Note: This is a pretty powerful piece written by a Gamefy (Chinese gaming TV) reporter named Ling Zhihao. It describes the dreams of a generation of young Chinese gamers being fulfilled in seeing iG win…

Original: http://www.gamefy.cn/topic/dota2_120830/view.php?id=24774

BBC and DC (Chinese commentators), their hoarse voices floating about my ears, 5 golden stars on a red background, the Chinese flag dancing in the air in front of me, brought me back to images of Sky (major Chinese Warcraft 3 player) winning the WCG championship on stage years ago.

That thing we call a dream, it always takes flight quietly at some point in the past. Years ago, those kids staying up late secretly watching their heroes winning on stage, now they’re grown and standing on the stage themselves victorious, leaving their own names on the walls of eSports history.

Using ‘dreamlike’ to describe this night, seems a little bit bland. All the long hours of competition in the brackets before, all to write the prelude to this final, grand, battle. We’d already formed in our hearts what our strongest desire was at that point, and when it finally arrived, with millions of viewers through all kinds of avenues watching your accomplishment, were you feeling what we were feeling?

Chinese army, will let you understand!

In three months’ time, your World Champion title has well and truly become reality. And in the realm of men’s team sports, Chinese eSports which was once a laughingstock has become the first to produce a men’s team that won a world champion title, how can this not excite!

Let’s reminisce and review iG’s road to glory.

From Group B, they were the first to successfully gain entry to the winner’s bracket. And then, after stumbling, they picked the pieces back up and fought all the way to the end, this was something I’ve imagined many times before but never thought it would happen, yet iG made it true.

They lost to NaVi 2:1 and dropped down. In front of them then was Burning’s inexplicably farmed Anti-mage, it was LGD’s Naga Siren system that went 14 games undefeated in group stages. NaVi’s three wins against Chinese teams turned the Chinese siege of The International 2 into a Chinese civil war, and the million dollar prize and glory of being world champions was something that no Chinese team would give up.

What happened afterwards was cutthroat, but no one can have anything else to say. In the matches following, what we saw was seemingly that the players had become one with the heroes, 430’s Templar Assassin, Zhou’s Lone Druid, Super’s Invoker, xiao8’s Queen of Pain… every hero was like a best friend and companion to the player, and when the battle was over, each person can leave with their heads held high, knowing that they gave their all in competition at the top tier of the world. And, in the Seattle night, they let the world know that only Chinese teams can send Chinese teams home!

If everyone thought that iG would play safe and conservatively in the finals, iG clearly said NO.

If you want to fight, then we’ll fight you! This was iG’s answer. Night Stalker and Templar Assassin, this was the battle standard they unfurled for NaVi to see!

All the big fights, the crowd’s boisterous reactions, the excited words of commentators, is it enough to describe what happened here?

When iG using their gank strategy won the first game in 20 minutes, when NaVi stood firm the next game, Zhou’s 16 minute Radiance brought the taste of yet another win. And then when Naga Siren and Tidehunter joined forces, and together brought NaVi to their knees for the third and last time, could you feel the belief and determination of each iG member?

And at the last of the last, with the cries of “GG!” echoing around the hall, iG finally was singularly standing at the tip top of the Dota2 world, showing everyone who truly is the king of Dota, letting the Chinese flag wave on the stage of dreams in Seattle!

Let us remember this night, remember Zhou in his 5-star flag, remember teary-eyed Chuan holding the trophy high above his head, remember YYF, Faith, 430’s triumph.

Because they, iG, the ones we saw on the screen… aren’t they the ones we once dreamed we might be?

We also once had visions of glory, innocent dreams, and even when the spear of reality shattered those visions, we still walked amongst their pieces.

So let us celebrate their achievements, the image of them standing victorious, for that is the best answer to our own realities!

The old king is dead, the new king arises! Celebrate this new milestone. When we’re old and gone, there will be a new group of people who, because of Sky, because of iG, because of all the magical moments dedicate themselves to the world of eSports.

All those championships, dreams of glory that we had when we were once young… we’ll win them back from reality one by one!

Stay proud, joyous… remember our belief back then? Do what you love, and you’ll learn to fly!

Viva la vida! Let’s celebrate!