It was a normal weekend, but for Du Jingling and her friends it was a big day – two of China’s top DotA (see sidebar on page 5 for details) teams were about to clash. Streaming the match online, the group made a day of it, with snacks, soft drinks and fan T-shirts. “It was like a festival for e-sports fans, which made us feel very special,” says the 22-year-old finance major at Central China Normal University.