Jian Zihao, China' top e-sports player has officially announced his retirement from e-sports citing ill-health. He had been a professional gamer from 2012. He started his e-sports journey with League of Legends under the name of "Uzi". Jian Zihao announced his retirement on Weibo, a well known Chinese social media platform. Jian Zihao has a whopping five million followers on this platform alone. Gaming addiction is seen as a big enigma in China and the government often connects it to ill-health in children and youth. Last November, it even went ahead and imposed a curfew on online gaming for its population under 18. This banning them from playing between 22:00 and 08:00.
Jian Zihao Retirement Saga
Uzi - also nicknamed "Mad Dog" for his vigorous and energetic style of gaming - on Weibo said:
"I regret to inform you all that I am proudly making the decision to retire. "As a result of staying up late for years, a fatty diet and being under insurmountable stress, last year I found out that I was type-2 diabetic." He went on to say that he had changed his work schedule, exercised and "taken medicine", but that his situation had not changed. "My mental state is not as good as it was before," he said.
"The doctor has told me that if I continue there could be serious complications. Thank you to my fans for your support and companionship all these years."
Jian Zihao's fans wished him with all their heart and urged him to take care of his health. His post that announced the retirement got 500,000 replies and at least a million people have used the #UziRetires hashtag.
News channels of China portrayed him as a national hero and also highlighted the health risks associated with excessive gaming.
China happens to be the world's second-largest gaming market, but the government of China has always discouraged youngsters of its nation from indulging in e-sports or videogames.
Even the World Health Organization (WHO) allegedly identifies "gaming disorder" as a mental health issue. But the American Psychiatry Association does not classify gaming disorder like that.
