Rise

A few stars still twinkled bright in the night sky above Beijing, cutting through all of the lights and smog that cast a haze over the city. And on this night, they flickered over the skyscraper that housed the Chinese Esports Association. It was a monumental edifice, one that towered over the rest of the buildings in the area. A testament to the growth and newfound importance of Esports. But most of the building was dark. All of the staff that worked there had gone home for the night, so there was no light shining through any of the windows. Except for the very top floor. Light could still be seen through the windows of the office of the President.

Inside the office was Lin Songshi. The President of the Chinese Esports Association. He was still at his desk, looking through planning documents and proposals. He typed out a few final notes before saving the document. Then he picked up his pen to jot down a few quick notes. Once he was done, Lin Songshi put the pen down and slowly massaged his temples with his fingertips. The stress and weight of his responsibilities was evident on his shoulders. And the exhaustion was clearly visible on his face.

Lin Songshi was no stranger to the necessity of the long late nights in the office. In the last few years, it had turned into the norm rather than a rare occurrence. The authority and glory that came with the mantle of President of the Chinese Esports Associate also came with a heavy burden. Over the last two years, Chinese Esports burst to prominence and mainstream awareness and it continued to expand rapidly. Lin Songshi had no complaints about the momentum esports was building up, nor did he think the growth was something to be sad about. But it meant that he absolutely could not become complacent or start relaxing. His current mission and purpose was to make sure that any issues that popped up while the brand new esports industry continued to expand and mature were dealt with in a swift and thorough fashion. Lin Songshi dedicated his entire being to making sure that the foundation of Chinese Esports was solid, rather than being chained down and anchored by poor management and the resultant chronic issues. Even a single mistake could have repercussions down the line and send the whole thing tumbling down like a house of cards, and that was an outcome that Lin Songshi would not tolerate.

With that thought in his head, Lin Songshi got up from his seat and slowly walked over to the window. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked out at the twinkling city beyond, fighting back against the inky blackness of the night, with a stone face. One line of thought circling around in his mind over and over again. Not enough!

Lin Songshi was one of the first people in China who saw the potential involved in esports, and a pioneer in setting up the industry. He’d spent most of his life until now building the Chinese esports scene to where it was today, and built up an entire generation of players and organisations. But it still was not enough. In actuality, it was very far from being enough.

There was a single dream, a hope, that captivated Lin Songshi and many others in the Chinese esports industry. This dream was the light that everyone involved in Chinese esports collectively ran towards. That hope was that the LPL would some day surpass North America, Europe, and even Korea to become the most respected and flourishing region in all of esports in the world! But this was a distant dream, and one that was not easily accomplished. Even after nurturing an entire generation and years of hard work, the LPL was still a minor player in the international scene.

As he stood at that window, Lin Songshi tried to figure out what needed to be done to keep the LPL moving toward the grand dream. What do we need right now? Another generation of players? A group who can stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before them and reach for even greater heights? Or another player who can represent two generations at the same time? Someone who can rally the old guard and then push past them to show the new generation everything that could be possible?

Lin Songshi considered the potential paths forward and his options, and searched for an answer in the dark horizon beyond the city. And then in the middle of this, he stopped himself and the look in his eyes changed. All of this aside, it isn’t like I’m not satisfied with the LPL’s current growth. It is beyond questioning that the LPL is on the right track. What we need right now, more than anything else, is for both the old generation of established players and the new emerging generation of players to work together to cement their place in esports! But that task… it goes without saying that the heavy lifting is going to fall on the next generation.

As he thought about the next generation, Lin Songshi closed his eyes and lowered his head. Then, he slowly raised his head again and opened his eyes again to stare out the window. At the bustling city out in front of him. Then he raised his head up to look at the few stars twinkling in the sky, while his eyes flickered with a complicated expression. Thinking about the next generation pushed his thoughts back from the future to the present, to the development that rocked and exhilarated the entire Chinese esports industry.