KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 14 — Team High Ground defeated Team 5ive 3-1 in the Dota2 final at the 2018 Malaysian Cyber Games to walk away with the RM20,000 grand prize today.

Team High Ground which is made up of captain Goh Choo Jian, 23 together with Kelvin Chong, 25, Chong Wei Lun, 22, Fua Hsien Wan, 25, and Kok Yi Liong, 22 did not face stiff competition from their opponents in the best-of-five encounter.

They took the lead before 5ive pulled back and won the remaining two games easily to win their first tournament.

Goh who drove six hours from Kulai, Johor to participate in this event said he’s glad that his hard work is finally paying off.

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“I’ve been playing the game since its first version in 2008. I’m glad to say that my time at the cyber cafe wasn’t entirely wasted,” he said.

He added that his aim is to get better at the game.

“I’m just going to have supper with my friends today. Tomorrow when I return back to Kulai, I’m going to continue playing.”

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The 23-year-old spends close to six hours a day playing the free-to-play multiplayer online game.

“I practise with my team-mates from 2pm up to 8pm with breaks in between.

“I do not have a full-time job and the prize money will come to good use — it’ll help me pay for my food and drinks,” he said.

Team-mate Kok from Port Dickson said he never thought playing this game would earn him money.

“I still play it for fun — who thought my past time could actually feed me?”

The 2018 Malaysia Cyber Games which was held over over the weekend offered a total prize pool of RM300,000.

Among the games which were contested over the two days were Fifa 18, Tekken 7, F1 2017, CS: GO, Injustice 2 and Battlegrounds.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was also among the 2,000 e-sports fans who attended the event in Putra World Trade Centre earlier today.

The e-sports event was organised by Suara Anak Muda 1Malaysia and Briged Kesatria Muda Malaysia.