Veteran Malaysian esports commentator Andrew Cheong has been appointed as a co-curricular instructor at a local university in Kuala Lumpur, where he will be teaching esports on a part-time basis.
Cheong, fondly known as Sir_Cloud by the Malaysian esports community, will conduct his first class at Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TARUC) on July 16.
Speaking to IGN Southeast Asia today, Cheong said his syllabus will revolve mainly around the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) category, a sub-genre of strategy video games in which two teams of players compete against each other on a predefined battlefield.
Some of the most popular MOBA titles in Southeast Asia today are League of Legends: Wild Rift, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) and Dota 2, the latter of which gave birth to several Malaysian esports superstars like Chai “Mushi” Yee Fung and Yeik "MidOne" Nai Zheng.
"I have always made it one of my lifelong goals to contribute to the new generation via education. After several years working in human resources and talent acquisition, I realised that there was a graduate skill gap that needed to be filled.
"Using esports, I will be teaching (my students) valuable lessons about problem-solving, critical thinking, and presentation," said the TARUC alumnus during an interview today.
The 36-year-old hype caster holds a degree in communication, as well as a master's degree in human resource management. Cheong is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy programme majoring in psychology.
This is the first time TARUC is offering esports as a co-curricular subject, where a pass is compulsory in order for students to graduate.
According to Cheong, students need to submit assignments and conduct presentations about the MOBA genre, specifically League of Legends: Wild Rift.
"I expect (some) students who have never touched video games in their lives. I will first explain what MOBA is before drilling down into Wild Rift, a mobile game that is accessible to everyone."
Cheong said he will focus on the fundamentals of Wild Rift, including the map, objectives and champions before tasking students with more complex assignments.
"Once their basics are solid, the students need to explore team drafts, how to practically execute strategies in a match and present how it (the strategy) works. This will help develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills," he added.
TARUC appointed Cheong as its first esports instructor as he possessed the necessary academic qualifications and a wealth of experience in the esports industry.
Cheong took his first steps into the esports world in 2018, producing educational Dota 2 content with the objective of helping new players to get into the game.
"I then discovered live streaming and brought my Dota discussions there. After a while, I was introduced to commentating by a friend because he felt that it would be another good platform to talk about the game."
Since then, Cheong has appeared as a professional commentator for multiple premier esports tournaments in other games like MLBB, Wild Rift and PUBG Mobile.
Besides TARUC, several other Malaysian tertiary institutions offer esports-related courses. Multiple primary and secondary schools in Malaysia also offer government-supported esports programs for schoolchildren to hone their skills and learn valuable skills like teamwork.
The Malaysian esports industry is also growing at a rapid pace, with the government allocating RM20 million last year to develop and support up-and-coming athletes.
"One of the important goals for someone involved in esports is to tell the public that esports isn't only about playing games. As with traditional sports, there is a healthy element in esports.
"What is important is moderation. For example, badminton and football are healthy but if you play the whole day and neglect your studies, you face the same issues," Cheong said.
