Two local gamers are set to participate at this week's prestigious International e-Sports Federation (IeSF) championships in South Korea.
Mind Sports SA president Colin Webster awarded Protea Colours to Robert Botha, from gaming league PolarfluKe, and Ian Pillay, from Wits Wargames, at the Old Edwardians Club, in Houghton, yesterday.
Botha will compete in StarCraft II, and Pillay will compete in FIFA Online 2; both games will be on PC. Webster says if the players do well in the tournament, they could be recommended for other sporting achievements, such as the South African Sports Awards.
He explained: “The Protea Colours the team is getting to go to South Korea tomorrow is the same Protea Colours the board gives to every sport. It's basically the Protea Colours Board, which is a joint sitting between the South African Sports Confederation and the Department of Sports and Recreation.”
Tough competition
However, Webster pointed out that the players face a tough battle by competing against top players from all over the world.
“From our point of view, we have a huge disadvantage in terms of e-sports, compared with our European competitors, and of course, our Asian competitors. We don't have the same infrastructure and financial resources. So we do the best we can, and our players do the best they can, because we would like them to win.”
He adds that IeSF is a unique opportunity for the players to compete against highly skilled gamers from all over the world, and to learn gaming skills from other players.
“Last year, everybody complained bitterly about how the team didn't get past the first round, and yet our players, once they've been across, tend to play much better when they come back home. I still believe we have the best players for the job at hand,” adds Webster.
Skills improvement
According to Webster, StarCraft is designed so that people can play against international players on the network, which means South African players are in a better position to play against international players, compared with other games like Warcraft III.
Both Pillay and Botha said they are excited for the five-day tournament; however, they expect to face big pressure from their competitors. They also said it would be an added challenge playing in an environment they are not used to.
IeSF is a global organisation focused on developing e-sports. It also aims to increase the number of nations participating in gaming, to host world gaming tournaments, and to set standards for e-sports.
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