Red Star Depth|The death of a 27-year-old game streamer: the struggling life of a "strongest king" player...
Sitting in front of the "high-equipped" computer that costs more than 10,000 yuan, Ling Ping is a "god of war". In the LCD screen, he is wearing armor, holding a spear, surrounded by a dazzling aura, and easily completes a "double kill" when fighting with the enemy, and the technique is clean...
Ling Ping is a player in the MOBA competitive game - League of Legends (LOL), he likes "Zhao Xin", an unpopular character that players rarely choose, and named himself "Ling Yi Zhao Xin" in the game, so that many netizens used to call him "Ling Yi Brother", but did not know his real name.
↑ Ling Ping
Online games are Ling Ping's hobby, as well as his means and "career" to make a living. On a short video platform, he is a game streamer with more than 100,000 followers, and he has supported his family in the past few years by earning money from live broadcasting, contemporary training or accompanying play.
With superb game skills, Ling Ping successfully made "Ling Yi Zhao Xin" the "strongest king" (the highest level) in LOL. However, this did not make him the "king of wealth" in reality.
In life, Ling Ping does not smoke or drink, and needs to repay a monthly mortgage of 2600 yuan... If the financial constraints can be tolerated, but the irregular routine and living habits of long-term gaming eventually became the last straw that crushed the "strongest king" gamers.
At the end of 2022, Ling Ping, who had long-term diarrhea and stomach pain, was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer and subsequently admitted to the hospital for treatment. At 10:30 a.m. on June 5, 2023, Ling Ping, who was discharged from the hospital and went home, died of illness in his hometown in Dazhu County, Dazhou, Sichuan, at the age of 27. On his deathbed, his last words to his wife were: "Look, fireworks, your birthday, I'll set you fireworks." ”
1. The "strongest king" in the game
As the wife of an MVP (best performer) gamer, Ling Ping's wife, Little Bear (pseudonym), does not play games, she only knows that her husband is very good in games.
Ling Ping is a player of League of Legends (LOL), he likes the game character "Zhao Xin", so the screen name is "Ling Yi Zhao Xin".
"Zhao Xin" is positioned in the game as a warrior, assassin, belonging to the Demacia camp, he is an excellent team battle initiator, able to break through the opponent's defense line at lightning speed, but "Zhao Xin" also has the disadvantages of being too fragile before the equipment is formed, and there is no means of escape.
Ye Qiu is also a veteran player of LOL, he said that "Zhao Xin" has always been a very "unpopular" hero character in LOL, and in the world finals, the role of "Zhao Xin" is almost not used by players, for a simple reason: this hero is not as powerful as other heroes.
But Ling Ping likes "Zhao Xin", and with this he has reached the highest rank of LOL - "the strongest king". This made Ye Qiu also have to admire, "He is really a powerful guy." Several LOL players who have played with Ling Ping also told Red Star News that Ling Ping's game is very good, and almost every game is MVP.
Little Bear told Red Star News that her husband spends most of his time in games every day, sometimes three or four hours, sometimes seven or eight hours, or longer... "This mainly depends on his state that day, good condition, and long time to play."
↑ Ling Ping is a game anchor with more than 100,000 fans on a short video platform
As the "strongest king" in LOL, Ling Ping is also a game anchor with more than 100,000 fans on a short video platform, and this short video account has updated more than 300 game videos in 2022. Xiaoxiong said that her husband originally had an account with more followers, but he was blocked for violating the law when lending a live broadcast to a friend.
Although the game has reached the "strongest king" rank, Ling Ping still does not have much fame. In addition to superb technique, fame sometimes requires luck. Therefore, he had to work harder than other anchors, live streaming from time to time every day to accumulate popularity, live broadcast time during the day, late at night, or in the early morning...
Compared with other Internet celebrity game anchors, the room that Ling Ping uses for live broadcasting is a bit shabby, that is, the bedroom or living room at home. During the daytime live broadcast, Ling Ping did not like his wife and daughter to stay in the room, which would distract him, and once he was engaged in the "battle", he had to go all out and be highly concentrated.
Often at this time, Little Bear will take his daughter to other rooms to play so as not to disturb him.
2. "Game business" and means of livelihood
In real life, Ling Ping has no formal job, and although he is a non-professional player in the esports industry, he makes playing games his "career" and makes a living to support his family.
As a highly competitive multiplayer online game, LOL has many highly skilled and experienced professional players, and sometimes some players need to find experienced substitute players when struggling to advance, and players like Ling Ping are exactly what they are looking for. As a battle-hardened "MVP" player, Ling Ping has rich game experience and excellent operation skills, which can help players quickly complete tasks and win easily, thereby quickly improving the game rank.
Little Bear told Red Star News that her husband usually makes money by playing games to "take orders" or accompany play, but how much he can "take orders" depends on luck. If he hadn't "taken orders" for a long time, Ling Ping would move his computer to another room or move from the county seat back to his hometown "he felt that such a change might bring him good luck."
Ling Ping's WeChat address book has more than 5,000 friends, some of which have the words "black diamond" and "black platinum" in their notes, all of which he has "ordered" to train or accompany customers. When there is no order, he will send messages to some former customers: "Big brother, there is no list today, can we play together?" (Price) is a little better. ”
↑ Ling Ping makes money by playing the game "taking orders"
Xiaoxiong said that in general, the fee for the husband to train for the player is generally forty or fifty yuan per hour, and the day (8 hours) is 200 yuan. Ling Ping sometimes meets players who have no money but ask him to help train, at which time he will let the other party give a little casually, and feel sorry for his inability to avoid it: "But if there is any other source of income, I will not charge you a penny, life is compelling." ”
As a gamer who makes a living from gaming, Ling Ping often sits in front of the computer for hours, and his mind is highly concentrated. He rarely goes out, and the neighbors downstairs often think that he has gone out to work.
Xiaoxiong also said that her husband sometimes rides a battery car alone to a less populated place in the countryside after a game late at night or in the morning, which is a rare time for him to relax alone after changing from "Ling Yi Zhao Xin" to "Ling Ping".
And such an irregular routine has been the norm for Ling Ping's life in the past few years...
3. Irregular work and rest become the "last straw"
Before getting married, Ling Ping's parents took out all their savings, borrowed money from relatives and friends, and borrowed money in the local Dazhu County town to buy an elevator room of more than 80 square meters in his name. Ling Ping promised his parents that he would be responsible for the monthly mortgage.
However, playing games "taking orders" is extremely unstable, and it is Ling Ping's only source of income, which makes him often feel very stressed, but Ling Ping has never mentioned it to his family. It's just that in life, he is extremely economical with himself.
In an updated anti-cancer video, Ling Ping wears a sweatshirt, which his family says was the clothes he wore when he was in junior high school more than a decade ago. Little Bear told Red Star News that her husband does not smoke or drink, and is only willing to buy "9 pieces of 9 free shipping T-shirts" online, and order takeaway to see if you can use coupons... Little Bear would also save money to go to the clothing store to buy some clothes for her husband, but Ling Ping would always feel distressed and spend money.
The new house where the family lived was also renovated and moved in later, because Ling Ping's daughter was about to go to kindergarten. Ling Ping's mother said that the whole house was decorated for about 40,000 yuan, only the toilet and kitchen were installed, and the floor tiles of several rooms were laid, considering that her daughter had to play on the ground.
↑ Ling Ping
After the Spring Festival in 2022, Ling Ping's family of three moved from the town to a new house in the county seat. He promised his wife that when he made money, he would slowly buy a refrigerator, TV, washing machine for this new home...
As a wife, Little Bear has never complained about her husband for financial constraints. She and Ling Ping are junior high school classmates and are in free love, she knows that although her husband does not say anything, his heart is strong, and several classmates who have a good relationship with him have bought cars. My husband also thought about changing careers to find a job, and once put it into action, but after working as a water and electricity decoration apprentice for a month, he became a "game streamer" again, because being an apprentice has no income, and he still needs to consider the monthly mortgage.
Ling Ping has several well-connected junior high school classmates working in the county. A classmate surnamed Chen said that usually when a few friends eat together, Ling Ping will propose the AA system, but sometimes he will go and buy the order. This may be his reluctance to expose his embarrassment in front of his classmates.
How much money does Ling Ping make per month as a game streamer? Little Bear didn't know either, because her husband said he was in charge of the money and responsible for all the expenses of the family. Because her daughter is too young, Little Bear is a full-time mother, and every month, her mother-in-law who works in a garment factory will help with 1,000 yuan. Even if the whole family is relatively frugal, Ling Ping's monthly game income and household expenses are only the same, and sometimes even make ends meet. Ling Ping's good friend Xiao Li told Red Star News that Ling Ping makes money by playing games, five or six thousand yuan a month in good times and only three or four thousand yuan in bad times, which is still a little stretched to maintain the family's expenses.
But even in the most difficult economic times, Ling Ping never spoke to his parents, but used "Huabei" to solve the temporary crisis.
If the economic constraints are acceptable, the irregular work and living habits developed by playing games for a long time eventually become the "last straw" that crushes Ling Ping.
4. Record the anti-cancer process, netizens have encouraged donations
On December 30, 2022, Ling Ping updated the last game video of the year, revealing to fans that he unfortunately had advanced colon cancer.
This day naturally became a watershed in Ling Ping's life. When the calendar turned to 2023, he also changed from a game anchor to an "anti-cancer blogger" in the minds of netizens, and he stopped changing game videos to update his anti-cancer journey.
↑ Video screenshots
On January 4, 2023, Ling Ping published his "pathological diagnosis report" and "admission certificate" in the video. At that time, he had already completed his first chemotherapy treatment. He wrote on his video account: "Life is impermanent! In the advanced stage of colon cancer, those who planted their own fruit could not complain about anyone because they ate this fruit, and they only wanted to walk peacefully... The second chemotherapy will start tomorrow, and it's a bit unbearable. ”
The family later recalled that Ling Ping's body had been abnormal at least four or five years ago, often suffering from diarrhea, stomachaches, and often squatting for about half an hour to go to the toilet. His family repeatedly advised him to go to the hospital for examination, but he never took this matter to heart, and many times he endured it and passed. It was not until one day at the end of November 2022, when the severe pain in his body made him really unbearable, that he went to a small hospital in the county alone to see a doctor, and was later diagnosed with advanced colon cancer.
In fact, a month before Ling Ping announced the news of his cancer, he was still updating game videos and "taking orders".
↑Screenshot of Lingping short video account
Gradually, as his condition worsened, Ling Ping's daily physical changes made people look distressed, he quickly lost weight at a speed visible to the naked eye, the torture of illness often made him unable to sleep, and sometimes updated the video late at night: "After squinting for half an hour, I woke up with pain and couldn't sleep."
In the six months of fighting cancer, many netizens cheered for him and donated money. "Fortunately, he posted these [videos] online and got a lot of help, otherwise families like ours really don't know what to do." Ling Ping's mother told Red Star News that after her son fell ill, the family borrowed tens of thousands of yuan to treat her son, and many netizens donated money for it, less than one point, more than hundreds of thousands, more or less is everyone's wishes, many people have great strength, during chemotherapy in Chengdu Hospital, a patient's family also forced 200 yuan to them.
On March 17, Ling Ping updated the short video, "There are no available chemotherapy regimens, and the countdown has begun." Half a month later, when he returned to his hometown, he decided to "take a hand" again: "I originally wanted to sit at home and wait for the countdown, but seeing so much help and encouragement from everyone, I decided to go to Chengdu tomorrow morning to fight." ”
↑In the last days of his life, Ling Ping hopes to "fight" fate
Even in the last days of his life, Ling Ping insisted on updating short videos, but he was no longer able to speak when he faced the camera...
In April, Ye Qiu and two colleagues drove from Dongguan to Lingping's rural hometown in Dazhu County, Sichuan, after a day and a night, to visit Ling Ping and donate 10,000 yuan. Ye Qiu said that he worked for a company in Dongguan that specializes in game videos, and the team had more than 20 people, because they were all LOL players and they were all making game videos, and they met Ling Ping. After Ling Ping fell ill, the company entrusted him and two colleagues to visit him.
For the donations and encouragement of fans and netizens to Ling Ping, Ye Qiu sighed and said: "I have been doing LOL short videos for more than four years, and what touches me the most is that players have temperature, so you can see that all the summoners in the comment area have collectively broken the defense."
5. "Vibration in the circle" and last words
On the afternoon of June 2, the family went through the discharge procedures for Ling Ping.
The doctor had said before that Ling Ping's life could only be calculated in days, and he could leave at any time. That morning, Ling Ping started talking nonsense. In the eyes of the family, this is a sign of the last moment. Whether it was them or Ling Ping himself, they were actually mentally prepared for this result.
↑A message sent by the wife through her husband Ling Ping's account
In the end, after discussion, the family decided to take Ling Ping home and at least take a look at her 3-year-old daughter. Moreover, according to local custom, if the deceased dies outside, the coffin cannot enter the old house. As relatives, they hope that Ling Ping can return to his roots.
Ling Ping returned to the old house where he was born 27 years ago. The mother still feels ashamed of her son, when Ling Ping was 1 year old, she followed her husband to go out to work, when the salary was dozens of yuan a month, in order to save money, he and her husband sometimes did not go home for a year or two, Ling Ping grew up with his grandparents since he was a child.
Looking back afterwards, it may have been because of the "stay" that year laid the groundwork for Ling Ping's later life. When Ling Ping went to school, his grades were not good, he started playing games in junior high school, and dropped out of high school. He went out to work for a short time and later returned to his hometown to work as a game streamer.
After getting married and starting a family, his father-in-law advised Ling Ping to go out and find a job, but Ling Ping still felt that being a game anchor could make money and was relatively free. Several junior high school classmates who stayed in the county had a good relationship and were all doing their own business, only Ling Ping made a living by playing games. A junior high school classmate said that Ling Ping once went to his company to do decoration, but eventually returned to work as a game anchor.
In fact, Ling Ping has always wanted to increase the income of live broadcasting, and has been proving the playability and strength of the character "Zhao Xin" to other players. "He loves to play Zhao Xin, and basically belongs to Zhao Xin's unique brother." Ye Qiu said that Ling Ping's skills in playing games are indeed good, but the number of fans when he was a game anchor was less than 100,000, and he could only be regarded as a very small anchor, and he usually made a living by sending daily game videos to receive some private orders and live broadcasts of game training, and his life was very tight.
Ye Qiu said that he can be regarded as a person in half of the e-sports circle, and as far as he knows, there are many young players who are doing substitute training now, but whether he can rely on this to support his family still varies from person to person.
Ye Qiu said that Ling Ping's death has some shock and impact on players in the entire e-sports circle, and irregular life and rest are basically the norm for many people, and his death also reminds everyone to adjust their work and rest and eat regularly.
At 10:30 a.m. on June 5, Ling Ping died in his hometown in the countryside, and his last words to his wife were: "Look, fireworks, your birthday, I will set off fireworks for you." ”
Little Bear's tears could no longer be held, and she knew that her husband could not wait for his birthday half a month later. Subsequently, she logged in to her husband's video account and announced the news of Ling Ping's death, "Ling Ping is gone."
"Ling Yi Zhao Xin" in the game world also came to an end.
↑Netizens left a message of condolences on Ling Ping's account
Many netizens came to leave messages of condolences, and one netizen said: "May Demacia (the camp to which the characters of Lingping Games) belong to always shelter you." ”
The "high-end" computer that Ling Ping's mother planned to sell for more than 10,000 yuan to buy the "high-end" computer. The person she loved the most, who used to sit in front of the computer every day, will never go online...
Red Star News Reporter Wang Chao Zhang Yang Yao Yongzhong Photo report (some of the photos according to interviewees)
Edited by Guo Yu and edited by Guan Li