Softball


	Zhan “Softball” Zhenyu is no stranger to Starcraft II competition. Beginning as an amateur player in 2002, Softball slowly but surely built his repertoire as a solid and fundamental Terran. Finally realizing his dream of being a pro gamer, Softball signed with the Tt Apollos pro team in February of 2011. Quickly becoming one of the most famous pro gamers in Taiwan, Softball is regularly featured on live television through the Taiwan Esports League. When playing matches on TV in front of thousands of fans, Softball feels a lot of pressure to perform, even when he is winning the majority of his games: “Of course I am always about winning the games, but I want to stress that the victory would taste sweeter if I preform my best. Each competition has different feelings, and when I win, I don’t really feel content all the time unless it was a game I felt I played to my potential.” The pressure of performing each and every game in front of a number of fans is rewarding, but it also has some of its draw backs. There were times when Softball thought about retiring from professional eSports, but like most players he quickly shook it off as a mental block and regained the motivation to practice again: “There are times when you as a player face a mental block, and naturally you feel like quitting or at least taking a short break to regain focus. Sometimes your skills hit a ceiling and you need a fresh look at the game to begin breaking down that wall. I feel like this differentiates the good players and the great players however as self-doubt and disbelief are very normal for humans. We can’t possibly win all the time, but when you evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and reflect on the choices you’ve made in the game combined with passion, that ceiling preventing your progress starts crumbling.”



	Softball draws inspiration from one of his fellow Tt eSPORTS family members; the notorious Ukrainian pro player Aleksey “White-Ra” Krupnyk. Despite the obvious fact that White-Ra’s countless achievements and international fame are given, Softball sees White-Ra as man with great focus. “I take inspiration in his [White-Ra’s] ability to focus. At age 31 he is a married man and yet he still is able to put effort into his professional gaming career and provide tournament results and great games to his fans. As I get older in age I appreciate more and more how difficult it is to focus on the game when so many things in life are going on around you. White-Ra has shared with me some of his wisdom and I have been able to take that advice and begin re-applying it towards my focus.” Speaking about being a pro gamer in Taiwan, Softball enjoys it because there is a great media focus on the country’s official league: the Taiwan Esports League. The TeSL broadcasts games live on television each weekend, and with that eSports has gained great recognition in the small country. The public support for eSports and professional gamers grows by the day, and Softball hopes that one day gaming can become part of the education system like it is in a bustling eSports country like South Korea.


	Working with Tt eSPORTS to design a mouse that fit my needs as a professional RTS gamer, I made this weapon to give me a distinct advantage over my opponents. Because I require the highest Actions-Per-Minute (APM) to be successful, I needed to be sure the Theron mouse could handle the stress of intense gaming sessions. It's fully customized to my own needs with my preferred DPI settings and distinct colors; so I not only perform well, I look good doing it. Precision, comfort and speed have all combined to give me an incredible tool to dispose of my enemies in a quick and easy fashion.