By Siti Rohaizah Zainal
SHAH ALAM, July 16 — The Most Valuable Player (MVP) award winner of the Mobile Legends Bang Bang Mid Season Cup (MSC) tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been playing e-sports since he was nine years old.
Muhammad Haqqullah Ahmad Shahrul Zaman started with Dota before switching to Mobile Legends three years later after being intrigued by watching his older brother play.
“I started playing more actively when my father gave me a mobile phone as a reward for excellent results in the Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) examinations, scoring 4As and 1B.
“When the movement control order or MCO (in 2020) was in place, I played even more frequently; as soon as classes were over, I would play Mobile Legends,” said the 17-year old, known as Sekyss, to SelangorKini.
The eighth of nine children, Haqqullah said he began participating in online tournaments during the MCO, gaining valuable experience despite not winning initially.
“I only became the champion of the eSport MY tournament two years ago, taking home a RM20,000 cash prize. When I was named the MVP of MSC, I was shocked and speechless,” he said.
Playing the jungler position, Haqqullah was one of the Selangor Red Giants players who won the MSC championship on 14 July, ending Malaysia’s seven-year drought in the international e-sports arena.
The jungler plays a crucial role in controlling resource generation in the jungle at the start of the game.
Selangor Red Giants made national history by winning the MSC championship with a 4-3 victory over the Philippines’ Falcons AP Bren Sport team at the Amazon Arena in Riyadh on Sunday (July 14)
They took home the championship trophy along with a US$1 million (RM4.6 million) cash prize, while Haqqullah, as the MVP, won US$50,000 (RM235,000).
Commenting on the success, he said the victory was the result of teamwork, as well as the role of the character Alpha that he used.
“I was fortunate because the hero (character) I used brought luck, and we all played wholeheartedly with no regrets.
“The only challenge here (in Saudi Arabia) is the extremely hot weather, which could be felt even though the tournament was held inside a shopping mall,” Haqqullah said.
He added that he wants to use part of the RM4.6 million prize money to support his family’s daily expenses, as well as save in the Amanah Saham Bumiputera fund.
“The rest will be used for daily life, but I need to discuss and get advice from my family.
“As for e-sports equipment, everything is already complete,” said Haqqullah, who recently passed his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
