With competitive games getting bigger exposure these days from the potential of e-sports, we now see a large interest in games from various parties. Gamers flock to e-sports worthy games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) either as pro players or casual fans and spectators. Brands- even non-gaming related ones- have recently shown interest to invest in the scene.
This is where our gamer of the week comes in. Afiq Syazwan, otherwise known as Afieqzz, consider himself more of a competitive gamer than a content creator. He still finds time to upload his CS:GO highlights on his YouTube channel PandaStudio. A resident of the state of Johor in Malaysia, Afiq has been gaming since he was still in kindergarden. He dabbled more on strategy games at the time before moving on to other games, including CS:GO.
Afiq has made various CS:GO montages showing off his clutch plays and good aim, like this one here:
https://youtu.be/zbVW_hcFrF8
While not as huge as Dota 2, CS:GO is doing relatively well as an e-sport. There are various major events happening all over the world, including the Eleague Atlanta Major. As the name implies, it’s a full league system where teams compete regularly within the season. The first Major event of 2017 is just starting and also broadcasted over on Astro’s eGG Network.
Recently more brands are coming in hot into e-sports. CS:GO team Astralis recently got sponsored by car makers Audi, and Immortals received investments from Lionsgate, a movie production company. NBA franchises, as in basketball teams playing in the NBA, are also investing in e-sports teams, either directly (Philedelphia 76ers buying Team Dignitas, Miami Heat investing in Misfits) and indirectly (investors of NBA franchises bought Team Liquid). There are even teams that are founded by NBA legends as well- like Echo Fox and NRG e-Sports.
“Having brands support the gaming scene is important to change what people currently think about gaming being a waste of time,” said Afiq. With legitimate brands coming in, including from traditional sports, this will keep on legitimizing e-sports, as well as gaming in general. As Afiq mentioned, big brands coming in should help people rethink what gaming is- not just for fun and games but a worthy career path and industry.
(picture courtesy of HLTV)
When it comes to ambition, Afiq has a few role models he looked up to. As a content creator, Afiq looks up to the Swedish sensation Pewdiepie. In the CS:GO side of things, he aspires to be like ScreaM currently of G2 e-Sports. The rifler is known for his excellent headshot accuracy and has been around the competitive scene for more than seven years. “I just want to be a e-Sports gamer in the future. For me, [a career path in gaming] is a yes.”
We wish all the best for Afiq and his journey to be playing CS:GO professionally. Who knows, those clutch montages might attract the right people and get him closer to his dream.
Afiq runs the YouTube channel PandaProduction and can also be found on Instagram.
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