HKers urged to show more support to gamers
Hongkongers are being urged to be more supportive of gamers, after a teenager from the SAR was crowned the world’s best Pokémon trainer this week.  Cheng Yip-kai, who played under the username of “yekai0904”, took home Hong Kong's first Pokémon GO World Championship title and a US$20,000 prize after pulling off a 3-1 win against a Dutch opponent in the grand final in Hawaii. Cheng, 16, who bowed out early in last year’s competition in Japan, said in a post-match interview that his victory was proof of his dedication to the game and had been a chance to prove himself.    A former Hong Kong Pokémon Go team leader, Sam Cheung, told RTHK that there are currently about 50 active competitive players of the mobile game in the city and Cheng was the SAR’s sole representative this year.     He said Cheng had received criticism and insults following his early elimination last year, but showed his resilience with a victorious comeback this year.  Cheung said he hoped Cheng’s success will change what people think of gamers. “If you watch any live streaming of the Pokémon GO World Championship, you could see on many occasions Cheng used fluent Mandarin and English to do interviews. This shows that he could sharpen his language skills while playing video games. I believe if parents read Cheng’s story they will change how they view gamers,” he said. Professor Lai Ching-lung from the University of Hong Kong sponsored Cheng's trip to Japan last year. He said he was happy to learn about the win.  Lai added that he hopes more people will participate in Pokémon GO and help pay for young gamers to compete overseas.