27-year-old Singaporean Wen Jun ‘hibidi’ Chiang naturally started playing FIFA because of his undying love for football. What started out as a casual, fun, gaming session with friends, turned into a serious pursuit and he started kicking a**.
Wen Jun is now one of the biggest names in Singapore’s e-sports scene. Actually scratch that, he’s one of the biggest names in all of Asia. He is reigning supreme in the field, his flair for the game fuelled by his love for the sport.
A corporate banker by day, and FIFA online superhero by night, Wen Jun has always known that he wanted to be a world champion in FIFA, even as a kid. Thankfully, his parents were okay with him devoting all his time and energy in the virtual world – as long as his grades were alright. And they were.
A Gunner at heart, he makes sure he and his teammates do not settle for anything less than the first place whenever they compete in any tournament. Now, if only his favourite team adopted the same modus operandi.
Now making waves all over Asia with his squad, Team Flash, they recently finished third at the FIFA Online 3: EA Champions Cup Winter 2016, beating out other top notch, international teams.
We recently caught up with the busy but hair-on-fleek lad to learn more about the story behind his passion for the game, his journey with Team Flash, and his obsession for gold medals (maybe it’s just a Singaporean thing).
Wen Jun, tell us, how did you get sucked into the world of FIFA?
I started watching football when I was 8, and played for the junior college football team when I was 18. Football has always been my number 1 priority in life, so it was only natural for me to enter Fifa.
When did you decide to play pro? Was there a moment of enlightenment?
When I was beating my friends by large margins and realized I had a natural aptitude for the game. I was about 20 years old then.
Congratulations on winning third place in the FIFA Online 3: EA Champions Cup Winter 2016. How does it feel to beat so many international teams to emerge in the top 3?
It was a significant achievement for Singapore eSports but third place feels like a personal defeat. My focus has always been that gold medal.
Why is that gold medal so important to you? You guys won anyway.
3rd place isn’t a “win” to us. Only winning matters, and to us that’s placing first.
You were with Team Impunity when you won last year, where you were also team captain. But now you have moved to Team Flash. What caused the change? How are you getting along with your new teammates?
Flash was where I started my FIFA career at, so despite all that was achieved with Impunity, it was right for me to come back after things ended so abruptly in 2014. I’ve been too busy to meet my teammates from the LOL division, but I hear they’re good blokes.
Tell us what goes on behind the scenes. How long do you guys practice every day?
I practice for about an hour on alternate nights. I try not to play too much to prevent burnout.
Is there a lot of tension and drama backstage, especially after a tournament?
My opponents stress out and think of what they’re going to do in game, and you can feel their nervous energy. All I care about backstage is making sure my makeup crew gets my face on fleek, and my hair lit.
What is the goal for Team Flash this year? What’s coming up in the next few months?
5 words: gold medals wherever we go.
How has the support been from the Singapore fans?
The fans have been absolutely phenomenal. I now call myself the king because they make me feel like the king. It’s not just the Singaporean fans. It’s the Malaysian fans, the Thai fans, the Indonesian fans, the Vietnamese fans. I am the biggest name in the game right now in Asia, and it’s all thanks to them. I will never forget that the fans are the ones who have put me where I am today.
Any pre-game habits or rituals? Good luck charms?
I feel that rituals are the stuff of weak men. Rituals show me that you are insecure and lack confidence in your abilities.
Which team is your toughest competitor at the moment?
On my day, I can beat anyone. It does not matter what my opponents do. You can be a better dribbler, you can be a better crosser, and you can even be a better all round player. But I will always have an answer.
Last question. Why Arsenal? How are you coping with the season?
Actually. I’ve given up on Arsenal. There’s no point to them anymore.
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