Royale gaming

Sophomore Eric Wang starts mobile game company

Mathias Alling, Staff Writer • February 5, 2020

Sophomore Eric Wang starts his own Clash Royale gaming company. LA Gaming has sponsored Wang’s business.

After years of walking in the hallways playing Clash Royale, sophomore Eric Wang started his own Clash Royale company in 2018, NSK eSports.

“The best aspect is just after a long off-season seeing [my team members] do really well in a large competition, and spectating while they are sweeping in king of the hill,” Wang said.

Wang has played Clash Royale, which is a mobile game where players compete against each other to destroy the other player’s fortresses, for three years, originally getting hooked on the gameplay and eventually playing competitively with leagues.

“ESports has been growing exponentially, not only for Clash but a variety of other games as well. ESports has transitioned to mainstream entertainment like sports” LA Gaming member Noah Hanes said, “It’s increasing popularity has already made an impact on gaming communities, influencing more interest in competitive play over casual.”

Wang has competed in tournaments such as DreamHack in Dallas. He took second place at the U.S. central zone and previously was one of the top three Clash Royale players in Dallas.

“It was a while ago,” Wang said, “All I remember is winning like every game, and my dad was watching and said ‘how does nobody beat you.”

Wang’s start with Clash Royale coincided with an explosion in the eSports market.

For example, in the Clash Royale 2018 World Finals, ‘Team Liquid’ won 150,000 dollars.

“I think the games are going to change, but an eSports structure is being developed,” LA Gaming associate Liam Smith said. “So expect to see your favorite games played competitively in the future.”

Wang continued to play the game independently, eventually getting sponsored by LA Gaming and competing in tournaments for prize money.

“It takes time away from my personal time, but I would be gaming anyways to be completely honest, so it’s not a big deal,” Wang said.

NSK eSports competes in online tournaments as well as Local Area Network(LAN) tournaments, which are live tournaments where the group even has team uniforms.

“I think it’s going strong right now,” Wang said. “As long as we can keep up participation in competitions it will keep lasting.”

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Mathias Alling, LJP Staff

Junior Mathias Alling is entering his third year on The Red Ledger as a section editor. He can often be found riding his bike at six in the morning, at school or learning more about cycling. If it has two wheels, handlebars and pedals, Alling is probably going to love it. He currently has 7,000 miles recorded in since he started riding and is currently going broke trying to buy more and more cycling computers and gear. Alling also enjoys cooking, watching TV shows and movies and spending time with his family. He is looking forward to the new school year and is ready to start writing and editing.

Kelsey Carroll, Section Editor

Senior Kelsey Carroll has never owned a dog or a cat, but she’s the proud caretaker of two mini cacti living their life on her windowsill, and she thinks that’s just enough. She never forgets to water them weekly, as she’s a fond planner user who prides herself on writing down just about any task, even “write staff bio,” which she just proudly accomplished. When she’s not strumming twangy ukulele chords in her bedroom on the weekends or attempting to play a cello countermelody in class during the week, Kelsey can be found dancing to whatever plays in her earbuds (which are constantly on her) while editing photos until her laptop battery dies each night. Her days start before the sun’s up at swim team, and end with her furiously deciding which of her 16 pairs of Harry Potter socks to wear the next day. Whether she’s shooting sideline photos and dodging officials on the football field, or manning a jumbotron camera for the fans to see, Kelsey loves to be involved in any visual coverage she can get her hands on. Although she’s soft spoken, Kelsey hopes to share stories through her photos and writing as she tackles her roles as photographer, community editor, and social media editor during her fourth and final year on staff.