As Amy Lau (Class of 2009) puts ‘Live/Play’ by Riot Games as the film components for her Year 9 students’ English class: More Than A Game, she reflects on her journey in esports, the 10-year anniversary of League of Legends and its significance to her as both a secondary school teacher and a gamer.
Today marks the 10-year anniversary of League of Legends. Scrolling through my Twitter feed, it has been a joy to see and share in other people’s reflections on the 10 years of League of Legends.
Video games have always been a big part of my life. There is no doubt about that. It may sound cliché to say that League of Legends has changed my life, but it has certainly done that and more.
I started my esports journey in 2013 as a journalist for Team Dignitas. The opportunity to interview professional players who I admired was a thrilling experience. However, they were all overseas and given that communication was limited to Skype and emails, the disconnect was real.
In 2014, I took up the role as the Lead News Writer for Team Immunity. Despite Australia’s professional esports scene being in its infancy, I jumped at the opportunity to be involved at a more localised level, knowing the logistics of it would be more tangible. I vividly recall the very first time I covered an event for their League of Legends team. It was in a cramped venue situated on St. Kilda Road with barely any room for the players to compete, let alone for an audience to spectate.
Little did I know that it was that day, in that stuffy venue, that I would meet people I would call friends for life.
From then onwards, we would go on to form the Chiefs Esports Club and I signed on as their Team Manager. The formation of the Oceanic Professional League led us to compete in overseas tournaments such as the International Wildcard Qualifier. As with anything that you’re strongly passionate about, there were many celebrations, sleepless nights, frustrations, and tears.
Eventually, I did reach a point in my life where I had to make a difficult choice. Esports as a career had to be put aside and I accepted that it was time to start the next phase of my life.
It was time for a new adventure.
A few years ago, if someone had told me that esports and education would not only just co-exist on the same sphere but thrive, well, I would have entertained that thought as nothing more than an idealistic dream.
Today I sit here, on the eve of my 28th birthday, reflecting on my journey in esports and as a secondary school teacher. This year, I chose ‘Live/Play’ by Riot Games as the film components for the Year 9 English Unit: More Than A Game. I had the opportunity to invite industry professionals in esports, who I also have the privilege of calling my friends, to my school to present their story.
As a gamer and an educator, it has been exhilarating to share that part of my life with my students and to show them that the qualities that exist within traditional sport – teamwork, passion, resilience and building meaningful relationships – can transcend into esports.
Amy Lau
Class of 2009
Amy is an Action Research Grant Recipient, who is undertaking a collaborative research project funded by the Australian Research Council with the Australian Catholic University, Marcellin College, Macquarie University and University College London, while teaching Year 7-11 in a Secondary School in Melbourne, Australia and tutoring English and Piano.
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