A life less ordinary: How one M’sian turned his passion for gaming into a career in esports

Cheong (middle, with a baseball cap), seen here beaming with pride with the National Online Attack 2 team that won silver at the SEA Games 2023, says the spirit that the players are displaying at the games has been hard to describe. — Photos: ANDREW CHEONG

When Andrew Cheong was growing up in the 1990s – then a student at SMK Jalan Cochrane who occasionally played video games at the local cyber cafe with his friends – he never dreamed that he would one day be the national team manager for the Malaysian esports contingent headed for the SEA Games 2023.

From hobbyist gamer to content creator, esports hypecaster, analyst, coach and even university lecturer, Cheong has slowly but surely explored gaming in all its branches.