Why EDG’s Worlds 2021 victory was so important to China

This article was written by our Community Writer Pedro Romero.

On the night of November 6th, 2021, crowds throughout China converged outdoors with a tinge of hope. Following a month of matches in the 2021 League of Legends World Championship, their best team, EDward Gaming, found themselves in the grand finals alongside Korea’s DWG KIA and were on the cusp of winning the Summoner’s Cup.

Although EDG arrived at this stage as the number one seed of their respective league, which was expected for anyone to do in that position, few actually expected them to put up much of a fight against the defending champions. Unlike DWG who carried plenty of momentum from their current Worlds run, EDG hobbled their way to the finals through an underwhelming end to their group stage and two consecutive grueling series.

Nevertheless, spirits were undoubtedly high among fans over EDG’s momentous qualification to the finals. After about a decade in the LPL, which saw them win six domestic titles and appear on Worlds in as many times, the team finally reached the stage fans always envisioned them to be in. Even so, there was reason to stay cautious about EDG completing their extraordinary journey.

They defeated tough opponents in Royal Never Give Up and Gen.G prior to facing DWG, but to a lot of people, they expected EDG’s magic to inevitably extinguish right then and there. That’s why when EDG was behind 2-1 in the series, that wariness was on the cusp of being proven right. But just as EDG had done all tournament, they started playing beyond expectations.

Facing elimination, through a favorable early game and crucial smite fight wins, EDG overran DWG to force Game 5 which was the second ever in worlds grand finals history and first since 2016. And in that decisive game, EDG continued the momentum they created to earn the Summoner’s Cup completing one of the most remarkable runs in tournament history.

“We definitely feel like all of our efforts have finally paid off. I believe this is the happiest moment in my career,” said EDG support Meiko in the post-series press conference.

As the team huddled in jubilation, thousands of Chinese fans celebrated their achievement in various locations. This included near-naked individuals sprinting with an EDG flag in their hand, college dormitories serving as the site of incalculable bets being paid, and packed arenas cheering at full volume in a level unseen anywhere else save for major international events like the Olympics.

The unbridled emotion displayed embodied the kind of passion the country is ubiquitously known for in esports. People across all walks of life, from young to old people, collectively savored the feeling of victory that EDG arduously gave them. For the youth, who will undoubtedly be inspired to continue playing LoL and become a professional like their heroes, this moment is uniquely special considering they live in an era where they can’t play games as much as they want to. As a matter of fact, they are virtually prohibited from playing at all.

Competing in a new age of restrictions

According to Sup China, the finals raked in 350 million viewers on Bilibili across the country and dominated Weibo’s trending topic list. Add to to that with the immense viewership the finals reeled in from the West, which garnered 4,018,728 users according to Esports Charts, it goes without saying that it grabbed the attention of the country’s gaming scene, already one of the biggest and most profitable in the world, in the handful of hours it lasted.

All this happened despite recent restrictions made by the Chinese government to prohibit the youth from constantly playing online games. In an effort to curb addiction and “effectively protect the physical and mental health of minors”, the National Press and Publication Administration ruled in September that people under the age of 18 can play games for no greater than 90 minutes during each weekday and just one hour on each day of the weekend.

“Considering the needs of minors for their study, life and healthy growth, this notice sets stricter limits on the time period for online game companies to provide online game services to minors, and better guides minors to actively participate in physical exercise and social practice and a variety of colorful, healthy and beneficial recreational activities,” the NPAA said in a Q&A post that explained the rationale for executing the restrictions.

Needless to say, the regulation sparked fierce backlash from the gaming community. Specifically in LoL, it barred under 18 players from playing for and getting signed by LPL or League of Legends Development League (LDL) orgs, thus forcing the Chinese competitive infrastructure to adapt overnight in order to comply with the regulation, thus leading to the release of 31 prospects according to Inven Global. WIth them gone, the overall league will have to restructure and find a way to nurture young talent as effectively as they did before. But with future players not procuring as much time to hone their skills as their past colleagues, the difficulty of actually breaking into the LPL will rise exponentially, thus steepening their learning curve.

But whereas the Chinese government assumed the youth will be revitalized by the institution of their stringent restrictions, EDG’s victory surely reminded them that gaming holds the capacity of stimulating a flurry of emotions that resonates far greater than what they hoped to achieve without it.

Fans in the West, who are unfamiliar to the sort of passion that is evoked by esports in the East, are genuinely gobsmacked upon the videos that captured it. Compared to regions like North America and Europe, whose popularity and talent infrastructure bear a small presence in popular culture, China (and South Korea) remain far ahead. By their estimation, it would take a couple of more decades before the West can fabricate a similar celebration such as the one from November 6th.

What winning means for each member

Everyone is familiar with the storylines following each member of EDG and how their win brings a fitting cap to their careers. Such storylines include Meiko finally hoisting the Summoner’s Cup as the team captain, Scout departing from SKT in 2016 to come into his own and follow his role model’s footsteps, Viper completing his turnaround from leaving Team Griffin in 2019 to be a world champion less than two years later, Flandre fulfilling his former teammate’s promise and winning the title after the latter failed to win last year, and Jiejie stepping up to surpass his relatively experienced contemporaries in his position.

Even the coaches felt a similar sense of achievement by leading the players to the title. Head coach Maokai was previously a part of kkOma’s staff in Vici Gaming during 2020. Having learned from his superior in that time, he took his teaching to great use with EDG which culminated in the ultimate achievement. But it would be remiss if one doesn’t recognize how big of a role this win serves with respect to the current gaming restrictions that is imposed on China’s youth.

All these storylines combine to create an effervescent scene of joy, relief, and passion. Joy because China’s greatest team helped the country restore its position as the best region in the game; relief because fans won’t have to worry about the team reliving past demons–with this, they can start anew and continue the LPL’s domination over the rest of the world; passion because the country’s youth celebrated on the streets during that breezy November night to capture the envy of the West and defy the essence their government wanted to achieve with their regulations.

By overcoming unfathomable odds that were set against them and playing the best League of Legends anyone had seen at the most perfect of times, EDG did something far greater than create an everlasting memory for their supporters to the rest of the LPL fandom. They have prompted the population to rethink what they initially believed gaming is about.

It’s something bigger than the negative connotation the government is propagating through the installation of its regulations. It can be an additional avenue for people looking to communicate with others online. It can foster relationships that can last for a lifetime. It can even be the foundation for an extraordinary professional career like what the players of EDG currently enjoy. If handled appropriately, gaming can add another dimension to China’s success. Better yet, it can continue the LPL’s dominance well into the future, but that’s up for the government to survey and decide. Even so, it wouldn’t hurt for them to give another hard look at the benefits it can bring.

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Our Community Writer Pedro Romero:
Freelance writer with approximately three years of experience. Worked for numerous outlets including esports.com, while covering League of Legends, Valorant, and Dota 2. Currently at Bronze I in NA LoL solo-queue.

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