Contributed by Joseph Mak
Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) Challenge ’09 was a new initiative by a group of people from City Harvest church to reach out to soccer fanatics. PES is a game on Sony’s Playstation 3 where gamers pit their skills against each other by controlling individual players and manipulating match tactics.
PHOTOS: Oscar Sernato |
Planning for the various aspects of the event like publicity, sequence of competition and prizes were done weeks in advance by the organizing committee. An event invite was even created on the social networking website, Facebook, to be sent out to all who may be interested. It was a major success as many accepted the invite for the competition and began to form pairs among themselves. Members and new friends eagerly signed up for the competition, all setting their sights on being the Champion of PES Challenge ’09.
During the competition, the atmosphere in the room was definitely intense. Some muttered a quick prayer before the match while others busied themselves discussing game tactics. A wide spread of food, snacks and drinks was also provided for both the gamers and supporters.
During a breather between the semi-finals and the finals, Peter Luen, a university student, shared his story about how God changed his life, leading him to be a more confident person. Having gained a place in NUS to study Projects Management, he has exemplified what it meant to be a fervent Christian living out a God-centered life in the marketplace.
The finals brought the intensity of the atmosphere up to the next level as the two final teams fixed their eyes on the big screen and punched the buttons relentlessly on their wireless control. Seconds ticked away as the game came to a close and buddies Robert Sia and Peter Luen emerged victorious as the Champions of PES Challenge ’09!
As Sia said after receiving the top prize of Adidas vouchers, “I never imagined myself to be able to beat all the other teams. I guess Peter and I make a great team together.”