My brother (the good looking one in the white shirt) is in China teaching English to young students. He has been traveling for a few years discovering the world and bringing our language to others. For as long as I can remember, my brother has played video games. He plays with the same spirit, effort, and dedication that many apply to sports. In high school, my brother was known to miss full days of class to prepare for local Halo & Tekken tournaments. Either as an individual or in a team - he generally took first place. This extra money helped pay for much needed things like new video games and accessories.
A few years ago, he became a little more known in the United States for his Tekken abilities (you can search YouTube for "Young Man River" & "Tekken" and you will find many of his matches). Even though he has been playing for years, he has only played Tekken professionally for about five years. He recently entered a very large Tekken tournament in China where the audience turn out as pretty incredible. I worked at an arcade for a few years and never had so many on-lookers for an arcade match.
Being the white boy in the tournament instantly made him the underdog. Many Asian cultures have incredible video gamers who dedicate hours each day to master characters and skills. My brother hasn't been playing as often as he used to because he is so busy teaching. He decided to train for a few weeks before the tournament and enter for fun.
The stage is incredible!! He is the player on the right.
He took second place to the player on the left. When he lost, he shook the winners hand and people were very surprised. Chinese culture doesn't allow for the losers to be happy and gracious.
Here he is with his big check : )
He won about two month's salary for placing second in this tournament. Not a bad hobby!
Keep up the good work Mike!!
We miss you!
