Singapore pro gamer makes history, winning at Evo world championships

You might not know 22-year-old Ho Kun Xian, but he's big in the gaming community, now more than ever.

Better known as "Xian", Ho made history for Singapore on Monday afternoon (Singapore time) when he came up tops in one of the nine games played at the 12th annual Evo Championships, the world's largest tournament for fighting video games.

Ho emerged victorious from a nail-biting final in Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition (2012 version) against a rival from Japan at about 1:35pm Singapore time, and his friends celebrated his victory after following it on live stream, all the way from Las Vegas, where the three-day competition was held.

"I was watching the live stream all the way since (the competition between the) top 8 started, so I knew of his victory as soon as he clinched it… I am so proud of him!" said fellow competitive fighting gamer Jen Tan, a tattoo artist by day. "I whatsapped him to congratulate him, and he has thanked me and I haven't disturbed his celebrations since," she added with a laugh.

Watch the highlights from Xian's neck-and-neck match against his Japanese rival here:

A close friend of his since they met playing SSF4 in 2009, the 26-year-old told Yahoo! Singapore Xian started playing fighting games from as young as at seven years old, when he played "King of Fighter".

"When I knew him (in 2009), he was already good at fighting games… (so) when he started to win tournaments and go overseas to compete, I was very very proud of him and his progressive achievements!" she said. "All I can say is that he deserves the title and the respect, and he is probably the most humble champion I know."

According to his older brother Ho An De, Xian turned professional in 2009, after he finished his National Service, and got a job at Tough Cookie Gaming Café on Selegie Road — where he still works today.

Ho said Xian started his career at a gaming competition at DreamHack 2009, the world's largest computer festival. Back then, he won a free ticket to Sweden, where DreamHack is held, to compete, and has traversed the world, participating in numerous tournaments the elder Ho has lost count of since then.

"(He's been in) USA, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Egypt, Malaysia… too many countries, I can't remember!" said the 25-year-old, who teaches math at a tuition centre and who himself plays SSF4 recreationally. "My mum has seldom seen him much in the past year as he's always been overseas."

Ho said their parents were "sort of" unhappy at Xian's decision to turn to professional gaming as a career at first, but said these days their mother mainly requests that Xian calls home from wherever he his now and then to reassure her of his safety.

"But he always forgets to call back, and my mum gets really worried!" he added with a laugh.

Asked how their parents reacted to the win, Ho said, "My parents of course feel happy for him, but they don't really know what an honour it is to win in Evo!"

Ho added that members of the fighting game community here have been very supportive in helping Xian achieve his dreams — from Yongde, his employer at Tough Cookie, to Lenn Yang, the founder of Desperation Move (DM), who sponsored a significant portion of his travels.

"I feel glad for him as he has finally fulfilled his dreams despite (facing) so many difficulties," said Ho. "You know in Singapore there really isn't much support for fighting games."

At about 1:30pm on Monday, Xian tweeted "we did it \('''_^)/ #evo2013" from his account, and in subsequent tweets, thanked everyone for their "support and kind words". His Twitter feed was later flooded with "thank yous" as he responded to many who tweeted him with congratulations.

Xian was travelling when Yahoo! Singapore contacted him and was unable to comment on his win.