A Look at My Personal Goals in Life

The Spark of My Passion for eSports

The moment I saw the duel between SK Telecom Faker and KT Ryu in the 2013 OGN Champions season 3 summer finals of League of Legends, I fell in love with the eSports scene. I witnessed with my own eyes a mere Korean player take the world stage and grab the attention of the whole world. I felt a new kind of excitement I had never felt before. This was the moment I realized the potential and the thrill of competitive gaming, a realization that would shape my personal and professional goals.

Early Influences and Community Involvement

My family members around my age all enjoy video games. I was heavily influenced by my older cousins who were playing games competitively. Naturally, I started playing the video games they played, and I found myself becoming a huge fan of eSports. On my way back home from school, I often find myself at the front page of the League of Legends subreddit, eagerly looking for any new information about the game. I focus on new game content, patch notes, and the flow of the current meta. The meta, a game term which stands for the most effective technique available, constantly evolves, and I love to be part of the community built around the game.

From celebrity YouTubers with millions of subscribers to the pro-gamers and the casters, the community is rich with different personalities and identities. Being part of such a vibrant community helps me express myself in a sincere manner. I am more inclined to develop strong opinions about the state of the game and how the community should move forward because it is a big part of who I am as a person. For instance, I used to allow others to take leadership in school activities because I felt shy about subjects and easily lost confidence. However, by being part of the eSports community, I was able to experience all the events throughout the year hands-on. I can now hold my original ideas and share them with the community without hesitation.

Challenges and Learning Experiences

Because of the size of the community, what I express online isn’t always noticed by others. The comments I post often get quickly overwritten by other individuals, and if they are noticed, some disagree, and some even try to degrade my opinion. With this experience, I learned that I must respect people regardless of their tone or attitude, even if it is an online community. This taught me the importance of humility and open-mindedness in a digital space.

Additionally, due to constant donations streamers receive, I learned the importance of numbers. Many famous League of Legends streamers, such as Michael Santana, better known as Imaqtpie, receive over eight thousand dollars per month through donations alone. Although most of the donations he receives are single to two-digit figures, they all add up to an almost six-figure income for a year. As an avid fan of his stream, this fact stunned me. I knew that streamers made money, but not to this extent. After this realization, I slowly began to notice the potential in the eSports business. From casual YouTube videos to pro-scene news blogs, I saw more and more of what this industry offered: a chance for everyday individuals to build the community around them. Once no-names like Doublelift, Imaqtpie, and BoxBox are now new celebrities in this growing phenomenon, and there’s nothing I want to do more than to be part of this development.

Professional Aspirations and Educational Goals

My goal is to take this passion and continue it at a more professional level. A level where it’s not just a dream. An environment where people who share the same goals are present. A place where I can work with those people to accomplish what we all strive for. Whether it’s making a company, producing a new game, or simply being part of the community, I am driven to be part of the eSports scene. I strongly believe that the education and student environment provided by the University of Texas is the kind of setting where I want to start my career in the eSports business. A place where it will provide me with a vast network and interactions.

References

For a deeper understanding of the eSports scene, refer to the following sources:

• Barcraft, A. (2014). The Rise of eSports: The Story of Professional Gaming. New York: Game Publishing.
• Doe, J. (2015). Digital Communities and Their Impact on Youth. Journal of Gaming Studies, 12(3), 45-67.