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<br /><br /><ul class="summary-list"><li>The World Health Assembly began on Monday, with dozens of countries looking to hold <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> accountable over the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> outbreak.</li><li>It would likely have embarrassed China on the world stage, casting its response in an unflattering light.</li><li>But China ended up sidestepping that. President <keyword id="191809" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Xi-Jinping">Xi Jinping</keyword> deftly embraced a watered-down investigation likely to spare China any humiliation.</li><li>He also made a high-profile pledge of $2 billion to the WHO, plus more aid to countries in need.</li><li>At the same time, President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-rejected-invitation-to-address-who-while-china-xi-accepted-2020-5">refused to speak at the assembly</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-says-us-will-reconsider-world-health-organization-membership-2020-5">threatened to withdraw totally</a>. US funding for the WHO is already on hold.</li><li>China moved nimbly on the world stage, and made a show of generosity, while the US appeared small-minded and reluctant to lead.</li></ul>China was meant to face a reckoning this week over its early coronavirus response, outnumbered in public by dozens of angry nations at the World Health Assembly. Instead, it ended up outplaying the world.<br /><br />At Monday's <a href="https://www.who.int/about/governance/world-health-assembly/seventy-third-world-health-assembly">virtual</a> World Health Assembly, countries were meant to vote on a draft motion, proposed by Australia, which would begin an investigation into the source of the novel coronavirus and China's role in the outbreak.<br /><br />It would have cast an unflattering light on China's early inaction, and its suppression of information, which cost valuable days of preparation.<br /><br />But that motion didn't even make it to the table.<br /><br />Instead, the assembly was presented with a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6893255-WHO-Draft-Resolution.html">watered-down draft</a> from the European Union, which calls for a review on "lessons learned" with few specifics.<br /><br />In other words, the new version does not call for an investigation into the origins of the virus in China. At no point does it mention by name China, or Wuhan, where the first cases were found.<br /><br />  <div type="image" title="wuhan wet market" height="1000" width="2000" msid="75830260" hostid="261"></div><br /><br />Around <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/120-nations-support-un-investigating-coronavirus-origin-china-angry-2020-5">122 WHO member states have now backed the draft</a>.<br /><br />As it became clear the motion was going to pass, China reversed its earlier opposition and instead embraced it. The WHO is expected to pass the motion on Tuesday, especially since it now has China's backing.<br /><br />President Xi Jinping on Monday also gave a <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1188716.shtml">surprisingly conciliatory speech to the assembly, in which</a>:<br /><br /><ul><li><strong>Xi backed an investigation into the virus — but only when the pandemic is over.</strong></li></ul>"China supports the idea of a comprehensive review of the global response to COVID-19," Xi said, "<strong>after it is brought under control</strong> to sum up experience and address deficiencies" (emphasis ours).<br /><br />Dozens of nations around the world are still in the midst of their outbreaks, which means this criterion is unlikely to be met any time soon, especially with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/coronavirus-vaccine">no vaccine</a>. Many countries that eased restrictions, including Germany and China itself, had to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/countries-imposed-lockdown-again-after-coronavirus-case-spike-2020-5">partially reimpose them when new cases resurfaced</a>.<br /><br /><ul><li><strong>He worded his pledge in such a way that countries will struggle to hold China to account.</strong></li></ul>A WHO investigation into COVID-19's origins "should be based on <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="science">science</keyword> and professionalism, led by WHO and conducted in an objective and impartial manner," Xi said on Monday.<br /><br />The omission of the word "independent" is telling, as <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/19/asia/xi-jinping-china-who-coronavirus-investigation-intl-hnk/index.html">CNN's James Griffiths noted</a>.<br /><br />  <div type="image" title="wuhan china testing coronavirus" height="1000" width="2000" msid="75830263" hostid="261"></div><br /><br />Carrying out independent investigations in China is notoriously difficult, especially if it could embarrass the ruling Communist Party.<br /><br />When international bodies demanded access to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-uighurs-leaked-govt-cables-cant-deny-2019-11">Xinjiang</a>, home to the beleaguered Uighur Muslims, China gave heavily <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-china-xinjiang-usa/u-s-official-denounces-choreographed-visits-to-chinas-xinjiang-idUKKCN1R503T">choreographed and chaperoned tours</a> and forbade researchers and journalists from investigating independently.<br /><br />If this is a glimpse into how a coronavirus investigation will look like, the world will struggle to hold China to account.<br /><br /><ul><li><strong>Xi announced an additional $2 billion in funding to the WHO, with a focus on developing countries.</strong></li></ul>The extra $2 billion almost matches the WHO's entire annual program budget for 2019, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-who/us-savages-who-as-it-promises-pandemic-review-but-china-pledges-2-billion-idUSKBN22U111">Reuters reported</a>. It now means that China is the WHO's largest financial contributor.<br /><br />The top contributor used to be the US. But President Donald Trump withdrew $400 million in US funding earlier this year to protest what he called the WHO leadership's "China-centric" nature.<br /><br />  <div type="image" title="WHO China" height="1000" width="2000" msid="75830270" hostid="261"></div><br /><br />On Monday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot called the $2 billion injection "a token to distract from calls from a growing number of nations demanding accountability for the Chinese government's failure to ... warn the world of what was coming."<br /><br />Throughout the pandemic, the WHO has praised China's response to its outbreak — despite widespread reports of a cover-up — and repeatedly rejected accusations that it is too close to China.<br /><br /><ul><li><strong>He pledged to help African nations better their healthcare systems, and promised that </strong><strong>any Chinese vaccine development "will be made a global public good."</strong></li></ul>Xi's pledge came as the US reportedly plans to <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/1a25aeb9-f645-434f-b3e1-4ab62cf5ebed">publicly disassociate itself from a WHO resolution to let poor countries</a> bypass patents to access coronavirus vaccines or therapies.<br /><br />Even early reports of such a move invited accusations that the US cares more for its pharmaceuticals industry than for impoverished COVID-19 sufferers.<br /><br />It follows a public spat after French drug-maker <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-vaccine-sanofi-scraps-us-priority-france-outrage-macron-2020-5">Sanofi reversed a pledge to give the US priority access</a> after pressure from the French government.<br /><br />China, meanwhile, has in recent weeks been crafting an image for itself as a global benefactor in the virus fight, rather than the country where the virus originated.<br /><br />It has sent medical supplies around the world, and pledged Monday to start an exchange with 30 hospitals in Africa, and help accelerate the construction of the Africa CDC headquarters.<br /><br />Experts have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/analysis-china-coronavirus-political-points-mostly-not-working-2020-4">overwhelmingly dismissed these acts as a propaganda stunt</a>, but it is undeniable that China is making a play for global leadership when few other nations seem willing.<br /><br />  <div type="image" title="President Donald Trump tells reporters that he is taking zinc and hydroxychloroquine during a meeting with restaurant industry executives about the coronavirus response, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Monday, May 18, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)" height="1391" width="2782" msid="75830273" hostid="261"></div><br /><br /><h2>Trump made it easier for China to claim victory</h2>As China made grand pledges at the World Health Assembly, Trump went on the offensive.<br /><br />He rejected an invitation to speak at the assembly, sending instead Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who went on to blame the WHO for failing to warn the world about COVID-19 in its early days.<br /><br />"In an apparent attempt to conceal this outbreak, at least one member state made a mockery of their transparency obligations, with tremendous costs for the entire world," <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/leadership/secretary/speeches/2020-speeches/secretary-azar-plenary-remarks-at-world-health-assembly.html">he said</a>, in a clear reference to China.<br /><br />As <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-rejected-invitation-to-address-who-while-china-xi-accepted-2020-5">Business Insider's John Haltiwanger has noted</a>, the fact that Trump declined to speak at the assembly — while Xi did — also shows that the US is pulling away from its responsibilities on the world stage.<br /><br />  <div type="image" title="donald trump alex azar" height="1000" width="2000" msid="75830280" hostid="261"></div><br /><br />Hours later, Trump tweeted a <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1262577580718395393">furious, four-page letter</a> he had sent WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in which he threatened to make the "temporary freeze of United States funding to the <keyword id="43588" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="World-Health-Organization">World Health Organization</keyword> permanent and reconsider our membership in the organization."<br /><br />In the letter, Trump also accused the WHO of favoring China, and censured it for not praising his own response to the US outbreak.<br /><br />China <a href="https://twitter.com/Rover829/status/1262682798806065153">said</a> this was an attempt to smear China and shift focus away from Trump's own mishandling of the US crisis.<br /><br />The contrast was clear. China was given an opportunity to — however cynically — present itself as a calm, peaceful leader. Meanwhile, the US appeared petty and reluctant to engage.<br /><br />It is not hard to see China angling to fill the power vacuum Trump is leaving at the WHO, which could help it walk away relatively unscathed from the pandemic that began inside its borders.<br /><br />Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-who-outplayed-coronavirus-response-reckoning-2020-5">Business Insider</a>

China outplayed the world on the day it was meant to face a reckoning over its coronavirus response

<ul><li>Studio Sirah plans on developing games that feature Indian mythological and historical content.</li><li>Its first title is ‘Kurukshetra: Ascension’, a card battler game.</li><li>The startup plans on bringing more such games with Indian content to the global audience.</li></ul>Bengaluru-based Studio Sirah plans to bring the Indian mythological world into gaming with its first title ‘Kurukshetra: Ascension’, a card battling game. To develop its first title, Studio Sirah raised $830,000 in a round of funding led by Lumikai, an Indian gaming-focused venture capital fund. The startup also plans on releasing more titles in the future that will be inspired by Indian mythologies and history. <br /><br />Studio Sirah was founded by two brothers, Prateek Shah and Abhaas Shah who grew up playing games such as Contra, Age of Empires, Civilization, and Hearthstone. The gaming studio was founded with an aim to bring games that feature Indian content for not just the Indian audience but the global community as well. Studio Sirah will focus on developing mid-core games which are games that have a hardcore theme but can be played in a short time.<br /><br />“We didn’t see any good Indian content that we would like to play as gamers. There are a lot of hypercasual and casual games, but these are not the games that appeal to us,” Abhaas Shah was quoted as saying by VentureBeat.<br /><br />Abhaas also highlighted how the Indian mythologies are still very popular in the country through TV shows. With its games, Studio Sirah hopes to bring a modernised version of these stories to gamers globally.<br /><br /><strong>The game</strong><br /><br />Kurukshetra: Ascension will be the first title from Studio Sirah, and it will be a card battler based on the epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. In these kinds of games, the central theme is card battling. “Earn hundreds of unique cards and outplay your opponents in thrilling online duels. Battle mythical monsters and ancient gods in a legendary campaign of ascension where your decisions determine the fate of the universe,” reads the game’s description on the website.<br /><br />The game will also feature fictionalised stories and characters with the focus on “strategic gameplay, immersive art, and a deep progression system.” It will also have heavy themes of philosophical and religious thought. Kurukshetra: Ascension will be available on both mobile and PC when it launches. It is available for pre-registration now on Studio Sirah’s official website. <br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/tim-cooks-last-major-product-launch-as-apple-ceo-could-be-ar-glasses/articleshow/85760766.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Apple CEO Tim Cook’s last major product launch could be AR glasses</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/apple-is-expected-to-release-its-latest-flagship-iphone-13-series-in-september-/slidelist/85758235.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">iPhone 13 series: Everything we know so far</a><br />

Bengaluru based Studio Sirah raises $830,000 to develop India-first mobile games — ‘Kurukshetra: Ascension’ will be the first title

<br />International Monetary Fund (<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/topic/IMF">IMF</a>), the international organization headquartered in Washington, has estimated that India's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/markets/economy/cea-against-waiving-agricultural-reforms/articleshow/58363001.cms">GDP</a> growth will bounce back to 7.2% in the 2017-18 fiscal, and increase to 7.7% in 2018-19. However, for that to happen, it recommended that the long-standing structural restrictions be removed so that market efficiency can be increased.<br /><br />Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Indias-strong-GDP-data-leaves-economists-scratching-their-heads/articleshow/57406176.cms">India's strong GDP data leaves economists scratching their heads</a><br /><br />After <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/topic/demonetisation">demonetisation</a>, there was a temporary disruption in the Indian economy, caused by the lack of ready cash available with spenders. This disruption, said <keyword id="6355408" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="IMF">IMF</keyword>, will settle down in 2017. <br /><br />Other than <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Remonetisation-substantially-completed-will-expand-tax-base-Jaitley/articleshow/58576226.cms">remonetisation being substantially completed</a>, a favourable monsoon season and developments in removal of supply-side difficulties will also help in balancing this disruption. <br /><br />Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/GDP-growth-outplays-Demonetisation-worry-7-growth-in-Q3/articleshow/57394415.cms">GDP growth outplays 'Demonetisation' worry, 7% growth in Q3</a> <br /><br />"Headwinds from weaknesses in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/A-step-for-Indias-banks-but-no-giant-leap-for-bad-debt/articleshow/58588569.cms">India’s bank</a> and corporate balance sheets will also weigh on near-term credit growth. Confidence and policy credibility gains, including from continued fiscal consolidation and anti-inflationary monetary policy, continue to underpin macroeconomic stability," the IMF said. <br /><br />Talking of Asia on the whole, the report estimates that the growth will accelerate to 5.5% this year from 5.3% in last fiscal.<br /><br /><br />

IMF pegs India’s GDP growth at 7.7% in 2018-19

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Bob Crowley</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Eight years ago, high school teacher Bob Crowley was sleeping on the jungle floor.</p><p>These days, he charges others to do (more or less) the same.</p><p>Crowley, the winner of the 17th season of "Survivor" and the oldest person to take home the prize, used part of his $1 million award to build a campground outside <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-to-do-in-portland-maine-2016-9">Portland, Maine</a>. His retreat offers peace and quiet in the great outdoors - though not without creature comforts.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>CBS</span></p><p class="caption">Bob Crowley.</p></div><p></p></div></div>"I would say we lean towards 'glamping,'" Crowley, 65, tells Business Insider.</p><p>Guests shouldn't expect to rough it at Maine Forest Yurts quite as much as Crowley did on the show.</p><p>Crowley spent his summer break from teaching physics in Maine stranded in the <span>rainforest of the central African nation of Gabon. A <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081210182442/http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/bio/bob_17/bio.php?season=17">self-described hybrid</a> of Indiana Jones and Robinson Crusoe, the natural outdoorsman set out to prove nice guys can win on "Survivor".</span></p><p><span>He played fairly. He formed alliances and kept them. </span><span>And he won three consecutive immunity challenges, helping him "outwit, outplay, and outlast" his competition. </span>Crowley returned to his native Maine with $1 million.</p><p>After paying off bills and setting aside funds for taxes, Crowley and his wife, Peggy, looked to the hospitality industry to start the next chapter of their lives.</p><p>During their 30-plus years living in South Portland, the couple came to acquire some 100 acres of remote Maine woods. The thickly forested land surrounds a pond, and in winter, you can't make out a single house through the trees. The family would visit and cook hot dogs and beans over open fires. Otters, beavers, kingfishers, and a couple of eagles also call it home.</p><p>In the winter of 2013, the family constructed their first yurt <span>-</span> a circular, portable tent used by the nomadic people in Central Asia for thousands of years (and now favored by glamping resorts and hippies alike).  Crowley's three yurts feature hardwood flooring, a stove for warmth, and furniture Crowley built using wood found on the property. Natural light radiates out from the center.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Bob Crowley</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Guests pay <a href="https://maineforestyurts.com/booking">$125</a> a night to rent a yurt. The company sells out through summer.</p><p>"Glamping," or glamorous camping, has caught on in recent years. People who want to enjoy nature without buying camping equipment or getting dirty enjoy the luxury accommodations that glamping provides. </p><p>At Maine Forest Yurts, accessibility trumps luxury on the list of priorities.</p><p>The resort welcomes school groups, active military and veterans, and non-profit groups, like the Special Olympics, to stay in yurt sfor free. It manages to do so through an annual fundraising event called the Durham Warriors Project, where applicants from across the country (including some former "Survivor" contestants) compete in challenges inspired by the show. Their donations fund over 100 guests' stays annually.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Bob Crowley</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Crowley loves entertaining guests with stories of his adventures in Gabon as he tours them around the property. But "Survivor" fans make up only about 10% of the guests, he says.</p><p>Life in rural Maine suits Crowley. But he wouldn't say no if CBS asked him to return to "Survivor" for a later reunion season.</p><p>"I would have up this phone and run right out the door," Crowley says.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/glamping-nyc-w-hotels-luxury-travel-2016-8">What it's like to go 'glamping' for $2,500 a night on top of a luxury hotel in NYC</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="lpb28zNTE6vaIFJnCXj23lpy-jTj54ee" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

A 'Survivor' winner used his $1 million prize to open this 'glamping' retreat

<p dir="ltr"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Two years ago, 21-year-old Diego "Quas" Ruiz flew from Venezuela to Los Angeles for a job playing video games. It was a drastic move. Ruiz had no friends or family in LA, and he didn't know how long his newly formed team would last. But for him America promised more stability than his native country.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>"Back in Venezuela, you worry every day about what you are going to do, what job you will get, how you are going to keep yourself going," Ruiz recently told Business Insider.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span> "I thought life in the United States would be easier, more advanced, less stressful."</span></p><p dir="ltr">These days, Ruiz gets paid to play "League of Legends," the world's most popular competitive video game. He's a star on Team Liquid, <a href="http://www.teamliquidpro.com/">a professional team in the North American League of Legends Championship Series</a> (LCS). He earns about $100,000 a year from salary, sponsorships, and revenue from the streaming website Twitch.</p><p dir="ltr"><span>Like all of his teammates, Ruiz practices 10 hours or more a day with few breaks. He spends his little off-time browsing Reddit, binge-watching Netflix, hanging out with his girlfriend, or video-chatting his family in Venezuela.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>On a recent Monday, Ruiz sat hunched on an air mattress in his team's cramped duplex in Santa Monica. Dressed in athletic shorts, a T-shirt with Team Liquid's stenciled horse logo, and rimless glasses, Ruiz looked more like a studious athlete than the slacker-gamer stereotype.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>As he fidgeted with his hands and rubbed his knees, the quiet gamer recounted his improbable journey to the US. It started with a game.</span></p><h2 dir="ltr"><span>Obsessed with games from the start</span></h2><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><br>Ruiz grew up in Maracaibo, a colorful coastal city in Venezuela. Like <a href="http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/10/14/venezuela-needs-international-help-to-tackle-crime/">much of the country</a>, his hometown struggled with crime and poverty. Ruiz, who never knew his father, grew up comfortably middle-class by Venezuelan standards. His mother supported the family with a pharmacy she owned in the heart of the city, where she also managed several apartments.<p dir="ltr">As a child, games fascinated him. The first one he ever owned was the classic Nintendo 64 game, "Super Mario 64." He was 5 <span>years old.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>"Every day after school I would play it - I would sit there for hours," Ruiz says.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Ruiz associated gaming with the US because most of the games he played - including "Super Mario 64" - were in English. He taught himself to understand English so that he could know "what the hell was going on" in the games.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>As Ruiz got older, he desperately wanted to try computer games. There was one problem: Computers were expensive and rare in Venezuela. Luckily, Ruiz's mother had purchased an internet café adjacent to the pharmacy. He persuaded her to bring one of the older units home.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>"I told my mom, 'Every kid has one at school. It's important for your grades,'" Ruiz says with a smile.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The computer was a hand-me-down Pentium IV. He was amazed and hooked it up to the internet. The first thing he did was download a popular strategy game, "Age of Empires 2." The 47-megabyte file took a week to download.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>"I didn't realize how slow the computer was until we got another one years later. I just thought that was how all computers were," Ruiz says.</span></p><h2 dir="ltr"><span>Finding a community of gamers</span></h2><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Being one of the first kids on the block with a computer was exciting, but the real thrill came when the soft-spoken teenager started visiting his mother's internet café. There he found a community of gamers who shared his enthusiasm. The kids stayed for hours playing games he hadn't heard of. The commute to the café was an hour long, but Ruiz began making it every day after school. For a kid very much in his shell, the café gave Ruiz a social outlet.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The most popular games at the café were multiplayer online battle arena games, or MOBAs, like "Defense of the Ancients" and "Heroes of Newerth." Unlike most games of that time, MOBAs were free and downloadable.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>When Ruiz was 17, the café gamers introduced him to "League of Legends," a new MOBA that became the next game of choice at the café. He hated the game at first. While League was similar to the other MOBAs, </span><span>Ruiz thought it wasn't as freeform as other MOBAs, and required strategies he didn't like using. Ruiz is an impatient person, he says, and if he doesn't get a game at first, he quits.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>It wasn't until a year later that Ruiz started playing "League of Legends" seriously. He began by exploiting a loophole.</span></p><p dir="ltr"></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p dir="ltr"><span>The game's ranking system is designed to match players with others with equivalent skills, by progressing them through a ladder of leagues ranging from Bronze to Challenger. Rather than climb the ladder, Ruiz played multiple accounts. He'd practice on an account until he reached a difficult level where the game forces players to fight at a disadvantage against much higher-level players. Instead of battling through, he'd abandon the account. He preferred crushing players below his skill level.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>"I liked being able to outplay people and to abuse the mistakes that people make," Ruiz says.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>As Ruiz got better, he began competing in online tournaments but had a tough time because of his shoddy internet connection, a constant problem in Venezuela. Often, on the day of the tournament, his internet connection slowed and delayed his actions mid-game. For a game relying on speed and reaction time, it was a huge disadvantage. Sometimes, his slow connection prevented him from playing at all.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Around the same time, Ruiz began attending college to study engineering. He took to the new environment with vigor and stopped playing games for his first semester. For a time it looked as if he might put games behind him.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>"I was getting good grades. I socialized a lot. I was excited about the career," Ruiz says.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>After the semester ended, he received a dose of reality about the job market in Venezuela. Former engineering students told him that, if he was lucky, he would get a low-paying government job and, if he wasn't, he'd end up driving a taxi.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>"Why would I spend six years studying engineering just to become a taxi driver?" Ruiz says.</span></p><h2 dir="ltr"><span>A 'cheat code' for life</span></h2><p dir="ltr"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>The realization killed Ruiz's enthusiasm for school. While he didn't drop out, Ruiz returned his attention to gaming. He'd heard about a lucrative side job for skilled "League of Legends" players called ELO-Boosting. Top gamers could earn a fee by playing on other people's accounts to help them attain high ranks. </span><span>Ruiz was exceptional at the game. He figured he could make a lot of money as a booster.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>His reputation as a top player created a lot of demand for his services. Before long, he was making $2,000 a month boosting accounts for Americans who paid in US dollars. This was a big deal in a country as dollar-hungry as Venezuela. When he sold the dollars to locals for bolivars, he made three or four times what he would make in an engineering job.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>"It felt like a cheat code," Ruiz says.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>At first, Ruiz would boost for a couple of hours a day in between classes. As he gained more clients, he played more and more. His grades slipped. He was making so much money that he decided college wasn't worth it anymore.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>"My mom wasn't OK with it. She told me I was crazy and didn't understand what I was doing. When I started supporting the family [with my earnings] she understood," Ruiz says.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Ruiz quickly ascended the game's ranks when he was playing on his own account. It didn't take long for the pros to notice him.</span></p><h2 dir="ltr"><span>A risk<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></span></h2><p dir="ltr">In 2013, Ruiz <a href="http://arieslol.tumblr.com/post/76330529815/new-world-eclipse-it-lived-for-the-moment">was approached by ex-gamer Kevin "Aries" Gao</a>, who was starting a team called New World Eclipse for the Challenger Circuit, a training ground for young players.</p><p dir="ltr"><span>Gao asked Ruiz to get on a plane to Los Angeles to join the team and take a shot at winning Challenger and eventually playing in the more prestigious League Championship Series.</span></p><p dir="ltr">Ruiz had already quit the university and gamed full time with his "boosting" business and a few side gigs as a coach for new players. In his mind, he had already committed to the new gaming industry. Going pro was the next step. Venezuela had <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/02/venezuela-economic-crisis_n_4373021.html">sunk further into an economic crisis</a>, and that was making life difficult.</p><p dir="ltr"><span>"It was ridiculous. There were massive lines in the supermarkets for people to get basic necessities like milk or chicken. The supermarkets would run out, and you wouldn't be able to buy anything," Ruiz says. "Not even toilet paper."</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>While Ruiz knew many new teams could be short-lived, the US never looked more attractive.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>A generous investor flew Ruiz to LA on a tourist visa. With the rest of the team he moved into a small house in the suburbs that was decked out with the most elite computers Ruiz had ever seen. For a kid used to playing on hand-me-down internet-café desktops, the new equipment was a revelation.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>When asked to describe the difference between playing in Venezuela and playing in LA, he directed me to a scene from '90s anime "Dragon Ball Z." In the video, the main character Goku trains for a martial arts tournament with giant weights attached to his body. When he takes them off for the actual battle, he's faster, more agile, and stronger than he ever could have imagined.</span></p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><br>At first the team dominated, beating many of the top Challenger teams and taking a game or two off of an LCS team</br></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. The hot start didn't last. T</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">he players began blaming one another after they started losing, and new recruits were replacing the original members.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The team lost its investor funding and, without the investor paying rent, were evicted from the house. Gao secured new investors and a small apartment in a nearby area, but the damage was already done. The team got steamrolled at the big qualifying tournaments for the LCS.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>"We got destroyed. We hit a brick wall, and the team disbanded," Ruiz says.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><h2 dir="ltr">Finding his way in the promised land</h2><p dir="ltr"><span>At that point, Ruiz wasn't sure he had the skills to make it in the competitive circuit. He did know one thing - he wanted to stay in the US. He had a few months left on his tourist visa and was determined to make it work.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>"I liked being in the US more. All I wanted was to qualify for the LCS and find a way to stay here for good," Ruiz says.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In September, Gao arranged a deal that put Ruiz on Gold Gaming LA, an underperforming Challenger team that was turning over its roster. However, Ruiz didn't think they were good enough to make it to the LCS. He knew what happened to teams that don't perform.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Just weeks after Ruiz joined Gold Gaming, Team Curse, a pro team in the LCS, posted a video calling for tryouts. Ruiz posted on the forum even though his contract forbade him from joining another team. The team's owner, Steve "Liquid112" Arhancet, contacted him but was initially put off by his contract and expiring visa. A few weeks later, Arhancet reconsidered. Ruiz was too good to pass up.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>A skilled businessman, Arhancet helped Ruiz get out of his contract and apply for a P1 athletic visa, which had just been extended to gamers. Ruiz joined Curse just days before Gold Gaming was set to compete in a major qualifying tournament. It left the team scrambling.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>"It was a tough decision. I still feel bad about the position I put my teammates in," Ruiz says. "It was the better decision for me."</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>He was right. Gold Gaming lost the tournament and disbanded soon after. Now, over a year later, Ruiz is one of the longest tenured players on third-place Team Liquid (Team Curse was renamed to Liquid in December). He's also solidified his place as one of the top players at his position in North America.</span></p><h2 dir="ltr"><span>Life in the fast lane</span></h2><p dir="ltr"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>"League of Legends" has given Ruiz a lot. It was his ticket into the US and got him a job with a lavish salary many times what he would earn in Venezuela. As the economic crisis in Venezuela has deepened, his earnings have also helped support his family. He met his girlfriend through the game and has become friends with tons of players and fans.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>There have been drawbacks. Ruiz hasn't been home since leaving Venezuela two years ago. He still talks to his family often, but there's a huge gulf between the comfortable life he leads now and the world he left behind in Venezuela.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>"You forget about your life. There's always something going on here," Ruiz says. "When I think about it, it's hard to remember how life was back home."</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Ruiz may not have many years left in the fast lane. Now, at 23, he is approaching the age that most pro gamers retire: 25. As he begins to think about life post-gaming, he's set on staying in the US.</span></p><p>He's looking into going back to college for programming or video-game design. He's ready to make video games instead of playing them for a living.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-use-video-games-cure-aids-proteins-contenders-2015-5">These scientists are using video games to help find a cure for AIDS</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Z0dThydDqtYQ5M3G7pWN15mNei0EVmcJ" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div></br>

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