Riki Sameshima had one all-pervasive ambition when he traveled to South Korea: to become a world-class esports professional representing Japan, the country of his birth. Since arriving in September, he has slept only a few hours a day and trains for hours on end.
The 22-year-old Osaka Prefecture native competes in the popular online battle arena game "League of Legends" under a training program launched between South Korea's most famous esports team, T1, and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks baseball team in Japan.
"I was just so excited to come here and actually watch (how South Korea's T1 players operate) since they play at such a high level," Sameshima said.