When I was young, I dreamed of being a competitive gamer. Like the majority of boys at my age do, I like to play computer games. My older sister and brother also liked to play games, so I was influenced by them and learned how to play games through them. As a gamer, top level players like Flash or Faker are the object of admiration and mentor to average players like me. I played various kinds of games but I was not talented in games like top-tier gamers were. I lacked both time and talent to play games at a competitive level, so I thought it would remain as a dream forever.
I used to play an online collectable card game named 'Hearthstone' as a hobby since it was released, but I never thought there would be a chance for me to play it at a competitive level. However, I became close with some competitive Hearthstone players and got an opportunity to participate in the preliminary round of Hearthstone Team Championship. Fortunately, our team qualified for the finals and we had to compete with seven other teams who also passed the preliminary round.
As a result, our team placed in the top four in the championship and earned prize money of two million won. At first, I put the emphasis on experiencing competitive gaming. After the team was formed, the goal changed into qualification because the majority of my teammates were experienced players. After our team advanced to semi-finals, I started to think that we might actually win the championship. Unfortunately, our run ended at the semi-finals but the result was far better than my expectations. Even though the top four is not a bad result at all, the fact that we were not able to make it to the finals left some regrets. The prize money was sweet but it was not satisfying enough.
I did not expect that I would play games on a competitive level a year before. During this summer vacation, I have achieved what I only thought of and dreamed of. As our team advanced to the next stage, my goal kept getting higher.
Once I broke the wall in my mind, my thoughts changed dramatically. Still there were hurdles to overcome, but I challenged those hurdles. It was not being confident or cocky, but there was no reason to be nervous or passive. I am not the type of person who enjoys challenges since I was young. However, this experience made me feel less nervous in a tense situation.
I am not sure whether I will continue play games competitively, but it was worth a try and was a valuable lesson. There are impossible things to achieve, but it is too early to conclude that something is impossible before trying. Everyone feels afraid to give a first try, but breaking that wall is the only way to overcome and move forward.