Razer

Humble Beginnings

Yang "Sen" Chia Cheng was born and raised in Taipei, his parents divorced when he was young and his father was responsible for taking care of him. "I didn't get to spend much time with my father when I was young, partly because he was usually busy with work and away from home a lot," says Sen with absolutely no trace of self-pity. For most, the ordeal would be unsettling, but for the Taiwanese star, his childhood experiences had a positive impact on him. "It not only made me more independent but also allowed me more time to play games," laughed Sen.

As a child, Sen was a huge fan of manga and anime. He collected action figures from Dragon Ball and Hunter x Hunter, and would spend his free hours watching popular anime series such as Hikaru No Go and One Piece on television. During his junior and senior high school Sen's parents did not pressure him to prioritise his studies, and he often played games with his friends and classmates, soon developing a keen competitive drive. "I played to win, which is how I became the person I am today," said Sen.

One competition in which he excelled was the North American Star League, but the Taiwanese player raised a few chuckles even before the competition began with his video application for the tournament. When asked why he should be part of the NASL, a question to which the normal answer would be a list of achievements, Sen decided to tackle the question in a different way. "Right now in Korea and the West it seems that it is a dark time for Zerg. I am such a solid Zerg player, I have to step up! Right?" said Sen in his NASL video application." Also how many other Zerg players are as good looking as me and have such a good sense of humour? So I think for the sake of NASL's ratings and especially the ratings in Asia, I should step up and participate in this tournament." Looking back how does he feel about his video application? "Oh! I just said that to be funny, I have no idea if it helped their ratings or not," laughed Sen.

Sen's playful attitude is contagious, and despite his overzealous confidence, he is extremely likable and good friends with many internationally acclaimed stars, one of his which is commentator Day9. However, the Taiwanese star struck a nerve at one competition with his former Brood Wars team-mate when they disagreed about the balance issues of Xel Naga, a StarCraft II map, and Day9 vented his frustration about Sen on one of his broadcasts.

"That was just a misunderstanding!" exclaimed Sen. "Day9 and I are both hardcore gamers who have known each other for a long time, in fact since WCG 2004! Day9 and I were discussing the map Xel Naga at the NASL finals recently and I believed the map is imbalanced and unfair for Zerg but he disagreed. I made a joke that he was doing too much commentating and had forgotten how to play the game. I was just joking; Day9 and I are good friends so I hope everyone understands that. I actually drew him an interesting picture as a way of apology!" said Sen.

A Big Game Player

However, Sen's playful attitude is backed up by serious skills, skills that saw him crowned "best non-Korean player" in 2006, skills that saw him win WCG Taiwan every single year he competed, skills that have allowed him to tear down veteran players from their pedestals and give them a run for their money.

After his return to eSports in 2010 for the beta release of StarCraft II Sen quickly reminded a new generation of Starcraft gamers to remember his name when he took part in the second season of the TeamLiquid Starleague. The competition was the ideal battlefield for the Zerg player and after defeating WCG silver medallist Jos "Ret" de Kroon he went onto to take 3rd place, marking his official return to form.

Throughout 2011 Sen gathered experience and gained a reputation as a threat to even the heavy-weights of the Starcraft2 scene, but it was not until the North American Star League that he managed to really come into his own. The NASL featured an all-star cast, with European favourites joined by Korean colossi Boxer, MC and July. In the competition Sen stormed his way to the semi-finals ousting Korean star Zenio in the round of 16, German Zerg Darkforce in the round of 8, before putting on a monumental show in the semi-final match with Korean star MC and narrowly losing 3-2.

Following the intense match MC allegedly said "Sen is very good, he is a challenging player and the games were extremely tough." Sen did not simply count his losses after the defeat though, but instead took the game to Park "July" Sung Joon in the consolation final and won convincingly 3-1 to clinch his first top 3 in a major competition. Despite the epic victory Sen remained calm in a post-match interview. "Of course I'm very happy, because this is my first time winning top 3 in a big tournament," said Sen at the time. "I'm very happy. I'm shaking! The key to beating July wasn't anything special; I just played my style and reacted to what he did."

Inimitable Playstyle

So what makes him so different? "I think it is because I tend to create strategies of my own, play according to my style or feelings, or expand to more bases than other people," said Sen. "Whereas other players tend to imitate the strategies used by experienced players."









However, imitation is not enough to succeed. According to Sen, practise as well as a bit of flair is required in order to reach the dizzy heights of international success. "I think no matter what we do in life, practice makes perfect and you must have time and devotion in order to achieve your goal," said Sen. "Maybe a little bit of talent and a quick-thinking mind is also needed in order to be a top player, that's why people that excel in school are not necessarily good at playing games."

The Return Home

After the bronze medal at the NASL in August 2011, Sen announced that he would be leaving European-based organization Fnatic help to support his thriving domestic scene. He proceeded to join GamaBears, a Taiwanese based Esports team. GamaBears compete in the Taiwanese Esports League (TESL), a new league which grooms home grown Taiwanese talent through fierce competition and televised matches. "I am glad that there is the Taiwan eSports League for me to shine in Taiwan," said Sen. "Before that, I used to compete overseas and play for foreign teams but to be able to compete on television in my own country and see its scene grow is really incredible."

For Sen the future looks bright but he's still taking one step at a time. "I will devote myself to professional gaming over the next year. After that, I will see if my performance is good enough to go pro in the second year, or whether I should be considering other career options in the future," said Sen. "This is who I am, always playing to win and to achieve perfection but if I can't keep up I still have my education to fall back on, that's why I made sure I completed my university degree before concentrating 100% on competitive gaming."







Sen is confident in his own skin, confidence that stems from his success in gaming, a self-confidence that unsettles opponents. "I always like to act fearsome during competitions, so maybe this is why people think I am always confident," said Sen. "Come to think of it; I actually lack confidence in many things, just in gaming I feel quite confident."


Disclaimer: You can see Gamania_Sen in action at the upcoming BlizzCon 2011 convention.