SHAH ALAM: Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB) star Zul Hisham Mohd Noor, widely known as Xorn, believes that the younger generation should be given more opportunities to pursue a career in eSports.
Xorn noted that in the past, eSports was often viewed negatively, especially by parents.
However, he emphasises that the industry has evolved positively, now offering abundant career prospects.
When questioned, Xorn agreed eSports should be considered for inclusion in school sports programmes, such as the Malaysia Schools Sports Council (MSSM) Championships.
"The eSports industry today is not the same as it was before. There wasn't much development in the past as compared to today," Xorn told Timesport.
"In the past, if you wanted to make a career out of eSports, everybody would say that it was impossible.
"People would say there is no guaranteeing your future. But there has been a lot of improvement since then.
"In the past, you had to wait two or three months before the next tournament, but now we have events every month both domestically and internationally.
"So I feel that it is possible to include eSports in the MSSM programme so that everyone can be involved because there are plenty of career opportunities.
"ESports is not limited to just playing games. There are a lot of other opportunities. You can also be in charge of the organisational aspect."
The 23-year-old revealed that several factors hinder local eSports talents.
"There are actually a lot of promising gamers in Malaysia who can go far, but many are hindered, sometimes by their own families," he added.
"Another factor is the lack of people to guide them. If, for example, we created an eSports academy to teach them, sooner or later they will become like us (professional players)."
The HomeBois roamer disclosed that his parents needed some convincing before allowing him to pursue a full-time career in eSports in 2018.
"I asked my family if I could continue focusing on eSports and quit studies. Then, I was already competing in the first season of the Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) Malaysia," said Xorn.
"My mother did not approve, but my father did. He said I could continue, but I had to prove myself and show him the results. I had been studying for about three or four months at the time but stopped because I felt that I had the potential to go far.
"Of course, my mother wanted to see her son continue studying, but my sister helped me to convince her."
At the time, Xorn was enrolled in an air conditioning course at the National Youth Skills Institute (IKBN).