The true competitor...

Alasdair Donaldson (in Protea colours) demolishing his Namibian counterpart (in blue and red).

It really doesn't matter whether you are deemed to be an amateur or a professional, it is the mind set of the person that defines him/her as a true competitor.

Sure, professionals do have an advantage over amateurs in that they receive a salary and are able to do the sport as their first calling, whereas amateurs have to juggle with time to fit gaming into their work, family life, and other obligations.

Robert 'PandaTank' Botha was a true professional. With his monthly sponsorship from CoolerMaster, Robert was able to dedicate  his working day to gaming. For Robert it was a profession and he stuck to his strict routine of gym, practice, and analyzing the game.

Yet every so often, an amateur pops up who shows that he is made of the stuff.

Such is the likes of Alasdair Donaldson, who not only made it into MSSA's BOO! Protea Esports Team that wet off to play in IESF's 9th World Championships - Busan, got through the group stages, but is also committed to help train the next generation of SA's Tekken gamers.

While at such IESF's 9th World Championships - Busan, Alasdair watched an learned. He too made a point of playing as many 'friendlies' as possible against the other competitors. Alasdair made it quite clear that he was there to perform - everything else was irrelevant.

Participation at top international events are not seen as an end result, but instead are seen as just the beginning. Thus having participated in IESF's 9th World Championships - Busan, Alasdair seems to be even more enthused to play in championships in order to further  improve upon his already awesome standard.

For amateurs like Alasdair, participation in the sport seems to be a calling.

Sacrifices are made for the sport, but there are also huge rewards.