Silent, serene and almost unnoticeable at times.

Yet Meng "RocketBoy" Yang's quiet demeanor belies his status as a superstar in China, a man who is one of the few professional gamers who can actually claim to be wealthy from the sport.

And all because of a single match. Not a dazzling performance in one tournament, not years of domination in the circuit.

A single Doom 3 match.

Familiar to avid Quake players all over the world, RocketBoy was rather unknown in his home country until he won the Fatal1ty Shootout at the Great Wall of China in October, 2004.

The practice time RocketBoy put into training for that match was the best investment of his young life.

"I heard that a tournament would be held and that the one who beat Fatal1ty would win one million dollars," says Rocketboy. "After that, I was told the tournament would be held in China and that the prize would be one million yuan (1/8 of the original prize)," still a monstrous sum by Chinese standards.

Not knowing which game the Fatal1ty Shootout would use, RocketBoy took a guess. "I can still remember that I downloaded Doom 3 on August 4, as it was impossible to buy it, and from then on, I was practicing with aZhe, my training partner."

A month later, it was announced officially that the shootout would use Doom 3.

RocketBoy was the first to step up to the shootout and defeated his famous opponent with ease -- 26:5. For that, he was rewarded with a two-year sponsorship contract with Abit, a worldwide hardware manufacturer, and $125,000, the largest prize awarded to a single dueler in gaming history.

RocketBoy also became a celebrity.

"After the shootout, a mass of news items was written about me," he says. "I was recognized twice when I took a taxi in my home town and I was given free rides. Some waiters know me, too, so I don't have to wait a long time for my food," he says, laughing.

The glow of victory lasted a while longer. But now, he says, "gaming is my job.

"My salary is higher than it would be if I worked a common job," he adds. "Abit gives me $1,250 every month. Even if that's not much to top players like Fatal1ty, it's an awesome amount in China. I try my best in every tournament to give back to my sponsor and friends, so I've lost the fun side of game."

RocketBoy and his training partner Zang "aZhe" Zhe are the only full-time FPS duelers in China. Another hundred or so of Chinese Counter-Strike and WarCraft 3 players also make a living solely off gaming.

In China, RocketBoy hasn't lost a duel in about four years. Some of his biggest domestic opponents have gone on to study abroad, while others have quit gaming. Though he states that he respects their choices, RocketBoy resents the fact that aZhe is the only person he can practice against. "This is the reason why I only have some skills and abilities developed to the highest level," he says.

Come QuakeCon, RocketBoy was more than happy to come to Dallas to take part in another Doom 3 event. As usual, he could be seen at one moment smoking in one place, then quickly vanished when a spectator looked back at the spot. One would surmise that this sometimes-spectral presence never speaks nor eats.

But appearances are deceiving. RocketBoy is a very warm character. Though he cannot say a lot in English, thanks to movies, he understands nearly everything that is said to him. And the slight RocketBoy ate thick steaks the whole time he was in the U.S. "You can't get an authentic steak in China," he says, laughing. "And steaks in Texas are great! Why not eat more?"

The steak-fed Asian was the number-one fan favorite at QuakeCon, winning the upper bracket before ultimately finishing second in the overall Doom 3 competition, defeated in the final by Fredrik "Gopher" Quick.

RocketBoy is not satisfied with the result, complaining that the results aren't entirely his fault.

"I have participated in WCG 2001, WCG 2002, ESWC in 2003 and 2004, CPL Winter 2005 and CPL Spain, and none of those tournaments forced the monitor refresh rate," he says. "Even in the matches before the QuakeCon final, the players were allowed to modify it. But when I got to the final, I was told that I could only use a low rate of 60 Hz. EVERYBODY knows that if you play with that rate, you cannot see things clearly. And the mouse sensitivity will change too."

He added that the high bass rumble from a set of speakers set near the competition stage made him tremble. "I was not able to aim at my opponent," he says. "And even when he was down to 38 health, I missed many opportunities and got killed eventually."

But, he also conceded, "Gopher is a great player and one of the best I met at CPL Winter and QuakeCon. There are many things I can learn from him and I congratulate him on his victory in Dallas."

At QuakeCon, RocketBoy saw Quake 4 for the first time and he already knows he will be playing the game. "Stay tuned and see -- it must become a very good game," he says, pointing out that the game's new features, with grenades bouncing off jump pads and projectiles traveling through teleporters, will be a valuable addition to gameplay. "If I cannot qualify for the World Tour final, I will begin practicing Quake 4 after CPL China," he declares.

RocketBoy hopes that Quake 4's introduction will increase the population of duelers in China, both to increase the quality of his practice and to have more opportunities to celebrate. "I hope we can gather some time and say 'CHEERS!' for my victories," he proposes.

Posted by Carmac on Aug 30 2005 5:36AM