"Games make you sharper" - DGE Day Two Fifa 2018 results

Rodney Nxumalo was the overall Fifa 2018 winner on Day Two of the Durban Gaming Expo. Along with a PlayStation 4 Pro, Rodney was awarded eThekwini Senior Regional Colours, and qualifies for national team trials.

BARRY DU PLESSIS

Rodney Nxumalo won the Fifa 2018 competition at the Durban Gaming Expo at the Durban Exhibition Centre on Day Two of the event.

A Durban resident and matric pupil at Bluff Christian Academy, Rodney had to beat five other players under the Swiss system over six hours. His victory nets him the first prize — a PlayStation 4 Pro, worth around R6000.

Rodney started playing Fifa 06 on PS2 and switched to PS3 in 2012. In 2016 he bought a PS4 and moved onto Fifa 16, 17 and 18. He stopped playing in March this year to focus on his matric studies, but started playing again these holidays. Just one week of practice seems to have cleared out all the rustiness though, and was enough to see him move into first place today. He was excited with his win and the prize.

“Better graphics with the Pro make the games come alive,” he said, adding that he was confident that he wouldn’t let his prize interfere with his studies.

“I want to study actuarial science at Wits,” he said. “So far I’ve been accepted at UCT.”

 Rodney feels that “games make you sharper”.

 “They help with mental focus and strategy,” he says, adding that gameplay helps one prepare mentally for an exam.

He conceded that the competition at the DGE was “very tactical”.

“I noticed that one of the competitors was a professional Fifa e-sports contestant and felt I’d be happy with a second or third place finish today. In the fifth round, the last game, I had to face him. He needed only a draw but I narrowly managed to beat him 4-3 with a goal in the last 10 minutes.”

Rodney’s win automatically qualifies him for the national team trials.

RESULTS

Premier

1^st: Rodney Nxumalo (and eThekwini Senior Regional Colours)

2^nd: Preshen Sookraj (and eThekwini Senior Regional Colours)

3^rd: Sanveer Sookraj (and eThekwini Senior Regional Colours)

High School

1^st: Devash Ishwarlall (and eThekwini High School Regional Colours)

2^nd: Santhiren Naidoo (and eThekwini High School Regional Colours)

3^rd: Zahir Sayed (and eThekwini High School Regional Colours)

Primary School

1^st: Zakhele Ngcobo (and eThekwini Primary School Colours)

Preshen Sookraj (right), pictured here with MSSA General Secretary Colin Webster, won second place overall in the Fifa 2018 competition, and was awarded eThekwini Senior Regional Colours.

Sanveer Sookraj (right), pictured here with MSSA General Secretary Colin Webster, won third place overall in the Fifa 2018 competition, and was awarded eThekwini Senior Regional Colours.

Devash Ishwarlall (right), pictured here with MSSA General Secretary Colin Webster, won first place in the High School Fifa 2018 competition, and was awarded eThekwini High School Regional Colours.

Santhiren Naidoo (right), pictured here with MSSA General Secretary Colin Webster, won second place in the High School Fifa 2018 competition, and was awarded eThekwini High School Regional Colours.

Zakhele Ngcobo (right), pictured here with MSSA General Secretary Colin Webster, won the Primary School Fifa 2018 competition, and was awarded eThekwini Primary School Colours.