This article was sent by Duy Thanh for the Golden Pen 2020, the editorial team only adjusted the presentation for suitability.
MY BROTHER PLAYS GAMES FOR THE FAMILY
This happened about six years ago…
He is my uncle’s son on my mother’s side, eight years older than me and extremely talented. Whether in academics or in manners, there is nothing to criticize about him, except for the fact that he has a penchant for gaming like many other boys. In his time, and even now, people still consider gaming a bad habit that wastes money and offers nothing good. My uncles always nagged about his gaming but never seriously reprimanded him because his academic performance remained excellent. Plus, my uncle is a very reputable math tutor.
“No matter how much my parents push, I will never quit gaming. It’s my only hobby!” He declared firmly to me during one of our tutoring sessions.
Compared to him, I wasn’t very bright in studies, so my mother entrusted him to tutor me every Saturday and Sunday, two hours each session. Since I started studying with him, I learned what the real study method of a talented person was like.
He solved all issues neatly and logically, adding a touch of humor, without being long-winded, and that worked really well for me. Contrary to what I imagined about tense tutoring sessions with an outstanding student, he only tutored me for forty-five minutes to an hour at most. The remaining time, I watched him practice gaming on an old computer setup, which made a grating noise every time it booted up.
It was from then that I realized online gaming was not just a pastime for immature people. It was a whole strategy. For an hour after our tutoring session, he played “Võ Lâm Truyền Kỳ” while enthusiastically explaining the game’s layout to me. He chose to play a female character, glamorous and beautiful, along with a white fluffy mount. His fingers danced swiftly across the keyboard, many characters faded, and the sound of clicking mice was incredibly pleasant.
“After the New Year, I will definitely have a better gaming rig. I’m almost saving up enough money!” Without taking his eyes off the screen, he casually remarked like that. I just nodded, not responding because I was captivated by the battle in “Cảnh giới”. The characters unleashed dazzling moves that mesmerized me, even more than superhero movies.
“If you like it, create a character and play.”
“I don’t have any pocket money.”
“You don’t need that at first. Later, I will play entirely based on the money I earn!”
He left me in great amazement. A simple thirteen-year-old kid like I was back then could never have imagined that gaming could also make money! In my mind, parents and teachers always reminded me that online games were harmful to young people’s character and drained family finances. What drained my uncle’s finances was not online gaming but illness.
“My uncle is dying…” That was one afternoon ten years ago when my mother received a phone call from my uncle, my mother’s brother.
My uncle was diagnosed with hepatitis B. Every time illness struck, money quickly disappeared. Before long, due to his severe illness, he could no longer teach and could only stay at home. My aunt worked as a factory worker, while he was working on his graduation project. All difficulties piled up at once, and it seemed that his enjoyment of gaming was no longer as joyful as before…
“I’m busy, but I can’t quit gaming, you know.”
He confided to me during our last tutoring session together. After that, he couldn’t find time to tutor me anymore because he was busy with a hundred things. Looking back now, I admire the hard work of my brother, who had a skinny body and a dark complexion, often nicknamed “the skinny monkey” by our relatives. At that time, he was just a twenty-two-year-old young man who had just graduated from university, inexperienced and struggling to find a job with a meager salary. Although he had worked part-time during his student life, it was just odd jobs unrelated to his field of study.
“I worked as a waiter or for a company, but I didn’t earn as much as playing “Võ Lâm Truyền Kỳ.” Can you believe it? That’s why I can’t quit gaming, at least not now.”
Morning to work, evening to game, and sometimes even sneaking off to do odd jobs, he became the primary breadwinner for the family since my uncle fell ill. The largest amount he earned came from online gaming. During that time, he repeatedly showed me the contradictions between adult teachings and the realities of life.
Selling items, renting out characters for battles, leveling up for hire, selling gaming tips, trading accounts… In “Võ Lâm Truyền Kỳ,” he knew countless people willing to pay hefty sums. His gaming rig was upgraded, and the money earned from online gaming was even more than before, but he didn’t seem as happy anymore. Many times I visited him to watch him game but remained silent because he no longer had the mindset to explain to me about its excitement. That was pressure.
“Do you know? Last night I was gaming in my room when my father vomited blood all over the bucket. This is the fifth time already; he probably won’t last much longer…” My uncle’s condition deteriorated rapidly; from the time he was diagnosed until three years later, he was on the brink of life and death. Sitting beside him in the hospital corridor, I suddenly felt scared when I saw his pale face and deep-set eyes from staying up late. It was truly a nightmare. Then, a week later, his father took his last breath…
My brother quit “Võ Lâm Truyền Kỳ” and completely stopped gaming. By the time I got into gaming, “Võ Lâm Truyền Kỳ” was no longer number one in Vietnam, so I never had the chance to understand the things he taught me about its wonders. The memories of that game, of his glamorous female character, faded over the years. That was once his passion, and it was also tied to the most terrifying time of his life…
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