'Talented players in lesser teams don't get the support they need and that's a problem' – Phurion

phurion luke brammer 1

UK League of Legends player Luke “Phurion” Brammer has shared his views on the state of the scene and how talent isn’t supported as good as it could be.
Speaking during an eSports News UK discussion show online, Phurion, the jungler for MnM, said: “The difference between the top teams and the bottom teams [in the UK] is really large.
“The top teams attract sponsors and the lower teams are left to their own devices. You have talent, like Maxlore and Alphari, they’re known instantly to be talented players, so they tend to get resources invested in them.
“They’ll quickly use the UK scene as a step up to the next level, and to me that’s a problem, because the lower teams have players that have great potential, but not a lot of them are given the support they’re needed to really invest in this game full-time.
“I’m about to go into my first year of uni now and it’s always been a question for me – is this something I want to pursue fully? There’s not much stability. My old team ManaLight was great, but in a day it was gone.”
Phurion also spoke about the lack of funding and investment in the UK League of Legends scene – for players at least.
“The majority of my free time will be spent on this. When you’re receiving little to no income it can be demoralizing,” he added.
“It gets to the point where you think is it worth it? You have your parents on your back who want you to achieve and you say you’re going to be an eSports athlete and play in Berlin, and it’s a bit discouraging for them.
 

“The big thing has always been money. With ManaLight I had a salary. As soon as I can bring that to my parents, it shows it’s worth investing and I can make more if you give me time to do it. But without the proper support it’s hard to achieve that.”

 
“The big thing has always been money. With ManaLight I had a salary. As soon as I can bring that to my parents, it shows it’s worth investing and I can make more if you give me time to do it. But without the proper support it’s hard to achieve that.”
Phurion also asked Team Dignitas owner Michael “ODEE” O’Dell about the power of marketing and player/org branding, and how eSports marketing comes down to personality.
ODEE said: “The players have to be their own brands. You can be a top player and not remembered, or a top player and remembered. You have to create your own persona. The ones that succeed will get paid more. It’s like traditional sport.”
Phurion ended on a positive note: “So far the scene is on a rise, it’s going well. Organisations need to realise that UK eSports is an investment and not to expect instant returns. Players need to realise this is a valuable career path.
“You can always find a way with everything.
“There’s always time in the day to put aside to play some League of Legends.”
Amen to that.
You can check out the full video chat below:

 
Image source: Scott Chouciño/ESL UK Flickr

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Cilician
7 years ago

Hi Luke. Maxlore had the same problems that you described. As his dad I wanted him to get his degree before going into gaming but recognised that time was not on his side. We came to the agreement that I would support him for 2 years, but if he did not get anywhere, he would complete his degree. Fortunately he is doing well.
it is not an easy decision to make, especially when you are just starting off in life. Good luck.