A Taiwanese gamer from the esports team Flash Wolves takes pills during a training session for the 'League of Legends' World Championship at a boot camp in Shanghai.

Chinese esports player Jian “Uzi” Zi-hao was more than a star “League of Legends” player: He was so talented that his team structured its entire strategy around his abilities, funneling resources to him and another teammate, Shi “Ming” Sen-Ming, so the duo could lead the team to victory. Over the course of his career, he earned more than US$500,000 in tournament prize money.

And yet in 2020, Jian announced his retirement, his storied career cut short by chronic wrist and arm injuries.

Originally published on theconversation.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.