This Professional Video Gamer Had to Retire Because of an Injury
This Professional Video Gamer Had to Retire Because of an Injury
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Hai Lam (L) and teammates attend the premiere of 'All Work All Play' during the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival at Spring Studio on April 20, 2015 in New York City.Rob Kim—2015 Getty Images
One of the world’s most accomplished competitive gamers has been forced into an early retirement due to a debilitating wrist injury, according to an open letter to his teammates.
Hai Lam stepped down as captain of Cloud9, a team of competitive gamers who regularly sweep the competition in the League of Legends gaming circuit. Lam wrote that the criticism from fans, while painful, did not affect his decision to step down so much as the concern of his fellow teammates.
“Over time, my teammates started to lose confidence in my abilities as a player and a shotcaller,” Lam wrote in a letter posted to his team’s official blog, first spotted by EndGadget. “That’s what really hit me hard,” he added.
But like most retired athletes, Lam will take a role in management, helping to recruit new talent to Cloud9 and building out branding partnerships.
Meet America's First Video Game Varsity Athletes
Jonathan "McSleuthBurgur" Lindahl, 19, a freshman in computer networking, practices League of Legends and other video games in the video game practice space of Robert Morris University's athletic department in Chicago, March 18, 2015. The university recognizes video games as a varsity sport under its athletic department and has been offering sports scholarships to video gamers to play League of Legends. The team practices four to five nights a week in a $100,000 classroom outfitted for video gaming. Kitra Cahana—Getty Images Reportage for TIMEChris "STARS FourEyes" Broadnax, 21, a graphic design major, plays video games in Robert Morris University's video game practice space in Chicago, March 18, 2015. Kitra Cahana—Getty Images Reportage for TIMERachel "Razur" Zurawski, 20, plays League of Legends and other video games in Robert Morris University's video game practice space in Chicago, March 18, 2015. Kitra Cahana—Getty Images Reportage for TIMEStudent video game athletes play League of Legends and other games in Robert Morris University's video game practice space in Chicago, March 18, 2015. Kitra Cahana—Getty Images Reportage for TIMEDerek "Zig" Shao (left), 20, and Blake "Oberan" Soberanis, 22, play League of Legends in Robert Morris University's video game practice space in Chicago, March 18, 2015. Shao and Soberanis are two of the best members on the school's video game team. Kitra Cahana—Getty Images Reportage for TIMEChris "STARS FourEyes" Broadnax (right), 21 and Mario "ThirstDrinker" Huang, 26, practice League of Legends and other video games in Robert Morris University's video game practice space in Chicago, March 18, 2015. Kitra Cahana—Getty Images Reportage for TIMERachel "Razur" Zurawski, 20, practices League of Legends and other video games in Robert Morris University's video game practice space in Chicago, March 18, 2015.Kitra Cahana—Getty Images Reportage for TIMERobert Morris University associate athletic director, Kurt Melcher (second left), Jonathan "McSleuthBurgur" Lindahl (right), 19, and Dean "keyboychespin" Mitchell (second right), 18, watch others play the game Heroes of the Storm in Robert Morris University's video game practice space in Chicago, March 18, 2015. Kitra Cahana—Getty Images Reportage for TIMEDerek "Zig" Shao (left), 20, and Zixing Jie (right), 20 play League of Legends in Robert Morris University's video game practice space in Chicago, March 18, 2015. Kitra Cahana—Getty Images Reportage for TIMEMario "ThirstDrinker" Huang, 26, a sophomore studying Drafting Technology, practices League of Legends and other video games in Robert Morris University's video game practice space in Chicago, March 18, 2015. Kitra Cahana—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
