Esports Phenomenon: China's 'Cat' Conquers Global Stages with Honor of Kings

Hundreds of rapt fans sat in a convention hall in Paris recently, erupting into cheers after a competitor darted across the scene and left two opponents dead within seconds. The victims were only pixels on a screen, as the setting was a friendly esports match where leading players exhibited their skills in Honor of Kings, Tencent Holdings’ top mobile game. One of the most recognised stars on that stage was Chen Zhengzheng, better known as Cat. Holder of five international championships, the 28-year-old made his career by moving two thumbs on a phone screen. “When I first turned pro, I had no idea this many people would be watching,” Chen told the South China Morning Post earlier this month. “Later I found out that, wow, there are actually people buying tickets and travelling to different cities just to watch me play. That’s pretty amazing.” The distance between Chen’s hometown in the eastern province of Shandong and the French capital, site of this year’s Esports World Cup (EWC), provides one measuring stick for the stunning growth that competitive gaming has seen in China over the past decade. Chen started playing Honor of Kings in 2015 and soon started joining competitions. The first competition he took part in was in the southern Chinese city of Changsha. He recalled that it seemed far away at the time, as getting there required a night on China’s “green train”, an infamously slow but cheap mode of transport.