University students from Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore won RM58,400 in total in China’s E-sports Festival in Hunan, China which took place from Nov 22 to 24, the Elites were supported by South Korea’s IEF International Exchange Federation.

Bangkok University’s League of Legends Elites team won first place, taking home a trophy and US$10,000 (RM41,700). Malaysia’s Xiamen University King Of Glory Elites team won US$3,000 (RM12,500) for finishing in second while Singapore’s Nanyang Polytechnic FIFA Online 4 Elites player Alger Pang Zhao Wei claimed third place, winning US$1,000 (RM4,150).

The teams are under E-Sports Distinct International Network Gamers (Esding) and part of a contingent of 44 students from nine universities in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. The Esding Elites is a base movement particularly targeted at developing talented eSports players in South-East Asia. Each participating country sent a team of five each for multiplayer online battle arena games League Of Legends and King Of Glory, as well as one player for FIFA Online 4.

The captain for Bangkok University League Of Legends Elites team, Metis Wongchoosee said participating in international tournaments is a crucial stepping stone for students considering eSports as a career. More Universities should find ways to conduct and introduce eSports potential among students.

Malaysia Xiamen University King of Glory Elites team captain Ling Kuang agreed to the statement and said universities should support eSports tournaments.

He said, “In China, there are a lot more tournament opportunities for grassroots players and these tournaments are not only supported by the universities but also the government,”.

Esding will be participating in the upcoming World University Cyber Games in Sanya, China in December this year.