban legend version of Count Dracula. It is easier to imagine the hard time of traditional sports players since their physical training is usually harmful in a long-term way and leaves them with permanent body “scars”, however, eSports players are actually under more severe threats. (This is one of many reasons I tell my girlfriend, who is learning hand occupational therapy, that she will make a good fortune if she works for eSports teams in the future.)
The 2017 League of Legends World Championship was held in different cities in China, and two Chinese teams RNG and WE had excellent performance, making it to the semi-finals. All the Chinese fans could not wait to see our own players lifting up the championship trophy, though, things went sideways: November 3rd, darkness fell around Chinese eSports; it was two Korean teams fighting over the S7 Final in Beijing National Stadium.
Indeed, fans were a little disappointed about Chinese teams, yet the games had not finished. November 3rd, Beijing National Stadium was crowded. November 3rd, I shouted and cheered not out of patriotism but love of the game itself, appreciation of eSports players’ skill and performance and respect to the sportsmanship that has nothing to do with nationality. On this day, November 3rd, Western eSports media were astonished of the heat in the stadium.
Today, I will still cry to the theme song, which may sound ordinary to someone who does not know about eSports. I believe one day, eSports will shine brighter, for legends never die; they become a part of you.
(selected lyrics of Legends never die by League of Legends ft. Against The Current)
Legends never die when the world is calling you
Can you hear them screaming out your name?
Legends never die, they become a part of you
Every time you bleed for reaching greatness
Relentless you survive
They never lose hope when everything’s cold
And the fighting’s near
It’s deep in their bones
They run into smoke when the fire is fierce
Oh, pick yourself up ‘cause
Legends never die when the world is calling you
Can you hear them screaming out your name?
Legends never die, they become a part of you
Every time you bleed for reaching greatness
Legends never die

