iceiceice: “Streaming is destroying careers”

Daryl Koh "iceiceice" Pei Xiang, captain of the Faceless Dota 2 team, has said that streaming is destroying players’ careers in China.

In an interview with Cnet iceiceice was asked about the lucrative streaming contacts that players can earn in China, and he had some controversial views on the subject.

“Streaming is destroying [players’] careers, because they prioritise streaming over training, " said iceiceice. "It pays so much better, like ten times better. You can win The International every year, but streaming is going to pay two times more if you’re a top streamer. Amounts above $500,000 are pretty common in China. Twitch, however, pays a lot less, but it’s based on how long you stream."

Many players, especially in China, sign up to these lucrative streaming contracts that often require them to stream multiple hours per day. This then has an impact on their time to scrim and play with their proper team. This has also been the reason why some notable Chinese players have retired in recent years.

Iceiceice is currently playing with his own team, known as Faceless, which he is funding from his past winnings. The team is playing in the SEA region and has qualified for the Boston Major.