eSports is putting S’pore on the map, it’s time S’pore pays attention to it - Singapore

Joseph Schooling may be in our headlines every now and then winning medals for Singapore. He even bagged $370,000 for his accomplishments at the Commonwealth and Asian Games.

But before Schooling gripped our collective attention, there already was a Singaporean making waves in eSports (Electronic Sports) and he has reportedly earned over USD370,000 in prize money so far in his career. This figure does not include his monthly salary.

His name is Darryl Koh Pei Xiang, but to millions of people who play the online game Defence of the Ancients 2 (Dota 2), he is better known as iceiceice.

One S’porean here is more well known internationally than the other, people outside of S’pore are more likely to get the answer right than S’poreans.

Singapore is on the cusp of becoming a powerhouse in the eSports world but Singaporeans in general have no clue of this reality. To provide some illumination on this topic, this story is not only about iceiceice, but rather the journey of a few professional Dota 2 players in Singapore and how they put Singapore on the Dota 2 map.

A short history of Dota 2’s popularity

Here’s a simple explanation of the game: it is played by two teams of five players competing against each other; each team has to defend their ‘home base’ against enemies while they employ strategies to destroy their opponents’ base. Each player controls one ‘hero’. It’s like basketball or volleyball or many other sports where one team goes home the loser.

Singapore makes its name in the international Dota 2 scene

So where does Singapore fit into all this?

In 2011, Scythe.SG, a Singapore Dota 2 team, was invited to take part in The International. Competitively, Southeast Asian (SEA) teams were never real contenders for the top spot at that time.

In fact, Singapore was an unlikely representative for the SEA block. Singapore’s eSports scene has never matured like those in Korea, the United States, Europe or China, or even Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines – it was possible to work as a professional gamer in those countries.

In an interview with gaming website NGNT, Scythe.SG’s captain, Benedict Lim Han Yong (nickname hyhy), said that he had been actively helping Dota 2’s creator with the game and that was how Lim got a personal invitation to play at the event.

That year, Scythe.SG took third place, finishing behind the Chinese (2nd) and Ukrainians (1st). They won USD 150,000. That was the highest amount of prize money any Singapore eSports team has ever earned.

Currently, there is still a stigma perpetuated by parents and schools that video games are nothing more than a distraction from studies. But like any sports, playing video games at a professional level requires dedication, tenacity, resilience and discipline. In fact, eSports pays better than certain sports.

While Singapore as a society is becoming more accepting of athletes pursuing their passion in sports as evidenced by the setting up of the Singapore Sports School, perhaps the same recognition can be given to eSports. Could the Ministry of Education (MOE)’s ASPIRE give aspiring gamers a head start?

Societal pressure to adhere to the paper-chasing route and NS commitments are still big stumbling blocks to aspiring professional gamers. The same can be said for any other athlete looking to hone their skill in sports.

Our local footballers have long had to deal with juggling football, their education and NS. I foresee a day where Fandi Ahmad’s son Irfan, listed by The Guardian as one of world football’s top 40 young talents, would require the ‘blessings’ of MINDEF should he want to develop a football career in Europe.

eSports’ popularity is burgeoning, but it is not fully matured as other spectator sports such as football, and it would be foolish for Singapore to not capitalise on its current standing in the Dota 2 scene and play a bigger role in shaping how eSports turns out.