Buzz
Taking the alias Sparrow in the Sunshine, Đức Bình once revealed he came up with it during days sacrificing his afternoon naps to play Age of Empires.
The real name of Sparrow in the Sunshine is Nguyen Duc Binh (born in 1996 in Dan Phuong, Hanoi). As the youngest son in a family of 2 brothers, Binh stands tall at 1.82 meters, possesses a slender appearance, gentle demeanor, and speaks little. It can be said that Sparrow in the Sunshine's rise to fame has changed many people's perceptions of gaming.
The Genesis of a Prodigy
In 8th grade, Binh started playing the game AOE (Age of Empires), initially for entertainment and curiosity. At that time, Binh mainly watched others play the game on TV or sneaked out to play. With his innate talent, during a chance encounter, Binh caught the attention of a talent scout and was subsequently sponsored to compete against some gamers.
Since 2011, Binh has been active in the AOE community under the alias Sparrow in the Sunshine, causing a stir after online matches, making many community members question whether he's a skilled player or just a cheater with a new hack... By July 2011, at just 15 years old, Sparrow in the Sunshine had defeated legends like Tiểu Bạch Long, 9x, Long Thiếu Gia... in a scorching summer in the capital city.
With such a '1-0-2' record, employing aggressive offense, resilient defense, maximizing life pressure, and perfect troop combinations, Sparrow in the Sunshine is dubbed the 'prodigy' of Age of Empires Vietnam after surpassing gaming legends in a short time. Since then, Sparrow in the Sunshine's monumental matches against top gamers from Vietnam and China have always been eagerly followed with suspense and astonishment.
With such fame, the period when Sparrow in the Sunshine took the university entrance exam attracted a lot of attention. In 2014, Binh scored 6.75 in Math, 6.5 in Physics, 6 in Chemistry, but failed to get into his first-choice school, the Academy of Finance. Later, he pursued Information Technology at the University of Mining and Geology.
In 2016, Sparrow in the Sunshine and his Vietnamese teammates had a thrilling match against Guangdong, China. Despite being pressured and disadvantaged in many ways, the Vietnamese team still achieved a remarkable victory, regardless of the opponent's tactics. Those who watched the livestream of this match felt both tense and ecstatic witnessing their team's victory.
In 2019, Sparrow in the Sunshine won 9 championship cups in AOE tournaments in just over a month. At the Vietnam Open 2019, it was the last time Sparrow in the Sunshine and his teammates represented GameTV. Afterward, he 'parted ways' with the company he had been with for 10 years and formed his own clan named Sparta.
Also in the same year, according to IDGConsulting's statistics, Binh was recognized as the world's number one streamer on the Facebook Gaming platform because in October 2019, Sparrow in the Sunshine set a record with 126,086 concurrent viewers and a total of 20.6 million hours of streaming (as of 2019).
The 'bitterness' of the present
When asked about his AOE prowess secrets, Đức Bình revealed his daily dedication to practice, gradual effort, exploration, experimentation, learning from online clips, and deriving personal experiences. Moreover, from losses, he identifies the root causes of his defeats against opponents to strategize for the future.
'Initially, people called me a rebound prodigy because I'd often fall behind and then bounce back to claim the lead. Truth be told, back then I didn't even think about winning or losing, just playing with emotion, spontaneity, and utmost determination. So, I was quite surprised when I could defeat most contemporary masters,' Sparrow once happily disclosed.
One might think with early fame, Đức Bình wouldn't focus on studies, but he believes in the necessity of a university degree. Hence, aside from Empire tournaments, he ensures full attendance at school. Sparrow in the Sunshine is proof of being 'someone else's child,' always striving to learn in every aspect.
'I still think having a university degree is necessary, even though many don't utilize it, as it serves as a certification for life. Moreover, my field is information technology, a hot sector. Who knows, I might choose a related profession, hence the need for a degree,' he remarked.
Currently, Sparrow in the Sunshine has become a professional gamer. At 26, he seems to hold everything: fame, career, and happiness with his small family. In 2020, Sparrow in the Sunshine married Phùng Mỹ Hằng, a journalist working in Hanoi. They welcomed a new member at the start of 2022.
