SHANGHAI: As thefirst generation of professional gamers enters retirement, eSports is forced toconfront a vexed question: after years spent killing rivals in a virtual world,what next? It is a quandary that comes far earlier than in most sports -- inthe most frenzied eSports games, players can be finished by 23 becausereactions supposedly slow after that.
Milliseconds canbe fatal in the online battlegrounds of eSports, a fast-emerging world wherethe financial rewards are rocketing. There is a record prize pot of $33.7million -- and still growing -- this week in Shanghai at The International, aworld championship where players compete in Dota 2. In Dota 2, a multiplayergame featuring a "Phantom Lancer" and a "Chaos Knight",players often talk about a comparatively late cut-off point of age 30.
"Peoplethink that at that age you're slow, you're not good enough, but I think it's amythical number," Jingjun "Sneyking" Wu, 24, of the Newbee team,told AFP. Michael "Ninjaboogie" Ross, of Dota 2 rivals Mineski, hopesto defy the age barrier. He has spent more than half his life gaming, but at27, retirement is already looming. "Hmm, now that's the one thing I've neverreally thought about," he said, when asked what he plans to do next.
Burnout
According tothose with knowledge of the scene, the "What next?" question is a hottopic among pro gamers. Coaching an eSports team or becoming a commentator oranalyst are prime among the options after hanging up their keyboards. But a fewsay that after spending up to 12 hours a day practicing, and in some cases withtheir eyes and wrists suffering, they are looking forward to escaping thesport.
Duncan"Thorin" Shields, a self-styled eSports historian, said that burnoutis a major reason why gamers tend to retire so early. But he also told hisYouTube channel on a segment about retirement that teams have been too quick todispose of older players and experience has been undervalued. The good news forthe likes of Wu and Ross is that this seems to be changing and retirement agesare creeping up. "Most people's peak probably was when they were 21 or22," said Shields. "But from an objective sense, it's absolutely nottrue. "The idea that in your late 20s you're just completely done... itdoesn't seem to fit with sport."
Social skills
Kurtis"Aui_2000" Ling said that growing riches in eSports -- the bestplayers are multi-millionaires -- are keeping gamers playing longer than ever.The 26-year-old has earned close to $2 million, according toesportsearnings.com, and is now coach of Newbee having retired as a playerafter injury. "Five or 10 years ago you retired because you wanted tosettle down and you couldn't support yourself in eSports," said theCanadian.
"Now we'veclearly reached the point where you can begin to do that (supportyourself)."Sports players can play into their 40s so I don't see why youcan't in eSports." As the scene matures and money tumbles in, there will begrowing opportunities for retired gamers in the business, management and mediaof eSports, said Roman Dvoryankin, general manager of Virtus.pro.
Dvoryankin wantsto employ a sporting director but there simply is not a candidate out therebecause many of the first generation of gamers are still playing. He dismissedaccusations that many eSports players lack the social skills to thrive afterthey stop pro gaming. "They are totally fine at communicating with otherpeople, just not face to face," he said. "But it's not a uniqueeSports thing, it's a generational thing. People think they are just sitting attheir computers, but the fact is they are talking a lot -- but they are justchatting (online)." - AFP