PROFILE
He became fascinated with FPS when he studied abroad in Australia as a high school student and won a league championship in the smartphone game "Wilderness Action". While still in college, he started his own business, establishing "FENNEL" and leading the team of the same name. He also runs the FFL (FENNEL FRIDAY LEAGUE), a tournament held for the four titles "Wilderness Actions," "Apex Legends," "Fortnite," and "Monster Strike.
Repeatedly clear goals and step up.
You are now a professional player, but have you always loved games since you were a child?
No, that's not it at all. I played a little "Call of Duty" when I was in middle school, but I was so into baseball and lacrosse that I barely had time to play games.
-How did you get into the game?
When I was in high school, I went to Australia to study, and all my friends there had Playstations and Xboxes, and they were playing FPS (first-person shooter) games. I started playing with them, and I was hooked.
-It's no longer a game study abroad (laughs).
It was good because my English improved when I talked with my friends through games (laughs). But after I returned to Japan, I didn't have a game console, so I didn't play games much anymore.
-Why did you decide to do it again?
When I became a college student, the smartphone battle royale game "Wilderness Action" was released. When I tried it, I was hooked because it was the type of game I liked.
-Butsu, you were one of the top players in "Wilderness Action". What made you decide to go beyond a hobby and become a professional?
My motivation is to grow. In pursuit of this, I began to perform well in competitions, and before I knew it, I was competing as a professional.
-And as a result, he became a professional. Did you ever plan to get a job after college?
I wanted to work by thinking and acting on my own rather than being told what to do by someone else, so I never considered becoming a company employee.
-What game titles is the Buddha currently playing?
Unlike physical sports, it is easy to switch disciplines in e-sports. Once I reach the goal I set for myself, I plan to enter other games.
-When a new game title is released, do you try it first?
Yes, it is. The more popular the game, the more competitions there will be and the more popular the players themselves will be. And the income increases accordingly. Most professionals focus on popular game titles. In my case, the battle royale format suits me, so I would like to move into that category.
-How many hours a day do you practice?
We practice as a team from 6pm to 24am. I am the type of player who works hard in a short period of time, plus I think most of the players work 3-4 hours. When I am not practicing, I am doing strength training or playing other games.
-You are also moving your body.
I've always loved training. I haven't been able to do it for the past few years, but I recently got back into it.
How do you feel about the current state of the Japanese e-sports scene?
I feel that the future I had predicted 10 years ago has been achieved this year. Japanese teams have won prizes in game titles that I thought they could not win in the world, and we have attracted 10,000 people to our offline venues.
-Have you noticed an increase in players and fans?
Originally, e-sports was a small community within the gaming industry and did not attract much attention. However, popular streamers (distributors) who had not participated in many tournaments before began to compete, and more people became interested in e-sports. It was great that streamers practiced to win and spread the word that there was a competitive aspect to the game.
-This means that the enjoyment of watching e-sports has spread.
For example, when an amateur soccer player watches a World Cup game, it is difficult to understand the detailed techniques. But because there is live commentary and commentary, you can understand. In the same way, because streamers broke down the details of e-sports and explained them to us, we understood the points to enjoy watching, and our e-sports literacy has increased.
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