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ShowMaker provides a surprising perspective on League of Legends, even at a relatively young stage in his career
In the professional League of Legends scene, it's not uncommon for a player at their peak to express fatigue, frustration, and temporarily step away from competitions. Pressures from matches and the audience, as well as declining health due to irregular lifestyles—all these factors impact the players' mental states.
In a recent interview, ShowMaker unexpectedly shares his emotions after a prolonged period of professional play. Specifically, Dplus KIA's Mid Laner stated: 'When I first entered the professional scene as a player, I devoted 100% of my love to League of Legends. At that time, I played because I loved League of Legends. However, now I consider it 100% work.'
It's not too surprising that ShowMaker makes these comments at this moment. Alongside DK's journey from the lower league to LCK and winning the 2020 Worlds, perhaps the only glory ShowMaker hasn't achieved is MSI. However, within those years, ShowMaker faced pressure from the expectations that he would become a legend like Faker, especially when DK claimed victory and showcased their strength in the League of Legends scene.
Many fans and experts believed that pressure caused ShowMaker to underperform in the Finals of Worlds 2021. Subsequently, both DK and ShowMaker were not the same. Currently, they are no longer considered the top candidates for the LCK championship.
ShowMaker himself acknowledges: 'Being at the top for many years is challenging. I don't consider myself a healthy person. Now, I have even more health issues. But the nature of this job gradually erodes mental health, so there are many difficulties on the psychological front.'
ShowMaker may also be becoming a 'familiar face' at Worlds as he has participated in the tournament 4 times. Currently, League of Legends may be just a job for ShowMaker, but if he performs well and achieves more victories with DK, his love for League of Legends may return to this young, talented Mid Laner.
