KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 — If you've ever said video games were worthless, it's time to maybe reconsider.
One student's passion for a particular video game has earned him a trip to Barcelona, Spain, where he will compete for prizes of up to US$35, 000 (RM138,334).
Muhammad Luqman Haziq Hajiman, 21, who spends three hours daily on his Playstation 4 playing Fifa Ultimate Team (FUT) — an online component of the Fifa 18 game — will represent Malaysia at the three-day Fifa eWorld Cup Playoff FUT tournament from January 26-28.
He is also the first Malaysian to make it to this stage.
“It's a chance of a lifetime. Representing my nation at something I love doing the most.
“One night I'm playing the game and next thing I know I'm going to Barcelona,” he said.
Luqman, who will leave for Spain on Sunday, is also the only representative from Southeast Asia.
He is ranked 49th out of six million players worldwide, with a record of 154 wins in 160 matches in the FUT weekend league system since November last year.
Hosts Fifa and the game's publisher, EA Sports, selected the 64 top ranked gamers competing on the Playstation 4 platform.
The top eight contestants will then qualify for the Grand Final in Russia, which will take place two months before the actual 2018 World Cup.
Luqman, who plays under the screen name “Fenrir”, is aiming to win it all.
“I've been practising about an additional two hours on weekdays and eight hours on weekends. I'm prepared to face the best.
“It's going to be tough — everyone has their own strategy, their tactics and strengths — so their weakness could be my advantage,” he said when met at the 2018 Malaysia Cyber Games last weekend.
The finance major at Universiti Malaya told Malay Mail he only started with the game two years ago, when he picked up the Fifa 16 edition of the series.
“I wasn't really into football games. I love football and that was it.
“One day I decided to just give it a go and I never thought I'll be where I am today,” he said.
When he first started, Luqman said he encountered the typical parental objections to his growing obsession.
They urged him to spend more time on his studies than the video game.
With his recent success, however, even they have seen the light.
“It's changed so much since. They even ask me about whether I have improved or not in the game.
“Once in a while my dad even asks me whether he could try it out!” he said.
Luqman will leave for Barcelona with his managers from Gamesbond, a leading e-sports store in Malaysia that hosts gamers at their outlets in Kota Damansara and Sri Pemaisuri.
