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Dr Yew Weng Kean, an Electrical and Electronic Engineering lecturer from the School of Engineering & Physical Sciences made history when he successfully bagged the nation's first gold medal in e-sports at the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines.
Known as wkyew90 within the e-sports community, Dr Yew beat Thailand's Popan Werit 3-1 in Hearthstone, a two-player virtual card game. The former started strong by winning the first game, but was defeated in the second game. After that, he battled for more than half an hour in the third game before winning the final game with ease.
"This gold medal means a lot to me and Malaysia, because it is our first medal for e-sports in SEA Games history. I feel amazing, happy and grateful. I believe that I am able to make history by contributing a medal to the country and I feel great to have achieved it. E-sports is a trend now and will stay regardless of what we do. Parents should look at it from a positive side, because gaming can actually improve your thinking, critical and strategic skills," said Dr Yew.
“These are all the necessary skills to life. But kids should have balance between gaming, healthy activities and studies. If you are gaming all the time without improvement in studies, you are not going very far.”
Provost and CEO Professor Mushtak Al-Atabi proudly remarked, “It is really a great moment today to receive Dr Yew to Malaysia. He made us all proud. It is not difficult to have a world-class career and also pursue your passion in computer games. Whatever you do, it is all about critical thinking, strategizing, time management, being empowered and being emotionally intelligent. It is about having all these skills that we will need to succeed in the 21st century. We are so proud and so happy to be here to receive a champion for the nation.”
Watch the video of his arrival in Malaysia.