National pride at stake as players level up for Asian Games debut

The stakes are rising in the e-sports world as China's best gamers put their reputations on the line for the sake of national honor.

Players' patriotic pride is taking on extra importance as the newly assembled Team China readies for the heat of international battle at the forthcoming Asian Games.

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Yan Junze - aka 'Letme' - a League of Legends player on Team China, revealed he is sticking to an exhausting training regime for the national cause.

"It's never an easy job to be a professional e-sports player, for we have to train at least 14 hours a day to maintain an ideal condition," said Yan, who is also a member of the world-renowned Chinese club Royal Never Give Up (RNG).

"We have to sit in front of a computer for a very long time every day, so we are also very easily injured."

To the uninitiated, that might sound odd, but Yan's teammate Jian Zihao is proof of the toll that e-sports can take on the top pros.

The player commonly known as 'Uzi' and widely considered the world's best LOL player has been forced to take time off because of injuries caused by the high intensity of training and competition.

His recent exertions have not been in vain, however, with RNG crowned world champion at the LOL Mid-Season Invitational in Paris in May to lift Chinese e-sports to new heights.

But victory is rarely easy.

"We have to travel a lot to compete with other teams from different places, and it's pretty tiring," said Yan.

"When we landed in Paris for the MSI, we had to prepare for the competition the next day. To be honest, for the first couple of days, we were not in good condition, which led to some disappointing losses.

"However, we were not about to give up. We adjusted everything and started to win and then we got it."

The triumph was a milestone for China in a sector South Korea has dominated for years.

Two months later, China again flexed its muscle, with the country's League of Legends Pro League (LPL), featuring the RNG, EDward Gaming, Rogue Warriors and Invictus Gaming clubs, beating their South Korean counterparts to win Asia's Rift Rivals championship in Dalian, Liaoning province.

An even grander stage awaits China's elite at the Asian Games, which open in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Aug 18.

"When I heard the news that e-sports is now a part of Asian Games, I was thrilled," said Yan.

"You have to understand all the difficulty we've been through for all these years. It's a great chance for more people to understand us and learn the positive value of e-sports.

"I was so proud of myself when I was selected into the national e-sports team. I'll try my best to compete for our country at the Games and bring back more honor."

Medals are up for grabs in six e-sports competitions at the Asiad: three individual events (real-time strategy classic StarCraft 2, collectible-card hits Clash Royale and Hearthstone); and three team events: Pro Evolution soccer, multiplayer online battlefield arena romp LOL and Arena of Valor (AOV), an international version of King of Glory.

Team China will compete in three games in Indonesia - LOL, AOV and Clash Royale.

And with hotshot Uzi and three other RNG world beaters, including Letme, on board, the LOL unit of Team China has its sights firmly set on gold.

Helping the players in their quest will be a team of physicians, fitness trainers and psychologists.

"I've been working with traditional sports teams and the requirement and ability of e-sports players go beyond my imagination," said Huang Jing, head of RNG's psychology crew who also works with the Chinese women's basketball team.

"The requirements for their reaction speed, multi-tasking ability and imagination in the three-dimensional gaming world are even higher than traditional athletes to some degree. Any small psychological change can influence their performance."

Having helped secure e-sports' debut at the Asiad, Chinese Olympic official Wei Jizhong is hopeful it will be given full status in time for the next edition of the Games - in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in 2022.

"Adding e-sports to the Asian Games was much tougher than we had initially thought," said Wei.

"After a long negotiation we all agreed on three principles - no violence, making sports games the priority and guaranteeing fairness.

"Now, it's only a demonstration sport, but we're trying to make it an official medal sport for the 2022 Asian Games.

"E-sports is a trend that is very popular among young people worldwide. We can never cut the connection with the young people."

shifutian@chinadaily.com.cn