Despite my passion for gaming, I've always been an overachiever in school. Being the eldest daughter in the family and a scholarship holder, the academic pressure has been huge throughout my childhood and growing years.
Like any Asian parent who wished to see their children achieve, my mother was determined in curbing my passion for gaming, as it was seen to be a bane to academic excellence. I was only allowed to game for short periods of time after I completed my schoolwork, which became a great source of motivation for me as it pushed me to improve myself both academically and in gaming.
The meritocratic and elitist ways of the Singapore education system added on to the whole situation - there seems to be a pre-determined path for everybody, in accordance with the so-called "societal norm"; choices were simply illusions of free-will. So I followed my given path and studied Political Science.
But when the time came for me to make a career decision, the impulse to take a leap of faith into gaming and esports was overpowering - to have been bound all my life to unsaid rules and finally breaking out of the mundane was an exhilarating and incredibly fulfilling experience.
Despite strong protests from my mother, I moved out and started venturing into esports, and my life has never been the same since. Through my own journey, I was determined to prove to my family and to everyone else that esports could also be a viable career path. There were periods of time when I was in heated arguments with my mother, at odds with and not speaking to her; weak moments when I would break down and question if all this was worth it. It didn't help that the social stigma against gaming was so prevalent in Asian countries - I was seen as the bad egg of the family; another child lost to the affliction called 'gaming addiction'. I knew what I was doing – my end goal has always been crystal clear, and that was the only reason how I persevered in spite of all the negativity.
It's been 5 years since I’ve entered the esports industry. I’m now the sole breadwinner of my family with a flourishing & rewarding career, and my mother is a hip esports mom who knows all about the latest tournaments and pro players, fully supportive of this path that I’ve chosen. Sometimes I would also bring my sister along to tournaments and events, so that she would understand more about what I do and what the industry is all about.
To be able to tell people that I’m working in esports, turning my passion into a sustainable career path is always an amazing feeling. And I don’t intend to stop here – it is my aim to help more aspiring players or talents achieve the same by sharing my own experience & struggles, and providing them with advice and opportunities. Looking forward to the day when people would stop casually dismissing the idea of esports, because it is definitely a phenomenon that’s taking over the age of the millennials by storm.
And I’m incredibly proud to be part of it. <3
