Entertainment

Student gamers battle it out

By Wang Wei (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-04-21 07:55

Players competing in the second University Students E-sports Contest on March 14.

The competition attracted 3, 000 students aged 18 to 24 from 31 universities in the capital. WANG JING / CHINA DAILY

E-sports are both work and play for many of the dedicated players from universities across the capital

When Gao Bin decided to launch the University Students E-sports Contest, he was overwhelmed by thousands of letters from interested gamers - as well as hugs from his classmates.

"They told me they have waited for so long. Now, finally, they have a platform where they can play something they really like," the 19-year-old told METRO.

The second University Students E-sports Contest kicked off on March 14, attracting 3,000 students from 31 universities in the capital.

Last year's inaugural event attracted 2,297 students from 21 universities.

The participants are competing to be champions in five events - Defense of the Ancients, Counter Strike, Pro Evolution Soccer, QQ Fei Che and Dragon's Nest. After a three-month preliminary contest, the top four players from each event will gather at China E-sports Development Center in Shijingshan district to battle it out for final victory on May 14.

E-sports, or electronic sports, was introduced to China in 1996 and was ratified as a sports event by the General Administration of Sports of China in 2003. Since then, it has gone on to gain unprecedented popularity among netizens, especially among university students.

It is estimated that China has 40 million e-sports players, with the most active - those aged 18 to 24 - accounting for half the gamers.

During peak time, one of the most popular e-sports, Warcraft III, designed by Blizzard Entertainment, has 1.3 million players playing simultaneously, according to Youth Weekend, a supplement of Beijing Youth Daily.

"E-sports will expand quickly in the future because the number of Internet users is increasing swiftly," said Wang Chasheng, media officer from China E-sports Development Center.

China had 420 million netizens as of June last year, an increase of 36 million on 2009, according to China Internet Network Information Center.

Players say that what makes e-sports appealing is the games involve strategy, teamwork and a sense of achievement.

Zhang Guanhao, 21, a junior student at Capital University of Economics and Business, won three rounds of the Dragon's Nest preliminaries on April 16 and will compete in the final.

"I met my best friend through playing the games. We encourage each other when we encounter strong enemies and cheer for each other if we win," he said.

Some students want to be professional e-sports players and work very hard toward that goal.

Since 20-year-old Fan Shuai started to play QQ Car Racing two years ago, he has practiced at least two hours every day.

He has attended four professional games to drill his skills and hopes a professional team will offer him a contract.

"I feel happy playing this game. I want to combine my interests and profession together," he said.

However, some teachers and parents are not supportive when it comes to students playing e-sports.

"I received two requests last year from students hoping to set up an e-sport association," said Hong Haiyan, director of student affairs at China Agricultural University. "After careful assessment, we turned down their requests."

Many universities have denied students' requests to establish e-sport students association due to concerns about the effects of game playing on their studies and fears that some students might become addicted.

China Daily

(China Daily 04/21/2011 page)