Kapital Koopas: EDG Wins LOL World, This Game Lets You Run Across Beijing, Retro Game Night at Nugget

Press F to pay respects to all the fallen goombas. It's time for a deep dive into China's gaming culture in our column, Kapital Koopas.

The Champion is EDG!

This past Saturday, the two things lighting up my WeChat Moments feed were the snow that hit Beijing and the news that EDG won the League of Legends Worlds 2021 title. You can guess which one of these drew most of my attention.

Roughly 500 million viewers stayed up late to witness the heated battle waged between China's EDG and defending South Korean champs DK via Bilibili, the official streaming platform for this year's Worlds' grand final in China. It wasn't an easy fight for the teams, as neither of them had the game in their hands. Yet,  EDG came out on top with a score of 3-2 thanks to wise strategic decisions and perseverance.

News of the triumph soon spread, with college dorms lighting up with cheers and hollers throughout the night, Weibo lighting up, and even reports spreading as far away as Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. In some cities, you could witness fans swarming the streets or shaving their heads to stay true to bets they had made. But why has this victory drawn so much attention?

E-sports has been booming in China in recent years, so much so that even people who don't consider themselves to be into these virtual sports competitions, like me, can't turn away from news about League of Legends, aka LOL. Interest in this MOBA game has also been constantly evolving. The first anime affiliated with LOL, Arcane, was released recently, garnering a 9.4 approval rating on movie database IMDb.

E-sports has even been recognized as an official competitive event in the Asian Games. In China, most gamers know about LOL thanks to a localized version released by Riot Games, and quite a few Chinese LOL clubs have proved themselves on the global stage, even taking the crown in previous Worlds events.

However, EDG was considered an underdog even among domestic LOL clubs, which explains why so many shaved heads came after the victory -- lots of people lost bets on who would win. Moreover, the rivalry between Chinese and South Korean e-sports clubs is pretty intense, with this championship effectively taken from a world-class South Korean club.

It is a genuinely happy moment shared by all gamers regardless of their respective tribes. However, on the other hand, the prosperity and attention that e-sports is now receiving in China aren't without its issues, with regulators taking notice, eager to exercise ever more oversight upon console and PC games.

Run! Beijinger Run!

In the world of indie games, Beijing Runner, a running game developed by Daniele Baratelli, an Italian architect living in the capital, debuted on mobile platforms this past Friday. 

Despite working in a different industry for decades, gaming has always been a longtime hobby for Daniele. And after living in Beijing for nine years, his affection for this historic city, especially in regards to the contrast between old and new here, was the final push needed for him to move from gamer to game developer.

Beijing Runner is a surprisingly simple game to play you can even do it with one finger. But this doesn't mean it isn't a challenging contest. You control Belly Guy, Xiaomei, or David as they wander the streets of Beijing, nimbly dodging pedestrians, tricycles, and those pesky waimai scooters which never stop for anything.

Traffic becomes more difficult to dodge during the game's rush hour periods, and periodic pollution can blur your vision. Luckily, besides the dumplings you can pick up along your journey for points, there are other items you can pick up that'll come in handy. These include masks to prevent pollution and baijiu that'll give you a blast of invincibility. Moreover, with all the dumplings you gather throughout the game, you can redeem them to unlock customizable items, like character skins or new levels.

And thanks to the outstanding local indie bands who contributed their music to the game development, Beijing Runner features awesome soundtracks that pair well with its amazing gameplay!

You can find the game by searching “Beijing Runner” or 极速北京 in Google Play or the App Store. Due to restrictions, you may need to change your region to any other country besides China in your settings to find it, though. 

Return of 8 bits, weekly retro game night at Nugget

Once upon a time, a bar called 8 Bits was a sanctuary for gamers who had a nostalgic affection towards retro games. However, it closed down years ago, eventually becoming nothing more than a piece of urban lore.

But the love and spirit of retro games isn't something that'll easily die. Now, beloved music cafe and bar nugget has heeded this love for retro games and has geared up to take the 8 Bit torch with their retro gaming night, which is slated to take place every Saturday.

The bar will be turned into an arcade every Sunday night. Various consoles will be available for the customers to play, ranging from PS1 and SNES to Gameboy and more.

And for those who prefer games that are a bit more up-to-date, a Switch and Switch Deck are also provided on-site for you to try out some exclusive Nintendo games.

If you're a tabletop game aficionado, that’s totally fine too, as the bar has an array of board games to choose from, and you're also welcome to bring your own games to share. Rumor has it some local game designers will also join this fun night to test their new creations.

The gamers may age, but their hearts always beat for spontaneous adventure.

READ: 20 for 20: Dan Bass's Beijing Gambit

Images: Insider, Dot Esports, ClutchPoints, Daniele Baratelli, Nugget