Felix “Rocklho” Bao Duy Ho earns his money by playing League of Legends. The professional was previously a player himself, and now works as a caster for E wie Einfach E-Sports. In a report from ZDF, Rocklho explains what defines esports players in Germany – and why he has stopped.
Who is the professional?
- The 24-year-old Felix “Rocklho” Bao Duy Ho is a German-Vietnamese LoL professional who played for the esports team of the German energy company E wie Einfach in 2021. However, the team has not yet achieved significant success.
- Rocklho is a top laner, and Malphite is his signature champion, which he claims is his favorite to play.
- Now, Rocklho works as a consultant, helping young talents start their careers, after he himself no longer wanted to live the “pro life.”
This is the documentary: On February 7, ZDF released two reports on the topic of esports in Germany, one titled: “Zock oder Flop?” and another titled: “Nothing but Gaming?”
In the latter, Rocklho talks about the everyday life of an esports player, his career path, and things that he believes can be problematic when becoming a pro gamer as a young person – and why he ultimately stopped.
One of the most famous pro gamers in the world is the Korean Faker:
“We only exist because people became bored”
What does a day in the life of an esports player look like? In the report, Rocklho shares how he spent his days as a player in esports:
As a pro gamer, as I would say, you have a different life than most people imagine. You just play an enormous amount […] 10 hours a day, every day, 7 days a week. 5 hours of that with the team, 5 hours alone. […] We don’t play with friends, we don’t play for fun. Every game is meant for us to get better.
Despite that, you receive immense recognition “from all genders, from all sides.”
Why did Rocklho stop? Rocklho explains that he sees himself as incredibly privileged. His job is one of the rarest in Germany and it only exists because “people became bored.” After all, he earns his living by having others watch him play.
Nevertheless, the professional sees two major criticisms of life as an esports player:
- on one hand, you don’t learn anything in this profession that would help you elsewhere.
- on the other hand, the constant gaming eventually becomes a burden.
Gaming took over Rocklho’s life at an early age. In high school, he forged signatures, didn’t do homework, and lied to teachers to be able to game more. He outright discarded other club activities: “It was no longer an addiction; it was beyond that.”
At some point, he reached the top 300 in Europe and was able to earn money with League of Legends. However, looking back on that time today looks different:
“Because we’re essentially gaming our whole life, a lot is lost. Especially at such a young age. I’ve been playing professionally since I was 18 and many others start even earlier.
They won’t experience so many things that, let’s say, normal students or those who are in vocational training, who have normal contact with people, get to experience. They haven’t learned any soft skills. They’ve only learned to be the best in a game.”
Rocklho has only seen his parents four times during all this time. When he then gained significant weight during his time as a pro gamer and realized that he was living unhealthily, he decided to stop.
A team that greatly relies on player support is Eintracht Spandau – the team of the German YouTuber HandOfBlood:
“Contracts were received, but not honored”
Today, Rocklho works as a consultant at the “esports player foundation” and helps young professionals who aspire to a career in esports. The ex-pro praises how much esports has developed in recent years.
When he started, he was often “fooled,” contracts and promises were not honored. He had to take care of everything himself and received no help.
Today it is different. Rocklho praises: “There’s simply much more being done to ensure that the new generation can become even better and has an easier time.” He feels a bit envious, but is glad to be able to help now in his new position.
The life of a professional, however, does not align with the priorities Rocklho wants to set for his own life.
The esports industry is a fast-paced field where careers can start and end just as quickly. Rocklho himself had not had a team for months – something that would be unthinkable in other sports. Similarly, this has happened to one of the youngest talents in esports:
