Darren Chuang (10):

I started playing Valorant around three years ago around the time of  quarantine. ,It was trendy and My friends started playing it, so I got into the game as well.

I’m currently ranked Ascendant one, and I’d say it took me around one year or so to reach the position. I prefer playing with a team compared to playing solo because if you are playing solo, you could have very unreliable teammates. For example, a lot of players aren’t as skilled and you tend to lack the communication necessary for a good play.

Regarding time commitment, I spent around four hours playing everyday, and that’s on a good day. I also attended an E-sports tournament a year ago in 2024. 

It was a large organized event and we had to fly out to Florida to compete. 

Overall, it was a memorable experience and it went well. 

There were many times I had to make an insane play or clutch moment during a desperate situation. Recently, there was this one game where all my teammates were dead, so we got put in a 1 v. 4 situation. Although I was the last one alive, I clutched up and ended up hitting a lot of headshots to win the game. 

My personal life on the other hand, I balance school, gaming, and other responsibilities by not playing at all on weekdays and taking the time on weekends to play a lot of Valorant. 

A personal goal I have at the moment is mainly just hitting a higher rank, for example, Immortal, which is one rank higher than Ascendant. 

In the future, pursuing a career in gaming would be a bit unrealistic, but if it was possible and I was skilled enough, then I would consider it.

I’ve gained some skills from playing Valorant, including a faster reaction time, and better friendship dynamics, maybe even worse. A big takeaway from this game is that you win some and lose some. Sometimes, it can even be a toxic environment and unfortunately, if you have a toxic teammate, you can just lose the game. But you are always going to meet people like that, so you just have to keep playing it through. Some advice I’d give to beginner Valorant players would be to just put in the hours practicing.