{
  "id": 1019762,
  "title": "China’s ‘Cat’, Honor of Kings great, reflects on his gaming career amid the esports explosion",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/chinas-cat-honor-of-kings-great-reflects-on-his-gaming-career-amid-1019762",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-15T11:00:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SCMP Tech",
    "slug": "scmp-tech",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3364057/chinas-cat-honor-kings-great-reflects-his-gaming-career-amid-esports-explosion"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hundred of fans in a Paris convention hall erupted in cheers as a player, Chen Zhengzheng, better known as Cat, eliminated two opponents in seconds, in a friendly esports match. Chen, a 28-year-old, has won five international championships in Tencent Holdings’ top mobile game, Honor of Kings. This was the first time he realized how many people were watching him play. Though Chen's hometown is in Shandong, he started playing in 2015 and joined competitions soon after. His journey coincided with China’s esports industry’s explosive growth, which began in 2014 and saw the number of people competing or watching esports rise from 80 million to 511 million over the next decade. When Chen first played in the 2017 finals, the event attracted nearly 10,000 fans, which helped his parents understand and accept his career. Despite initial concerns about internet addiction, gaming has become more accepted, with Cheng’s transfer between clubs in 2017 generating headlines for its staggering value. As gaming grew, Chen’s move to a new team in 2021 was worth 15 million yuan. At the age of 18, Chen hoped to learn from someone experienced; instead, he is now coaching newcomers. During his playing career, he received messages from fans about how watching him inspired them, and now, he aims to teach those following in his footsteps that esports can provide a positive and optimistic mindset to apply to their own lives.",
  "summary": "Hundreds of rapt fans sat in a convention hall in Paris recently, erupting into cheers after a competitor darted across the scene and left two opponents dead within seconds. The victims were only pixels on a screen, as the setting was a friendly esports match where leading players exhibited their skills in Honor of Kings, Tencent Holdings’ top mobile game. One of the most recognised stars on that…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "SCMP Business",
        "title": "China’s ‘Cat’, Honor of Kings great, reflects on his gaming career amid the esports explosion",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/chinas-cat-honor-of-kings-great-reflects-on-his-gaming-career-amid",
        "published": "2026-08-15T11:00:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}