KUALA LUMPUR: From nearly quitting streaming to claiming the Restreamer of the Season award, Amirul Shafiq Mohd Amir, better known in the gaming community as Feekz, has proved that relentless "grinding" always pays off in the end.
His journey began over eight years ago as a professional player in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Professional League Malaysia (MPL MY).
Mobile Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena game that has gained immense popularity in Malaysia, standing among the nation's most famous mobile games with a massive fan base.
Today, Feekz has transformed that competitive experience in the league into a thriving career as one of the nation's top live-streamers.
Yet, Feekz admitted he never originally envisioned eSports as a lifelong career path, despite falling in love with video games when in primary school.
"I started playing online games back in Standard Two. At first, playing online games was just to fill my free time and out of interest.
"But because I really love sports, for example, I once joined a team where I got pushed aside and was forced to just be a 'budak Milo' (errand boy).
"Since physical sports just weren't meant to be for me, I tried harder in mobile games, and that's how I managed to become a pro player," he told Timesport.
Feekz's eSsports journey took off during his student days at Politeknik Kota Bharu, where he pursued a diploma in civil engineering. Between classes, he and his housemates played Mobile Legends.
While his friends played for fun, Feekz saw the bigger picture. He wanted to take it seriously.
"Back then, getting noticed in the pro scene wasn't as easy as it is today. There were no scouts casually browsing grassroots tournaments. I had to grind the regional leaderboards relentlessly until my name sat at the very top with the Malaysian flag next to it.
"That was one of the ways major eSports teams would scout you. After that, I also joined smaller tournaments."
His hard work paid off when prominent eSports organisation Geek Fam scouted him, kick-starting a professional career that spanned roughly three years.
However, the path was far from glamorous. After seasons of intense competition, he was moved to a substitute role. Facing heavy competition for main line-up spots, Feekz realised how the taxing nature of the pro scene was taking a toll.
"Playing tournaments isn't what people imagine — it's not just having fun living in a gaming house with your friends. You have to sacrifice your time, physical health, and mental well-being.
"A pro player works eight to 12 hours a day. We scrim (practice matches) three times a day. From 2pm to 4pm, 5pm to 7pm, and 8pm to 10pm. Even after 10pm, you don't just go into bed, you spend hours reviewing match replays and strategising for the next day."
Realising he wanted a change of direction, Feekz stepped back from the active roster to focus on streaming full-time.
The transition wasn't an overnight success. When major streaming platforms shifted creator policies, Feekz was forced to rebuild his audience from scratch on other platforms.
"The lowest point for me was when Facebook terminated its paid live contracts for creators. At the time, I was wondering what to do next. For nearly two to three weeks, I didn't stream because I was feeling down.
"At that point, I really wondered whether I should quit and leave eSports. But my parents continued to support me, telling me that I could do it, and to start grinding again slowly on new platforms.
"That's when I found YouTube and TikTok for streaming. So I made my way back, starting from zero, until I reached where I am today," he said.
Through relentless consistency, trial and error, Feekz stamped his signature identity as an entertaining, highly interactive streamer who actively engages his community rather than just flexing his pro gameplay.
He even proudly embraced the self-branded title "Raja Marksman" (The Marksman King), a nod to his signature hero role to playfully banter with and entertain his fans.
Asked if his parents and family know about his hyperactive on-stream persona, he said they were aware.
"I stream inside the house, so they (my parents) definitely know about it. At first, they didn't like it. They asked me to change gradually because whenever I stream, I get hyper.
"They said I'm already an adult, so I should try to change slowly. I toned it down a bit, and now they have started to understand and accept it."
The eight-year grind, leaving the professional scene and continuing streaming despite the challenges have not gone to waste. Earlier this month, he won the creators award at the MLBB 10th Anniversary.
Feekz has twice won Streamer of the Season and was recently shortlisted for the Legendary Award in MPL MY Season 18.
MPL MY is a tournament held twice a year, where the winning team automatically qualify for the world championship.
After retiring as a professional player, Feekz streams online games full-time and has been an ambassador for the Homebois team for some time.
Despite his success, Feekz remains grounded and offers advice to aspiring gamers hoping to follow in his footsteps.
"Finish your studies first, and I don't recommend jumping straight into full-time streaming from nowhere because building an audience can take five long years or more. Do it part-time first.
"If you want to go pro, that requires a whole different level of grind. But whichever path you choose, dedication is everything."
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd