Turning dreams into virtual reality! The two Maltese eFootballers crushing it at FIFA
These guys have made a career of playing games.
Who knew that sitting at home playing online games with your friends could land you your dream job? Well, for two Maltese men, this is their virtual reality.
Kurt Fenech and Christian Spiteri are both only 24-years-old, but they are already competing professionally against some of the top eFootballers in the world.
Christian – who grew up in Pieta – recently returned from Bucharest where he made it to the semi-finals of the EA Sports FIFA 19 Global Series.
The skilled e-sportsman managed to be among the last eight eFootballers out of 60 in the tournament. However, despite his success he was still unhappy with his performance tweeting: “Sooooo disappointed to play my worst FIFA match at such a crucial part of my season. Felt so rusty and slow, not planning a warm up and just watching games was obviously a mistake on my part…I keep having to learn the hard way.”
Changing opinions
Christian was defeated 4-1 in his last online match. He says that big tournaments like this come with a lot of pressure. “Usually you can have anywhere between 10,000 and 90,000 people watching you play. I try not to think about this and just focus on the game.”
Christian at one of his recent FIFA tournaments
Pressure can also come in the form of the negative stereotypes people have surrounding gaming culture. “When I tell people what I do, they look at me with surprise as they often don’t think it’s something you can make a living from. I would like people to educate themselves more about the industry and understand that it creates jobs as well as opportunities. I have travelled more in the past six months with my job, than I ever had before. I also explain to people that it’s not just about sitting on a couch. I prepare for tournaments like a professional sports player. I watch what I eat and walk as much as possible, so I am physically and mentally ready. I also analyse my competitors as well as my own previous games so I know where I went wrong.”
Under pressure
Another man who understands the pressure Christian is under is Kurt Fenech from Naxxar. He was banned for two-months by EA Sports last year for abusive behaviour after he posted a video on YouTube calling on fellow gamers to unite with him and “win this war”. Kurt says EA asked him to take the video down because it was posted one week after a deadly shooting at a gaming tournament in Florida. When he refused, EA banned him from playing for two months.
“I’ve been called controversial,” he says “but I simply try and say what I think. Obviously, it’s not always the best option and it sucked when I got banned, but from a positive side, people did like my honesty. It’s over now, so I’m back playing and training for the playoffs in July in Hamburg.”
On the plus side
Like Christian, Kurt believes his career choice offers a lot of opportunities. “I really enjoy the travelling that comes with my job. It’s allowed me to visit places like Barcelona, Manchester, London, Amsterdam as well as the city of Atlanta in the States.”
And Kurt believes his luck won’t run out anytime soon. “I think this industry has a long-term future as it’s growing very quickly. The tournaments are watched by thousands of people on Youtube and eFootballers are attracting sponsors just like physical soccer players.”
Kurt says he’s also hopeful the esports industry will be supported here in Malta. “It helped when the Prime Minister mentioned it in his speech to make people more aware of what’s happening here. We already host events and have our own league, so that’s a positive.”
Career goals
So, what advice would Kurt give a young person who would like to step into his virtual football boots some day? “The number one thing people ask me is ‘how good do you have to be to do this professionally?’. I always tell them that it’s not easy. You must be really on top of your game and commit, train and practice a lot. Of course, there is a little bit of natural talent too, but if you work hard, it’s definitely a growing industry with lots of job potential.”