Esports is an area that has exploded in popularity. The fact that people can now make (more than) a full time living from playing video games is truly amazing and, even just a few years ago, many would not have believed it possible. Now we have players earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and a betting market that can rival that of traditional sports. With major fighting game tournaments and the likes of FIFA too, there is certainly plenty of action to bet on.
What of Wales though? How popular are eSports here and has the country produced any stars? The answer to both questions is a resounding ‘yes’. Admittedly, Wales isn’t the first country that you would associate with eSports, but it is certainly more popular here than most people would expect. Let’s look at some of the top players who have come from Wales and see just what they have achieved.
Zac Moore
Coming from Caerphilly, Moore may have appeared to be like any other teenager who had an interest in gaming. The difference being that he already knew where he was heading and he already had plans to play competitively. This has seen him leading the Welsh charge into the world of eSports.
When recalling early experiences, Moore remembers his PS2 and FIFA 04 when he w around 6 years old. It was when he turned 15 that things began to get serious and he played in competitions. His first professional tournament in 2016 saw him come within the top in Europe and he has kept developing ever since.
Alphari
Any talk of Wales and eSports has to involve Alphari. Why? Well for starters, he was the first Welsh League of Legends player to make it to a World Championship. What makes his achievements all the more special is that he did not even realise that he was the first Welshman to make it this far. He quietly got on with progressing, along with his European team, and gave no thought to any records that he may be setting at the age of just 18.
Anyone who knows anything about eSports knows that League of Legends is almost brutal in terms of how competitive it is. To see a player from Wales make the World Championship is a big deal, to say the least. There is so much potential for this player to achieve more.
Dave Davies
When looking at levels of success in eSports, there has to be some consideration given to earnings in terms of the amount of money that is won. This is where Davies comes in. He may not have amassed hundreds of thousands with his eSports endeavour but he has still bagged an impressive $40,000 plus.
What makes the winnings of Davies even more impressive is that they came exclusively from Call of Duty. The skills shown by Davies saw him, and his team Epsilon, achieve an impressive 4th place at the Call of Duty XP Championship in 2016.