(photo courtesy of readmore.de)
ESports makes us feel a wide range of emotions. Excitement, passion, reverence, and joy come to mind.
Somber, however never seems to fit the bill.
Such a word barely begins to describe the mood in Berlin on Thursday.
Konstantinos "FORG1VEN" Tzortziou dropped a bombshell on the League of Legends and eSports communities during a tearful post game interview after H2K Gaming's victory over Fnatic. Tzortziou woke up the morning of Week 7's matches to a letter of conscription from the Hellenic Army giving him until the beginning of March to report to mandatory military duty.
Rare are the times when the tragedy and hardship of real life find their way into our sport. ESports is an escape and an outlet for many of us to unleash our passion for gaming and competition. I daresay that we havent experienced a shock that hits so close to home.
Raw emotion poured out of FORG1VEN today. A man who has battled through tremendous personal hardship, undergone inspiring transformation, and become a wholly better person was knocked down just as he got back up.
Competitive gamers stand at the peak of the mountain after years of practice and growth. Fame is secondary to fulfullment. They are icons of their craft, beacons of inspiration for gamers of all shapes and sizes. It's far too easy to forget that behind the screen are human beings. People who are flawed. They are people who experience hardship. They are people who have valleys and peaks we will never know of. As lovers of eSports, we dissociate from the doldrums of real life when summoners load onto the Rift. We escape from the tough things and come together over a deeply held passion for the game.
A spectacular compassion has been shown since today's gut-wrenching announcement. Thousands of people have shown their support through petitions, tweets, and touching pieces of writing.
There's a beauty behind such a response. There's something real about the outpouring of emotion for a man whose flaws have been put on full display in the past. We've witnessed a boy grow into a man. We see something real in Konstantinos that we see in ourselves. We see a man who wears his passion on his sleeves. He's real, he's honest, and he reminds us that every pro gamer on every stage no matter how large or small is just like us.
Today, we were all reminded that eSports athletes are not just entertainers. They're gamers just like us. They stand for what we stand for. Through criticism of eSports, through stereotypes of gamers, through it all, we unite as a community over self improvement and the love of our craft.
Konstantinos, if you find a way to stay with us a little longer, we're excited to have you. If not, thank you so much for your service. We'll be waiting, and we'll welcome you back with open arms.
Today, our community came together for a peer.
Today, we're all FORG1VEN strong.
