Jamaica-born gamer places second in the Melbourne eSport Open
Twenty-two-year-old Shamar Morrison placed second in
the Melbourne eSport Open, the biggest eSports festival in the Oceana region
held in Melbourne, Australia, recently.
Morrison, originally from Spanish Town, St Catherine,
has been residing in Australia for the past year.
“I placed second place this year. Last year, I
placed first, taking away AUD$7,500. This year I got a competition prize
package of J$150,000,” Morrison said following the competition that was held a
few weeks ago.
He also qualified for a charity event for online
bullying with a AUD$5,000 prize.
As for how he came to Australia, Morrison said he
teaches Jamaican dancehall internationally.
“One of my tours was in Australia, so I stayed and
invested some time in other passions such as gaming,” he said.
He added that he played Fortnite for many eSports
teams in the past.
“I never felt like my passion was with them due to
team support, and I believe hard work is empty without passion, as every sweat
has a meaning, a feeling, so I made my own eSports team which I cancelled after
a couple months,” he said.
He added that during the period, Jamaica eSports
Initiative was an organisation he looked up to.
“Dr Birdz was always progressive, doing more, being
consistent, achieving. I wanted to work with them, and I knew I had to work
harder because I would be reppin’ my country and that was all I needed to grow
consistently,” Morrison said.
It is not surprising that Morrison is now at this level
in the sport, as he has been playing video games since he got a Gameboy
Advanced as a child.
“I was about eight-years-old, and my brothers and
sisters got me into gaming. My love started when Nintendo GameCube was
introduced to me by my older brother Omar. I would adjust to any game and
dominate. Thirteen years after, I’m playing pro, earning and winning,
continuously investing and giving to charity. One day my success will retire my
parents early,” he said.
When asked about his plans Morrison said: “My future
plans for Dr Birdz is my everyday goal. To grow as a team and family, because
that is everything. It’s vital.”
