In the 2022 season, alongside domestic tournaments and MSI, Worlds, the League of Legends community, especially in the two major regions LPL – LCK, also paid attention to another event: the Asian Games 2022. This is the first time that esports has been included as a medal competition. Specifically for League of Legends, not only Asia but the whole world may not be able to compete with China and South Korea.
However, due to having a top League of Legends scene, these two regions also produce countless talents, making the selection of the roster for the Asian Games extremely difficult and prone to controversy. But on the LCK side, quite a few players have expressed indifference towards this tournament. Partly because of the fierce competition, and partly because the tournament will coincide with the timing of Worlds 2022. According to the players’ arguments, the League of Legends tournament is considered more important due to its long-term impact.
Notably among them is ShowMaker – a player from DWG KIA and regarded as one of the top candidates for the mid-lane position of the Korean League of Legends team participating in the Asian Games 2022. In a recent interview related to the Asian Games 2022, ShowMaker stated: “Participating in the Asian Games 2022 is certainly good, but there is a lot of competition and many deserving players. For me, anyone who participates in the Asian Games 2022 will also honor League of Legends in South Korea. I focus more on domestic competitions and my only goal is to win Worlds 2022.”
Immediately after ShowMaker’s statement, although he did not refuse to participate in the Asian Games 2022, he was still heavily criticized by LCK fans. The argument made is that ShowMaker feels he cannot compete for the position with Faker, which is why he appears to be less enthusiastic about the Asian Games 2022.
As a symbol of League of Legends in South Korea, Faker is considered to have secured a spot on the South Korean team for the upcoming Asian Games 2022. Moreover, if he wins this tournament, the “Demon King” will immediately be transferred to serve in a special community service military obligation without having to wait for results from any priority review or voting. Thus, Faker will not necessarily have to retire early like his predecessors Khan, Mata… in the past.
Not only ShowMaker, but his former teammate at DK, BeryL, also recently did not show much enthusiasm for the Asian Games 2022. The teams themselves, if inadvertently have a player selected to participate in the Asian Games 2022, will have to face the headache of whether to “release” the player or not when Worlds 2022 is approaching.