Lau Chee Teik, 2nd year student in the Diploma in Information Technology, participated recently in the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) 2005. Chee Teik, a Malaysian, represented Malaysia in the games in July 2005.

The ESWC, based in France, has been running for several years and hosts it's annual World Cup at several locations in the country. It rewards e-athletes and gamers with big cash prizes for their performances. The ESWC has slowly gained recognition as one of the greatest e-sports events around. Every year, countries from across the globe send representatives to the ESWC to compete for fame and glory. These representatives are selected from regional qualifiers, where the champions get the honour to represent their country and of course, an all expense paid trip to France.

Since last year, Malaysia began hosting the ESWC qualifiers for various game platforms, providing Malaysians with experience and exposure to the competitive side of games. However, this year's Malaysian ESWC qualifiers were open to anyone in the ASEAN region to accommodate the demands of fellow gamers who did not have a qualifier in their countries (e.g. Singapore).

As defending champions in the Counter-Strike disciple, Chee Teik and his fellow- Malaysian team mates were invited to defend their title. After some intense competition, they were able to pull through and win the Malaysian qualifiers to represent the country. The ASEAN ESWC Championship, which saw teams from across the ASEAN region participate for cash prizes was held right after the Malaysian qualifiers.

Here is what Chee Teik had to share about his experience: ‘Due to the packed schedules, we were mentally drained and lost concentration causing us to end up as 2nd runner-up in the ASEAN competition. However, we had already secured our tickets to France alongside a Thai and an Indonesian team and won a total of RM 6,000 and prizes worth up to RM 20,000.

Taking off for France on the 4th of July, the Malaysian contingent set hopes on bringing the gold home. As this was not my first international competition, I knew that the competition was definitely tough, and tough it was when we weren't seeded in the brackets. Things didn't turn out as well for us compared to last year. We beat Greece, tied Mexico and lost to UK, Spain and China, sending us out on the first day of the tournament.

Despite the loss, we gained plenty of exposure and understanding by playing other top teams from other countries. It was also a plus for us to be able to visit a fine city such as Paris and experience the food, culture and weather. Singapore has announced it will be hosting an ESWC qualifier in the region the following year. Given the chance, I would definitely want to return to the wonderful country of France next year as I believe I would have a better chance at the gold.’