Planning丨Tang Qianyao
Interview丨Ice cubes
Written by丨Pan Jinqin
Editor丨 Feng Xiao
At the press conference after the 2023 MSI Mid-Season Championship, Bai Jiahao walked up to the podium of the press conference and picked a chair to sit nearby.
On his slightly chubby face, he had a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Behind that, a pair of not too big eyes were full of smiles. Watching teammates come to the stage and smile; Listening to the applause from the audience, it was also a smile. The gentle and relaxed appearance has a cute sense of closeness, just like the kung fu panda in the cartoon will make people want to step forward and hug as soon as they appear.
It's hard to imagine that the teenager in front of you is the majestic 369 (game ID name) in the virtual world of "League of Legends".
In the mouths of e-sports fans and peers, 369 is a super list that "can never be broken" and "can carry as much pressure as there is", and is the mainstay of the JDG team. In the championship match that just ended, 369 once again showed its arrogant and domineering spirit and helped the team win the championship.
How to look, Bai Jiahao and 369 are like two magical travelers from different time and space. The former comes from the real world around us, and the latter comes from the fantasy continent we yearn for; The former is gentle and restrained, the latter is romantic and insolent.
But they are the same person.
On this night of becoming the champion, Bai Jiahao in the real world and 369 in the virtual world finally reached a wonderful drum at the finish line after each walking through bumpy and bumpy roads. "They" twisted into a rope without contradiction to record this golden memory of growing up together.
Bai Jiahao Chapter 1: Homecoming
Anyone who knows Bai Jiahao's schedule will sigh at the difficulty of e-sports players.
If it falls on paper, it is a dense form. The date and time grids are filled with the words training and competition. If the timing is raised to the granularity of events, the 2023 MSI Mid-Season Championship is the one that has just ended, followed closely by the preparation and training for the Asian Games. Without looking closely, it is difficult to find a small compartment sandwiched between these two big events.
It said: Holiday.
In the process of interviewing Bai Jiahao, the most relaxed part of his conversation was this topic. Between high-intensity workloads, he finally had time at his disposal. It's fun to think about.
So, what do you do during the holidays? Bai Jiahao said that he can do anything, but he just can't play games. Because "I'm playing too much every day now, I'm a little tired." As he spoke, he smiled, "Actually, I rarely play games in private. ”
Perhaps, this is the "negative benefit" of treating games as a profession. In the esports industry, players have been working for a long time, it is difficult to maintain their original enthusiasm for the game, and it takes a while to adjust their mentality. "That's for sure." Bai Jiahao said, "Because doing one thing all the time, it will be very boring." ”
But there are no absolutes.
Bai Jiahao said that in only one case, he would arrange the "option" of the game into his personal time. "When I come home from vacation, I still play a handful or two." Bai Jiahao said that because his old family has a group of his little friends (friends who have grown up together), "We have known each other since childhood. Counting from elementary school, more than ten years. ”
For Bai Jiahao, playing games with Fa Xiao is entertainment, socialization, and a warm aftertaste of carefree adolescent time. "At the time, we were all playing games together. Later, when we came home for the holidays, we would also play together every day. As soon as I go back, they will (give me) the wind or something, hahaha..." Saying that, Bai Jiahao laughed heartily. It seems that at that moment, he has returned to his hometown, Jiaozuo City, Henan Province.
Bai Jiahao Chapter 2: Concern
Born in Jiaozuo, grown in Jiaozuo.
This city, which is labeled as "labor export" by the outside world, carries too many memories of Bai Jiahao. Among them, some Bai Jiahao did not want to mention it. For example, his parents. Working abroad for many years has made Bai Jiahao a "left-behind child" in the eyes of others. It wasn't a good memory, "Don't mention it..."
Of course, what the hometown left more for Bai Jiahao is the beauty of true love in the world. The story of him and his grandmother "can't be told enough." Always wear old clothes and buy me new clothes. Bai Jiahao recalled, "If there was something delicious, she always gave me food, but she didn't eat it herself." ”
Today, Bai Jiahao is away all year round because of his work, but he and his grandmother talk on the phone every other week. While complaining to each other's parents, grandma is always concerned about Bai Jiahao's living and eating, just like he was by her side when he was a child. "She will also think that my work is very hard and tiring." Bai Jiahao said.
But this does not mean that grandma does not support Bai Jiahao's career. Bai Jiahao said that although he does not deliberately call his grandmother every time he wins a competition to win an honor, he knows very well that his grandmother must know and is happy for himself. Because "she'll watch my game herself." Bai Jiahao said with certainty, "Yes, I will watch every performance." ”
Just this year, Grandma flew for the first time.
In the final game of this year's spring regular season, 369 bought a ticket for her grandmother and asked her to come to watch her play. After that game, the JDG team organized a fan meeting, and grandma saw that 369 was very popular, and everyone was competing to take a photo with their grandson, so happy that they couldn't keep their mouths shut, and said excitedly, "I also want to take a picture with Haohao (grandma's nickname for Bai Jiahao)." ”
There is no doubt that grandma is Bai Jiahao's biggest concern. Today, Bai Jiahao has become famous, he buys the best house for his grandmother and does the most beautiful decoration. And as long as it is the New Year home, he will concentrate on watching TV with his grandmother.
Bai Jiahao Chapter 3: Choice
In addition to grandma, there is also a sister.
Today, Bai Jiahao's sister has just entered junior high school. At this age, it is close to the time when Bai Jiahao made the first major decision in his life.
In the third year of junior high school, in order to reduce the financial burden on his family, Bai Jiahao decided not to continue to take the college entrance examination route. He volunteered to enroll in a four-year auto repair class because he "assigned jobs after graduation." This is the choice of most young people in the city, learn a craft and then find a job.
But at the same time, Bai Jiahao was not satisfied with such a road, because it could see the head at a glance. What kind of uncle and uncle who are almost middle-aged around him is likely to be what his future looks like. So while attending the auto repair class, Bai Jiahao also looked for another possibility.
For the sake of my family, but also for myself, find a better way out.
At this time, the burgeoning esports industry caught his attention. He felt that he should take the road of e-sports, turn his hobby into a job, and make money to support his family, and several times, Bai Jiahao said to his grandmother at home, "I can definitely become a professional player."
There is no doubt that Bai Jiahao is lucky. With his own efforts and talents, he has seized rare opportunities again and again and has achieved his current self. But even so, when thinking back to this decision, he will still laugh at himself and say that "this generation of young people is really naïve."
Esports is not gaming, esports is a cutthroat competitive industry. An industry insider revealed to Tencent News that the peak of e-sports players is generally 20-23 years old, and they are veterans at the age of 25. Such a pre-emptive and brief career peak is unimaginable in other industries. This also makes the probability of esports players really getting ahead is staggeringly low.
These, Bai Jiahao didn't know what it was like to be worried at that time, but now he said that the sky was cool for a good autumn.
Therefore, he does not want the people he cares about most, such as his sister, to enter the industry again. Even though esports is the most gender-equal sport today, and female professional players can be accepted almost without resistance, Bai said, "I don't really recommend her to go." Because this road is too difficult. ”
However, there are also some things that Bai Jiahao is beyond his reach. Because my sister has grown up and has her own ideas, I really don't know how to communicate with the little girl as an older brother.
Today, standing at the top of e-sports, he has gained fame and fortune, and walking around is the best reward for him to go home from vacation. However, when it comes to Jiaozuo, does Bai Jiahao have any regrets in this city? Perhaps, reading is the deepest secret hidden in his heart. "I stopped reading after junior high school." Bai Jiahao said, "When I was reading, I didn't like reading very much. But when you stop reading, you will think that reading is actually quite interesting. ”
Bai Jiahao should have said these words to his sister. Now, because of Bai Jiahao's success, the family's economic conditions have been much better, and he has created more possibilities for his sister. She has the capital to take a smoother and smoother path without having to transform into 369 like Bai Jiahao in her youth, and then throw herself into the rugged and difficult virtual world.
369 Chapter 1: Dice
When Bai Jiahao was still Bai Jiahao, he had a relationship with numbers.
As a student, he was not a good student in the traditional sense. Of all the subjects, he loves mathematics. It seems that there is providence in the underworld, when a teenager who likes mathematics enters the esports industry as a player, the first identity he obtains is a set of numbers - 369. At that time, 369 entered the e-sports youth training team for the first time, and the manager looked at the little fat man in front of him and casually gave him this name.
Why? "Because the name 369 is easy to remember".
It's really easy to remember. In League of Legends, esports players rarely use pure numbers as IDs, but 369 is unique. And this became his first label in this virtual world: since entering the esports industry, every time he competes, the audience will swipe "333", "666" or "999" on the barrage according to his different performance. At the same time, 369's fate, and his final decision, are random like a dice roll.
Back to the beginning, the 369 dream began without a smooth path. He went to the League of Legends youth team of LGD and VG Club, but they were both disappointed. The reason why the VG club kicked him was outrageous, because at that time 369 had almost 200 pounds, "they said I was too fat, let me go home and lose weight". In fact, outsiders don't know, because grandma gives him everything delicious, and he also feels that grandma's money is not easy to come by, so he will eat it every time. Over time, the weight soared.
When he left VG Club, 369 suffered an age crisis.
Because if you go backwards according to the age of the typical player at their peak, if a player cannot quickly find a place in the youth team, his career prospects are in jeopardy. Therefore, 369, who has always been grinning, seriously reviewed his youth training career for the first time, and then decided to try again with all his strength. He went to the KOF Club, the second team of the Electronics Club (TES), to represent them in the League of Legends Minor League (LDL).
This choice became a turning point in 369's career.
On paper, the 369 is starting to go smoothly. In 2018, he played LDL for KOF, entered the first team at the end of the year to play NEST and Demacia Cup, and by 2019, he played LPL to turn his bold words about his grandma into reality. It was also in this year that he knew that his fate had completely changed, and in an interview with PentaQ Hedgehog Esports, he said, "If you think about it, I have lived for eighteen years, and the front is all plain, as if only this year has a little brilliance".
However, what is unknown to outsiders is that 369 has also encountered the darkest moment.
When playing for the previous team, he fell out of the main squad due to poor form, became a substitute, and was gradually marginalized. For a while, 369 questioned himself and wanted to give up at one point. Rather, his family, friends and teammates went out of their way to encourage him and get him back on his feet.
Of course, there are also internal causes of 369 here. After much deliberation, he felt that esports was the only way he could change his life and thus help his family. That being the case, gritting your teeth must also persevere.
In the e-sports circle, there are many labels on 369, easygoing, righteous, generous... But neither label is as famous as "hardworking". This has remained true since he arrived at Team JDG. A team insider told Tencent News that 369 trains and forgets to eat and sleep, and practices in front of the computer almost every day until 3 a.m. Not only that, after each game and training, 369 will also sort out its own review notes and analyze the gains and losses. Therefore, teammates and even opponents call him "model worker".
Apparently this time, the dice of fate were rolled in the right direction.
369 Chapter 2: On the order
In the world of esports, 369's natural position is on the list.
The five players featured in League of Legends take on different missions in different versions. In the previous LPL, in many versions, domestic orders are often sacrifices, and meat shield-style roles are often chosen to resist pressure, a bit similar to "blue-collar players" in basketball.
However, when he first played the profession, 369 did not like to choose meat shields, preferring operational characters.
In other words, he loves show. On the field, 369 will always look for opportunities to single out with each other, and walk on the tightrope for a long time, which is contrary to the tradition of play, which won him a round of applause and made him indulge in this joy. In his spare time, 369 will like all the praise on social media, which is a big piece.
But the other side of the show is that the insistence on single-handedness leads to the disconnection of team battles. This is a common problem among young players. In low-level competitions, they can crush opponents with their individual ability, but in the LPL, and even the World Series, the cooperation between players is the most critical, "the game is five people".
What's more, as a fledgling, he is not at the top of LPL in terms of personal technology.
Therefore, 369 was quickly poured with cold water. Until now, he always remembers the match with IG in 2019 and was "too impressed". At that time, he faced the ever-rising IG player Kang Seung-ji (The shy), and was completely blown up, for which he had to come out and apologize.
Few people can believe that he corrected it, and for the first two years of his career, 369 left the impression on the outside world of constantly arguing, refuting and evading. This phenomenon was once summed up as the commonality of Gen Z, who are too self-centered to accept criticism.
Once in the lounge, TES coach Luo Sheng (ID: White Crescent) criticized 369 for not pulling space for teammates during the game, and 369 subconsciously said, "I pulled, I don't believe it to go back to watch the video". Luo Sheng said helplessly, "We watched the game video." 369 still did not admit his mistake, and refuted with a stubble in his throat. During the whole process, he and the white crescent said a total of 36 "pulls", which was breathtaking.
In the words of outside critics of esports players, 369 "floated" and "swelled." Although he kept trying to change, choosing some meat shield characters in the game and trying to create opportunities for his teammates, he was lost by repeated failures.
The "dice" saying came up again, playing well or not well, it was seen as shaking the dice, his efforts and changes, no one cared.
369 Chapter 3: Stress resistance
Even in the most troubled times, 369 can always smile and look heartless.
In 2021, 369's TES club did not play well in LPL competitions and missed the World Finals. At that time, TES had a number of star players and was extremely popular, which caused a huge psychological gap for the outside world. At this time, the TES Club's documentary was broadcast, which pushed 369 to the cusp. In the documentary, 369 was angrily rebuked by a senior and could only blush and say, "OK, OK." This shot directly detonated public opinion, making him the target of criticism on forums, post bars and social media overnight.
Unlike traditional sports, e-sports players have more direct contact with fans in both competition and daily life, which also makes the harm caused by online violence more obvious. Some young players are unable to withstand the pressure, their mentality is unbalanced, and their operation during the competition will also be affected.
But 369 seems to be an alternative, and in the midst of countless online storms, he happily said to his critics of his predecessors, "We are on fire!" For a long time afterwards, he often used this past as a meme, and would actively reply "OK, OK" on social media.
This added a new nickname to 369, "Esports Comedian."
This touched some people who felt that 369 could hold the pressure. Esports and traditional sports have one thing in common, good players hide their true emotions, do not let their mentality affect the game, and do not let their opponents seize the opportunity. Speaking about whether his career path would care about what others didn't understand, 369 said: "No, not at all. Not understanding [others] doesn't put extra pressure on me."
369 4:9 brother
369 now has a new name, and the members of the JDG club, as well as the media and opponents, call him "Brother 9".
He grew up, this is his 5th year of his career, and is a veritable "veteran". But it wasn't until July of this year that he celebrated his 22nd birthday, a college student who is not yet old enough to graduate. However, in the past 5 years, he has experienced ups and downs, as if he has experienced half of his life, with sorrow and joy, separation and reunion.
In 2021, 369 left TES to join JDG Club as a free agent.
At TES, he won the 2020 MSC (Mid-Season Cup) title and the 2020 Summer League title, but without much individual honours. People recognized his abilities and questioned his immaturity. This gave him the idea to "go to a new environment and challenge", and his answer to the transfer was still very comedian, "it feels fun".
It wasn't that fun, as he was the top player at JDG, taking on more pressure, and got off to a terrendous start, losing four straight in the Demacia Cup and then two in the spring 2022 tournament. But everyone can see that he is different, in the game, he is more willing to talk and encourage his teammates, he will calmly tell the media, "I want to take the lead".
In all matches, 369 must first play the advantage in the opposite line, and then convert the advantage into a team battle. To perform individually and to be holistic, a change he had never tried before, but he succeeded. In just one year, 369 became the best single of the year and won the MVP of the year.
At the end of 2022, 369 welcomed his old teammate Cho Jing (ID: knight) from TES, and South Korean foreign aid Park Jae-hyuk (Ruler). Once again, 369 makes a change, he is not the only core of the team, more often uses the role of a human shield, making various sacrifices for his teammates.
After the just-concluded 2023 MSI Mid-Season Championship Match, Team JDG organized a team celebration banquet for everyone to celebrate. Slightly drunk, 369 suddenly confided in his heart: "All the contestants want to win the hero of the show in the competition, I also want ah." ”
The reason why 369 said this is because in the championship matchup, the opponent BLG team's upper single bin has been holding the fighter, which makes 369 very "hot". He once discussed with his coach to use the more capable hero Nar in a matchup. But in the big picture, this suggestion was dismissed by the coach. 369's eyes at that time were full of unwillingness.
Obviously, in 369's heart, he is still the teenager who loves show. But unlike before, now he has more loftier goals in his heart. "I think a good single can be played as a C position or sacrificed to help your teammates." 369 said, "As a player, you definitely want to be carry, you want to be bright. However, I have experienced a lot before. Now I think it's okay to let my teammate Carry. ”
Previously, 369 changed for the sake of change, was passive; Now, he is taking the initiative to embrace change.
It's a hard road because you don't know what difficulties and setbacks you'll encounter; It's also sweet, because "every game is a life node". 369 stood at a new node, looking back, the road was rugged and had already bloomed.
End
Back at the post-match scene where JDG won the championship, 369 exited the canyon and ended the competition and returned to Bai Jiahao. He quietly retreated to a corner of the stage, listening to each of his teammates and enjoying the collective atmosphere. There were many questions thrown at him by reporters, but his answers were always brief, without the appearance of a series of commotion on the field that shocked the audience.
Only when someone asked him what he said of his teammate ruler, he got up, put his mouth as close to the microphone as possible, and then clearly and loudly gave his teammate the compliment: "I love ruler!" He said it more than once, and the atmosphere of the audience was instantly enlivened by him. This scene can't help but make people sigh:
The former teenager has grown up now, not C position is better than C position.
(End)