FPX team members celebrate the victory of the game.
Lin Weixiang is in the competition.
Gao Tianliang is in the game.
FPX team emblem
Logo of 2019 League of Legends Global Finals
"Mr. Key" was once a "loser"
At 1: 00 pm, this is the time when the FPX team gathers to "punch in" every day.
Even without training and competition, Tian, 19, rarely leaves the team base. This is very different from his role in League of Legends games — — In the game, Gao Tianliang’s role is "playing wild", which requires him to swim in the "wild area" of the map, accumulate experience and capital for the team and meet the "war" that may happen at any time.
This villa in Zhangjiang High-tech Zone, Pudong, Shanghai is the "base camp" of Gao Tianliang and his teammates. The first floor of the villa is the training room and dining room, and the dormitory of the team members is upstairs. In addition to the computer, Gao Tianliang’s desk also has dolls and a pot of green radish sent by fans. He spends more than ten hours here every day during training on weekdays.
In the past year, Gao Tianliang reached the peak of his e-sports career — — In the 2019 League of Legends Global Finals, the FPX team, which has only been in the team for two years, passed all the way and won the championship trophy. Gao Tianliang was named the Most Valuable Player in the Finals (FMVP) for his outstanding performance. At the time of awarding the prize, he wanted to lift the trophy, but underestimated the weight of the trophy, and only with the help of his teammates did he get it.
"I feel that life has become troublesome and there are some strange things." Talking about the changes after winning the championship, Gao Tianliang said. After becoming a champion and FMVP, he shot several advertisements and was named "model of the year" by fashion magazines … … But in Gao Tianliang’s view, these are not recognized as "trouble" when walking on the road.
Just a year and a half ago, Gao Tianliang was just an unknown "basement player". Unable to enter the main lineup of his previous team, he had to bury his head in training in the basement.
"at that time, I felt that my ability was no problem, but there was no chance. But I believe there must be an opportunity. " Gao Tianliang said.
The opportunity came in 2019. During the season transfer, Mason Lee, the head of FPX team, called Gao Tianliang. After observing at the base for 3 days, Mason Lee decided to sign the frustrated young man.
"I felt a strong desire to win from his heart. He is very demanding of himself, with good character and good personality. " Mason Lee said.
Chen Ruzhi (War Horse), head coach of FPX team, was also impressed by Gao Tianliang. "At that time, we inspected three or four players, but Xiaotian’s will was the strongest. He wanted to prove himself."
After entering the FPX team, Gao Tianliang quickly became a new star on the field. In the global finals, he became the key gentleman of the team and helped the team out of the corner many times. "In the past, everyone said that I played like other players, but I felt that I was me, different from others, and I was Tian!" After winning the championship, Gao Tianliang said.
"He is very aggressive, and he has a good understanding of game skills, and he is even pushing the progress of his predecessors." Mason Lee said.
Don’t enter the business easily without talent.
"If I hadn’t played e-sports, I might be in Tsinghua now." Earlier, in an interview, Gao Tianliang’s amazing words won him the title of "Tsinghua playing wild". In fact, this is just a joke of Gao Tianliang, and he himself is not a rumored "schoolmaster".
If he hadn’t played e-sports, Gao Tianliang might have become a Chinese medicine practitioner. He comes from a family of Chinese medicine practitioners, from his great grandfather to his father. Therefore, when he decided to embark on the road of e-sports at the age of 15, he was unanimously opposed by his family.
"There are indeed achievements now, but it cannot be said that the decision at that time was correct." Gao Tianliang said, "It is better to study normally, but e-sports is more attractive to me."
Crisp Qingsong, two years older than Gao Tianliang, had a similar experience. At the age of 16, he joined a professional club and grew up step by step from the second team until he reached the podium of the world champion.
"I don’t think reading is an ideal way for me. At that time, I met some powerful professional players playing games. The gap between me and them was not very big, so I strengthened my confidence in engaging in e-sports. " Liu Qingsong said that, like many teammates, parents felt very unreliable when they heard that they were going to "play games". However, seeing that e-sports players have higher income guarantees, they will no longer stop.
E-sports is not an easy job. Today, Gao Tianliang and Liu Qingsong train from 1 pm to 2 am every day. Except for a short meal and rest time, almost everyone has to sit in front of the computer to compete and resume. Some players will continue to practice or broadcast live until three o’clock or even four or five o’clock. Liu Qingsong said that after a season, his shoulders and cervical vertebrae felt sore.
How to judge whether you are suitable for the e-sports industry? "Talent" is the most frequently mentioned word by e-sports players.
"E-sports is a very youthful profession. If you don’t have talent, you really can’t play." Gao Tianliang said, "Everyone plays the same game for almost the same time, but some people make rapid progress, and some people will always be stuck in the same place."
Liu Qingsong believes that e-sports competition is about the brain. "In the game, we should constantly think. Thinking about what you should do, what the team should do, and what the opponent will do must be very clear. "
In Chen Ruzhi’s view, it is not enough for an excellent e-sports player to be competitive. "Many people’s competitiveness affects their judgment in the game and their relationship with teammates. As a team game, e-sports also needs communication and even personal sacrifice. "
Strict management can produce results.
At 5 o’clock in the afternoon, Gao Tianliang "rushed" into the kitchen with slippers and dolls. It’s almost time for dinner, and the players are already sitting around the table, joking with each other.
For the team’s diet, the regulations of FPX team are quite strict. Lunch and dinner should be accompanied by meat and vegetables, and finished or semi-finished products should not be purchased to minimize the intake of food additives by team members; Fresh-cut fruit should be provided to the team members before 3 pm every day; If a team member doesn’t eat much lunch, the staff should also consider whether to prepare some snacks such as nuts or bread … …
Mason Lee has nearly 10 years of experience in the e-sports industry. In his view, militarized and semi-militarized management is more suitable for the management of China E-sports Club. In the management regulations of FPX team, lateness, smoking and other behaviors will be punished, and strikes and salary discussions are "high-voltage lines" that are strictly forbidden to touch.
However, Mason Lee’s strict management has also been challenged by players. In 2018, the team required the team members to reach the top 50 in the world in the training ranking, which met with the "resistance" of the team members and the team’s performance was not very good.
"Last year, we became a way to guide and motivate, but everyone reached the ranking goal." Mason Lee said that the storm also gave himself a wake-up.
"If I choose the club, the management will account for 70% and the players will only account for 30%." Tae-sang Kim, a member of FPX Club, believes that the management of the club is very important. "League of Legends has many newcomers every year, and many players suddenly disappear after playing for a season. The key to staying is the good management of the club."
"FPX can win the championship because of team efforts and scientific training methods." Mason Lee said that when attending the finals in Paris, the club sent a team of 20 people, including not only data analysts who focused on the competition, but also professionals such as psychological counseling, sports rehabilitation and nutritious diet to ensure the physical and mental health of the players.
Despite all the preparations, FPX’s debut in the finals met with waterloo. Team member Lin Weixiang (Lwx) was criticized on the Internet for his poor performance.
"Last season, one of the tasks given to me by the company was to enter the top 10 of a hot search in Weibo. Unexpectedly, Lin Yuxiang suddenly rushed to the second hot search. " Mason Lee said that in order to protect the team members, the team quickly produced a talk show to let netizens know more about this young player and help him share some "firepower".
Often being "sprayed" and learning to get along with negative remarks is a compulsory course for these young people to grow up.
"When I first started playing a career, I was still influenced by some remarks. Now it is relatively calm. Of course, I will still be happy to see my remarks. " Lin Yuxiang said.
"E-sports players are very young and it is too easy to go wrong. The audience is very demanding of the players, and once they don’t perform well, they will scold them badly. Some experienced clubs can help players calm down, but some clubs may be dissolved directly because of pressure. " Tae-sang Kim said.
In Mason Lee’s view, after psychological tests, "e-sports teenagers" have stronger hearts than their peers. "In those years of ups and downs, they encountered great malice. In fact, they have long been prepared, and their psychological maturity and strength far exceed our imagination. "
"As young people, they may have all kinds of minor problems in psychology and life. But on the whole, they are all ‘ Good baby ’ 。” Mason Lee said that after winning the prize in the World Championships, the contestants didn’t spend money indiscriminately, and many people even bought their parents real estate.
Career development is a compulsory course.
"This is the first plane today, thank you, boss!" Speaking fluent Mandarin, 23-year-old Tae-sang Kim started the live broadcast in the evening. Last year, after busy training and competition, Tae-sang Kim even broadcast live for more than five hours every day, and his eccentric personality won him many fans.
After five years in China, Tae-sang Kim learned Chinese and became China’s son-in-law, and the fans of e-sports in China have long regarded this Korean player as "one of their own". Indeed, since the beginning of this season, Tae-sang Kim has become a "local player" officially certified by LPL (League of Legends Chinese mainland Division).
"I’m used to living in China, but it’s strange to go back to Korea on holiday. Every Spring Festival, I will take my family to China for the New Year. " Tae-sang Kim said.
In his second year in China, Tae-sang Kim made up his mind to learn Chinese well. "At that time, many excellent Korean players joined the China team, but some people came just to make money and didn’t communicate with their teammates. After the training match, they disappeared from work. I wanted to win the game and communicate with my girlfriend at that time, so I forced myself to study hard. "
Today, Tae-sang Kim is not only the core of the team, but also the conductor within the team. In the competition, he always communicates with his teammates the most. Chen Ruzhi also said that last year, there were the most discussions and quarrels with Tae-sang Kim, which highlighted his leading position in the team.
"After my career, I will still stay in China. I also want to get China ‘ Green card ’ I have been preparing for this for almost three years. " Tae-sang Kim said.
Although only 23 years old, Tae-sang Kim once considered retiring for physical reasons. The career of e-sports players is not long, and the development and career choice after retirement is a problem that everyone has to face.
"There is no special consideration yet. I feel that I can still play, at least for another four or five years." Gao Tianliang said.
"I don’t know what my future will be like. But I hope that after retirement, I will either live better or maintain a relatively stable state. " Liu Qingsong said that even after retiring, income is still a factor he values.
Mason Lee said that FPX Club currently has communication and cooperation with some educational institutions and universities, and also has relevant layout in the game industry. After the future players retire, the club will have resources to help them whether they want to be anchors, commentators or coaches.
In 2018, as the head coach of China Taipei Team, Ru Chen led the team to participate in the e-sports competition of the Asian Games in Jakarta. In his view, e-sports is similar to traditional sports. As players grow older and their competitive level declines, they will encounter problems of retirement and career choice.
"One problem of e-sports players is that they are too young to enter the industry, and some people may stop going to school from the age of 15. In the e-sports industry, there are fewer exchanges with the real world, which is a problem in the future. " Ru Chen Zhi said, "But at present, the e-sports industry has a great influence on the Internet. Many players are used to living on the Internet and have accumulated a large number of fans, which may become a resource for their career change."
China esports stands on the tuyere.
After winning the world championship, Liu Qingsong, who was originally quiet, became interested in skin care. He began to use masks and sunscreen, and his hair was dyed in color and then black again.
Recalling her trip to Paris a few months ago, Lin Huixiang only had the word "boring" in her mind. "After winning the championship, I ate a hot pot in the evening. Being recognized on the road, I ran back to the hotel and just wanted to go home quickly. " He said.
During the break, the staff handed a stack of postcards to Gao Tianliang. After signing the words, these postcards will be given to the fans of the team.
In the team base, Tae-sang Kim wore a sweater designed for him by his wife, with his name written on it. Throughout 2019, Tae-sang Kim only stayed with his wife for twenty or thirty days. He said that he felt very uncomfortable, but he still wanted to win a world championship.
"Looking forward to 10 years, at that time, only a few people in the e-sports industry really did well, and others were forced to participate." Mason Lee said, "Now e-sports has been proved to be a better career path. In the future, more and better young people will participate and have a better chance of success."
"I often tell my friends that young people should try more in industries such as e-sports and short videos. The cost of failure is low. Once successful, you can stand directly on the tuyere. " Ru Chen said.
The symbol of FPX team is a red phoenix. Coincidentally, the theme song of League of Legends Global Finals last season was also called Phoenix — — Fire phoenix, flying in the fire, where should you go, fall into the endless abyss, or board the eternal temple.
Now, the League of Legends competition in the new season has begun. This year, the global finals will be held in China for the second time. Can e-sports teenagers in China spread their wings again? People will wait and see.
In the first half of 2019, the market size of e-sports industry in China reached 57.53 billion yuan, and it is expected that the market size of e-sports industry will exceed 100 billion yuan in 2019.
From 2019 to 2024, the scale of China’s e-sports industry is expected to maintain an average annual growth rate of about 18.75%. By 2024, the market scale of China’s e-sports industry is expected to exceed 270 billion yuan.
In the first half of 2019, the number of e-sports users in China reached 440 million, up 11.2% year-on-year, and there were more than 440,000 e-sports practitioners. At this stage, the demand for talents in the domestic e-sports industry is mainly concentrated in the service jobs of competitions, and the proportion of related jobs is as high as 67.5%. In the first half of 2019, the average monthly recruitment salary of major positions in the e-sports industry reached 9032 yuan, which was 12.5% higher than the overall average recruitment salary of the whole industry.
In the 2019 League of Legends Global Finals, the number of people watching the game at the same time peaked at 44 million, with an average of 21.8 million viewers per minute.
Sun chenpeng finishing
