Nearly Two Years After His Suspension, Hearthstone's Blitzchung Is Ready For "The Next Stage Of My Life"

It's been nearly two years since pro Hearthstone player Ng "Blitzchung" Wai Chung was suspended following his pro-Hong Kong statements at a Grandmasters event in China in October 2019. His suspension officially lasted six months, but the impact it had on him has lasted much longer. Inven Global's Yoonjae "Capilano" Lee interviewed Blitzchung earlier this week and asked him about his life since that fateful tournament.

In the days immediately following his judgment, they weren't great: "I mentally broke down because I had lost the focus of my life for the past four years. I felt like I didn't know why I was alive since I didn't know what was my way to go." Blitzchung estimated that Hearthstone was "like 95% of my life," and the incident made him realize that "it was very dangerous to focus on one thing only." That led him to go back to university, which he finished two months ago. "I spent more time with my friends and family, and most importantly, I worked on my mental and physical health (which HS players often ignore)."

It was a "tough decision" for Blitzchung to decide whether he wanted to get back into Hearthstone after his suspension was up. He did, while admitting that "As a player who has been competing since late 2016, I lost my passion a long, long time ago, and playing Hearthstone doesn't feel like achieving anything for me now." The next Grandmasters tournament will be his last, as he said that it's time to "go and move on to the next stage of my life."

Blitzchung's tribulations at losing the overwhelming focus of his life resemble the feelings expressed by another Hearthstone player who recently had a rough go of it and lashed out with his frustrations. His unintentional break from that all-consuming activity has arguably made him better, both mentally and physically, and echo the sentiments I expressed a few months ago when I said that you should consider quitting your favorite game. "You don't know what you've got until it's gone" is a maxim that can cut both ways.