Singapore's Brandon Chia: Representing his country from snooker to Street Fighter esports

Brandon Chia knew what it was like to represent Singapore. As a youngster, he competed for Singapore at events across Asia and even internationally in the under-21 age group in snooker.

But setbacks followed. Every Singaporean male citizen and permanent resident is obligated to serve two years of military service, and Chia, in his opinion, had "peaked too close" to his enlistment.

His time in the army meant his performance in snooker faded away, as did his enjoyment, and so snooker fell by the wayside.

But that streak of competition always remained in him. As a child, he would go to the arcade occasionally. That hobby ended up turning into more, until Chia was wearing the national colours again in his 30s.

"When I met with the local esports community, after a year or two was when I just felt the urge to take up competition again," Chia told Olympics.com after representing Singapore in esports at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September.

"That's how (playing in esports tournaments) started."

How Brandon Chia got started in esports

Speaking to the 30-year-old, some assumptions come to mind. Surely an esports competitor grew up spending all their time in video game arcades or hanging out with friends in Local Area Network (LAN) gaming centres?

Not Chia. "Being from a snooker background, a lot of my time went to that," he explained. "I didn't really go out a lot to play games except for a little bit of arcade during my younger days.

"[My family] have always been very supportive, so there was no restriction or anything like that. They just let me do what I wanted to do.

"I spend a lot of time with my family and wife and a little bit of time on fighting games and that's about it."

Unlike many esports players, it is not Chia's main obsession. He works full-time, with his esports activities on the side, having returned to gaming in 2016 after completing his mandatory military service.

"It's just a part-time thing: play while I still enjoy it and while I still can," he said. "I don't know if it's going to be long-term or not, but when it takes its toll on me as I age I'll probably kick it in and call it a day."

Moving on to Street Fighter 6 and changing perceptions of esports

Street Fighter is the game of Chia's choice, having played the franchise since his youth.

"Team (co-op) games never really appealed to me. Fighting games were something unique in the arcades, so I gave it a try and I found it really fun."

The Asian Games competition was the last major event to use Street Fighter V, the 2015 release in the franchise. A Street Fighter demonstration event at the Olympic Esports Week in Singapore in June made use of the newly released Street Fighter 6.

A connoisseur of the franchise, Chia was effusive in raving over the new game. "The difference is major. I mean, massive. There's a lot of old and new mechanics wrapped into that game.

"So it brings a whole new kind of dynamic, and personally I find Street Fighter 6 more fun. To be honest, I can't wait for (Street Fighter V tournaments) to end and just move on to Street Fighter 6 completely."

In a conservative society like Singapore, changing opinions about esports takes time, but Chia – the only Singaporean competitor in esports at the Asian Games – had a word of explanation.

"There's always teamwork, co-ordination, and all that (in esports). For Street Fighter, there's a lot of preparation and reaction that's not visible to the public audience," he said.

"What a lot of people don't realise is despite these being games, there's a lot of different kinds of skills involved."