A typical day for white-collar professional Ng Shao Ming has him typing away at his keyboard replying to emails, meeting clients and organising meetings with lawyers and landlords.
And when he is off-duty, the 30-year-old Singaporean spends his time on typical activities; singing, cooking and doing battle with bills and responsibilities.
“I’m an introvert that likes to sing and cook,” he said, with a shrug.
But Shao Ming is not your average joe. When he lines up on the battlefields of the Land of Dawn, he goes by the name of Kolia, a fierce competitor and one of the most experienced players in Singapore’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) scene.
Credit: Kolia
As captain of Notorious Villains, he has been the driving force behind the team’s excellent run in Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) Singapore 2021.
Excelling in the tank role, although occasionally switching to offlane if the team requires it, he puts his years of experience into good use. He constantly pokes his opponents and disrupts their farm, all the while biding his time for the perfect opportunity to strike.
When an opportunity turns up, Kolia strikes. He capitalises on the mistakes of his opponents by diving in to secure kills or to help set up for his teammates. The superb timing of his plays comes from his accumulated experience, and allows him to gauge the right moment to engage or retreat. This team-centric playing style has even helped secure Kolia the greatest number of assists per match thus far in MPL Singapore.
“I contribute to Notorious Villains by playing competitively as a team member. I’ve been supporting them from the very start,” added the veteran player.
Notorious Villains have emerged as the dark horse in the tournament, climbing to the winner’s bracket of the playoffs despite starting off in the qualifiers.
Credit: MPL SG
Despite being a long-time gamer, Kolia was only introduced to the game of MLBB back in 2017. Back then, his friends introduced him to the game and he started playing it obsessively when he was serving out his compulsory national military service.
The immense passion and love for esports has led Kolia to flirt with the idea of fully pursuing esports as a career on many occasions. However, the lack of income, the social stigma, and the lack of opportunities for esports in Singapore have kept Kolia juggling his passion and his job.
“Esports is still fresh in Singapore compared to other countries and pro gaming in Singapore has its own set of differentiated challenges,” said Kolia.
Despite the challenges, he still holds out hope that he could one day turn his passion into his full-time profession. In particular, he sees Singapore’s first MPL as an opportunity to help grow the local esports scene and nurture the next generation of MLBB players.
“It feels incredible for Singapore to finally have its own league for the first time, and this helps to give rise to the local esports scene,” shared Kolia.
Notorious Villains will face off against EVOS SG on Friday (May 7) in a BO3 for a spot in the semi-finals. To catch the event live, head over to MPL SG.
