Gamers out to dominate competitors for gold

PETALING JAYA: When Sharifah Alia Husna Syed Fakrurrozi (pic) picked up the video game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang when she was 16, little did she realise that it would lead to her playing in tournaments and being selected to be part of the national eSports team for the SEA Games in Cambodia next month.

Now 20, the Mara College student in Beranang, Selangor, said she realises that there is still some stigma connected to eSports in Malaysia compared with other South-East Asian nations.

Despite the growing scene in Malaysia, Alia believes there is room for improvement and hopes a stellar outing in Cambodia by the national team will raise the image of the sport locally.

“I think the challenge for eSports in Malaysia lies in awareness. There are fewer role models in Malaysia compared with the Philippines and Indonesia where eSports have a much higher profile. People in Malaysia are less open-minded about video gaming and think it is mostly a fad with younger people,” she said.

Another challenge she faces is poor Internet connectivity.

“Because I stay on campus, Internet coverage can be tricky and can cause video games played on mobile devices to lag badly, hampering competitive gaming,” she explained.

Even though she is now a national athlete set to take part in a major regional sporting event, she said she makes sure to balance her training and her studies.

“I make sure to manage my schedule between eSports and my studies so that both are well-balanced. If I have an assignment, I will finish it as fast as I can and only then continue my eSports training,” she said.

Alia believes the SEA Games will be an excellent opportunity for local gamers because they will be performing on a much bigger stage for national glory.

She is also especially thrilled that eSports is becoming more popular among ladies.

“I think eSports in Malaysia can develop further than we expect since technology is improving daily.”

As for her target in the Games, she is clear about what she wants.

“My target is to become a champion, and my main challenge is the Indonesian team because they have a strong line-up that have been on a 21-match winning streak, so they are our biggest threat now.

“We can’t overlook the Philippines team too because they were dominating in some competitions. So they are another big threat.”

One strength the Malaysian team can count on is their experienced team manager Andrew Cheong Wai Lup, who is not only an experienced gamer, but also a prominent eSports commentator and a part-time lecturer about video gaming.

The 37-year-old gives talks part-time at Tunku Abdul Rahman University College about a category of games called multiplayer online battle arenas.

His vast knowledge and analysis of such games lead to his being invited to join two professional teams as an analyst and then to become the Brunei national team coach for the popular video game Player Unknown Battleground Mobile before taking on the mantle of Malaysia’s team manager for the SEA Games.