A YOUNG Bahraini gamer became the world champion in Mortal Kombat 11 after beating 200 gamers from around the world at the Brazil Game Show recently held in Sao Paulo.
Sayed Hashem Ahmed, 24, has been playing fighting games such as Mortal Kombat since 2001 and is known as “Tekken_Master” by using the character “Sonia”.
Ahmed, who is a Bahrain University graduate, told the GDN his achievement couldn’t have been reached if it wasn’t for the relentless and unwavering encouragement and support from his family to pursue his dreams.
“My family saw my talent since I was young and they allowed me to participate in tournaments in Bahrain and in the GCC and have always supported me,” he told the GDN.
“The Brazil Game Show included a pro-competition for Mortal Kombat 11 (a fighting video game) with around 200 participants in the tournament.
“The best players from around the world took part in this tournament and I was the only one from the Middle East.
“There were two players, one from the UK and one from Brazil, who I faced a tough time playing against because they are the best in their countries.”
During the two-day tournament, participants competed in group stages followed by top-16 and top-8 on the second day where Ahmed secured first place.
He revealed that this win represents a culmination of years of dedication and hard work that have been rewarded and his talent recognised on an international level after training on a daily basis for two hours a day.
“This is my first win outside Bahrain in Mortal Kombat 11 but I have reached the top-8 in several tournaments just this year,” added the professional gamer.
“This win means a lot to me because I honoured my family and all the Bahraini people and I hope to keep winning in future tournament too.”
He urged Bahrain’s youth who have a passion for video games to pursue their passion and dream and stated that “gaming is the future”.
He also stressed the importance of the support he received from Dubai-based company Nasr eSports, which believed in him since 2017 and supported his journey during tournaments and trips.
“They believed me and saw how talented I am and decided to sign me and send me everywhere and if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t achieve half of what I achieved today,” he added.
“I didn’t want a desk job because I felt my talent will be wasted so I followed my dream. I would like to advise the youth to pursue their dreams – whether in esports or anything else.”
Ahmed shared plans to further develop his newly-launched company in Bahrain, Gamers Valley, including plans to launch an exhibition next year as well as scouting games and offering them classes to develop their skills.
He also revealed that he would take part in the Intercontinental championship to be held in Sweden next month after qualifying for the top-8 position through a previous online game and the Mortal Kombat finals to be held in Chicago in March next year.
reem@gdn.com.bh
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