South Africa's thriving e-sports offers new careers to young people

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠E-sports is thriving in South Africa, evolving from a fun pastime into a gainful career choice for many of the country's youth.   The country's e-sports scene has significantly developed since the first Telkom VS Gaming Masters in 2016. The event, beginning as a small community of gaming enthusiasts, has transformed into a robust competitive arena, with players competing at both the national and international levels.    "E-sports has gone from strength to strength. You know, we've got some teams participating globally, and the local scene is very, very strong, and we're very proud to be a part of that from the beginning," said Johan Von Backstrom, senior manager of Content and Gaming.   In this year's finals, two of South Africa's top teams, Exceed and the Punishers, went head-to-head in an exhilarating clash for the championship. The Punishers, known for their teamwork and accuracy, claimed victory after a nail-biting contest.   "You practice the entire year for something like this. You know, you practice literally day in and day out, and it doesn't feel like it leads up to much. But when you put in all the work and you end up winning the finals, you actually realize that the entire year was for this moment," said Aaron "Slowye" Van Der Walt, a gamer from the Punishers.    The Punishers were formed during the COVID-19 pandemic and have since risen to become one of South Africa's leading e-sports teams.    "We created this during COVID, and we've been going strong. And I'm very proud of every single thing that they've done. Any of my teams, they've made us proud through the years, and I'm so happy for them," said Isabel De Sousa, owner of the Punishers.   As the first Gaming Olympics is set to take place in Saudi Arabia next year, excitement is building. Even parents who were initially skeptical are now wholeheartedly supporting their children's aspirations in gaming. Naledi Sempe, whose 14-year-old son is a passionate gamer, hopes her son can break into the competitive leagues.   "I think it's a different career altogether that we never thought about back in our day. I'm very excited for him to actually get into it and actually make it a career, especially with regards to the way the world is moving right now," she said. 

South Africa's thriving e-sports offers new careers to young people

Shanghai's gold market has embraced a surge in sales as local gold retailers are experiencing a higher foot traffic boosted by the ongoing National Day holiday season running from October 1 to 7.

At a gold retail store in the city's classic tourist attraction Yu Garden, customers began arriving as soon as the store opened at 10:00 to browse jewelry. The store's sign indicates that the price of pure gold is 773 yuan (110 U.S. dollars) per gram.

The customer traffic has significantly increased in the "Golden Week" holiday -- also a peak wedding season nationwide. 

"I'm preparing for my wedding, so I will take a look at gold earrings, rings and necklaces. I will not give up buying just because it's expensive," said a customer. 

"I've bought a bracelet hoping it could bring me luck. The gold price is relatively high, so the store discounts are one factor that prompts us to make purchases indeed," said another customer. 

"During the National Day holiday season, the customer flow basically remains at 800 to 1,000 people per day, an increase of about four times over usual times. We are now offering a retail gold price discount of 40 yuan (5.68 U.S. dollars) per gram," said Zhou Mingyuan, deputy manager of the gold store. 

At another gold retail outlet, many customers were inquiring about or purchasing gold jewelry and investment bars. 

The store has introduced several lightweight, design-focused pieces for the holiday, which have attracted considerable attention.

"Personally, I prefer jewelry with a strong sense of design, and then those with a strong Chinese element. I think the gold price is a little bit high, but it is still acceptable. If the style is okay, I will buy it," said a customer. 

"During the National Day holiday, our store sees quite a large passenger flow, about five or six times more than usual. Over half of them are young people, and what the customers prefer are products with small gram weight," said Gao Wanying, head of another gold store. 

This National Day "gold rush" reflects both the traditional Chinese preference for gold as a store of value and gift, as well as the recovering consumer confidence in the country's economy. 

Shanghai gold market heats up during National Day holiday