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Esports
TechPolicy

Chinese esports fans celebrate country’s latest world championship amid Beijing’s tightened controls on video gaming

  • Edward Gaming has become only the third Chinese team to win the esports industry’s coveted League of Legends World Championship finals
  • The Shanghai-based team also claimed the tournament’s pool prize money totalling US$2.225 million

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Members of Chinese esports team Edward Gaming hoist the Summoner’s Cup after winning the finals of the League of Legends World Championship on November 6, 2021, in Reykjavik, capital of Iceland. Photo: Riot Games via Getty Images
Tracy QuandJosh Ye
On Saturday, hundreds of young esports fans packed a popular bar along the banks of Suzhou Creek in Shanghai to watch the broadcast of the 2021 League of Legends World Championship finals in Reykjavik, capital of Iceland.
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These fans were among millions of others across the country who cheered that night for Edward Gaming (EDG), a professional esports team based in Shanghai, that competed against South Korea’s DWG Kia, the defending champion formerly known as Damwon Gaming, which won the title when the populous Chinese city hosted the tournament finals in 2020.

This year’s five-game world championship finals kicked off at 8pm local time and finished around 1am on Sunday. All the EDG fans who clapped, yelled and cheered throughout the night were rewarded with the team’s winning 3-2 score over its rival.

EDG hoisted the coveted winner’s trophy the Summoner’s Cup and claimed the pool prize money totalling US$2.225 million, as the group bested 21 other teams which took part in this year’s championship series, which started on October 5. EDG’s mid lane player, Lee “Scout” Ye-chan, received the Most Valuable Player award for the finals.

Hundreds of young esports fans gathered at a bar in Shanghai on the evening of November 6, 2021, to watch the finals of this year's League of Legends World Championship, which was won by China's Edgar Gaming team. Photo: Tracy Qu
Hundreds of young esports fans gathered at a bar in Shanghai on the evening of November 6, 2021, to watch the finals of this year's League of Legends World Championship, which was won by China's Edgar Gaming team. Photo: Tracy Qu
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“No one expected them to win,” said esports fan Jasmine Lu, who watched the championship finals at her home in Ningbo, a city in eastern Zhejiang province. “Nearly every prediction said they would lose the game. If I was still in university, I would’ve definitely yelled with others [to express happiness for EDG’s victory]. It’s like you proved all the doubters wrong.”

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