Chinese League of Legends gamer works hard to stay on top

"I wanted to be known by more people when I chose this career path," said Bai Jiahao, also known as 369, an esports player for JD Gaming in China.

Thanks to his gaming skills and passion, the 22-year-old was selected to be a professional League of Legends (LOL) player six years ago. He is now ranked as one of the five best LOL top laners of 2022 by game site Inven Global.

With his studies falling behind in junior high school, Bai decided to attend a vocational school to at least "learn a skill". By then, he was good at playing LOL and was even paid to play the game for others.

"I had felt inferior to others, but the game gave me confidence," Bai said. "So I went to a training team for teenagers. I wished to be seen."

However, the first two training teams he attended didn't do well. Bai felt that he wasn't fully inspired. In the third team, Bai set goals and was more strict with himself. Luckily, his family were very supportive too. "My grandma supported my decision the most and told me to take care of myself and be happy no matter what," Bai said.

Training takes up almost all of his time. "We usually get up at 1 pm in the afternoon, and the training ends at 3 to 4 am the next morning," Bai said. There are usually more players online in the evening and at night, which provides esports players with a better gaming environment for training.

During the competition season, players won't have days off. "This is because the matches are intensive too," Bai said. They may have longer vacations after a season.

Apart from being good at playing the game, in Bai's mind, the most important requirement for esports players is perseverance. "A player needs to have strong self-discipline. This helps a lot in the intensive training," he added.

When he was asked about his proudest moment, Bai quickly responded: "The moment when I became the champion". He was referring to the League of Legends Pro League 2023 Spring Split Championship, which was the most recent award his team won by the time of the interview. "My grandma always watches my competitions, and I feel proud by just thinking that she's watching," Bai said.

With this pride, Bai is motivated and hopeful for the future. "I wish to win all championships ahead," he said.

xuzhaolin@i21st.cn