Today, esports tournaments are organised across the globe that provide an amazing platform for budding gamers to showcase their skills to the world and earn recognition, along with a ton of prize money.
And recently at an esports tournament in Thailand, a team of monks just bagged the first spot. It's a remarkable story.
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According to World of Fun, the winners are seniors at Balee Sathit Suksa -- an educational institution in Thailand that is responsible for training monks. The e-sports tournament was held at Khon Kaen University's Nong Khai campus.
According to the school's academic coordinator and head monk Kokkiad Chaisamchareonlap, "The novices wanted to try entering the competition, so we gave them that opportunity. However, we didn't expect them to actually win."?
These kids usually study Buddhism for twenty hours a week. However, they also have access and exposure to secular education, which includes the study of computers.
Apparently, it was through one of these computer classes that these students discovered esports' existence and wanted to compete against other players. They usually played the mobile game Speed Drifters, so they decided to practice and get a good grip on the game.
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Oddly, while many people praised their achievement online, some were not happy with the kids wearing the saffron robes when they went to accept the prize on stage, calling it 'inappropriate.'
However, Kokkiad disagrees with this notion, stating that it was crucial for the kids to do what they liked and get better at it. "The novices are just children, like other people their age that need to grow, develop their skills and explore their interests." He further added, "we wanted to give the students an opportunity. A lot of them don't have that coming from poor families or broken homes."
What was more surprising was the fact that this wasn't the only monk school that sent its students to compete.