Work hard, play harder

EVER had a dream of playing online games for a living? Well, Eric Sia Sze Pin, or as his in-game-name (IGN) proclaims him, ‘QaspeiL’, is one of many who can proudly declare so.
The 23-year-old professional eSports gamer started playing Dota when he was 13, but eventually shifted his interest to League of Legends (LoL) where he takes on the role of Jungler for his gaming team, the Kuala Lumpur Hunters (KLH).
Back in 2014, Eric took a leap of faith by quitting his studies to fulfil his long-held dream of becoming a professional eSports gamer, just like the players he had seen on television.
But what he is doing isn’t as easy as it seems. His extensive training schedule spans seven days a week, from 12.30pm to midnight, “sometimes if I’m not tired, I can go on until 1 or 2am,” he said.
It’s clear that such a dream is not for the faint-hearted, it requires exceptional perseverance and a disciplined state of mind, and only through forging a good team synergy can they win a match.
When was the pivotal moment when you realised gaming could be more than a leisurely pursuit?
“I was halfway through studying [for my] Cambridge O-Levels when I was 18, [and] the team at Kuala Lumpur Hunters offered me the opportunity to join their team, they saw the potential in me, and it [was] also a way for me to realise the dream I had since I was young.
“But at that time, I was torn between two choices; to continue [studying], or to quit my studies and be fully committed to [gaming]. It was made even harder because my parents always envisioned me inheriting their accounting firm. They wanted me to study accounting and to work with them in the future.”
How have your parents come to terms with your hobby-turned-profession?
“I remember the first time I told them that I wanted to become a professional eSports gamer, they had a lot of questions like: ‘what is that?’, ‘can you make a living from it?’.
“At the same time, they were very understanding and thought that since I’m always playing games at home, I might be able to benefit from it.
“They’ve been really supportive over time and it’s really encouraging for me. Especially my mum, she always puts in the effort to attend [tournaments] ... I’m ever so grateful to her.”
What is the most stressful part of doing what you do?
“It’s also what I’m afraid the most, that I won’t be as good as I was previously. In order to improve myself, I have to work really hard, I have to excel and perhaps outdo my teammates.”
What was your most memorable championship?
“It’s definitely the Garena Premier League 2018 Spring tournament, that’s when I thought we wouldn’t make the [semi-final], but we managed to pull through and landed ourselves in second place.
“There has never been a Malaysian team who has gotten past the semi-finals, so this really proved a lot of things for Malaysian teams when it comes to League of Legends.
“We were really close to beating the winning team, and for us to achieve this result just shows that [Malaysia] is stepping up our game.”
What is the gaming community in Malaysia like?
“It’s not as advanced as I would like it to be in terms of the support from the industry, because if you were to compare eSports in Malaysia and other parts of countries, I think the most advanced in the Southeast Asian region is definitely Vietnam. They are one of the best examples, followed by Thailand, China and South Korea.
“The eSports community in all these countries is huge, as for Malaysia, it’s definitely still growing. Especially after mobile games were introduced to the community, people became a lot more aware and supportive towards eSports.
“Commercial brands are also stepping in as well, its a big step for us and hopefully, it’ll only get better in time.”
What are some lessons you’ve learned since you first started?
“The journey since I joined KLH up until down has never been easy, and of course, I’ve grown to become a better person. I became mature in a lot of aspects, but if it wasn’t for the team, I probably wouldn’t be who I am right now. I’ve learned that sometimes you have to sacrifice, even if it means that you’ve to struggle, but it only gets better after that.”
What are some bits of advice for young gamers who seek to follow your footsteps?
“What they need to remember is if you want to do something, make sure you put in all your heart and effort, and never give up until the end. Because to see a change in your life, you have to really just do it. No one is going to make that change for you.”