The Arena of Valor community’s still in awe after the throwback of a special team whose members are all monks. They competed at a regional championship for Arena of Valor and Garena Speed Drifters back in 2019. 

Recently, Arena of Valor has recently reposted the interesting images of an amateur eSports team consisting of apprentice monks. However, do not let their look fool you. These monks are skilled players with high mechanics, and they actually won many prizes. This brings a sense of fun as well as motivation for those pursuing their passion for becoming professional gamers. 

Thai Monk Speed Drifters
These young Thai Monks really show their interest in mobile games

The special team is from Balee Sathit Suka, a secondary training school for monks in Northeast Thailand. They wowed the audience by taking the first place at the 2019 KKU’s Nong Khai Fair for the racing game Garena Speed Drifters. The spiritual students were introduced to the game via a computer class and started skimming whenever they can. And when we look into their 20 hours of religious studies plus a normal curriculum, it takes real dedication for them to do so.

Monks Rov
Playing mobile games is more like a hobby for these monks during spare time

This isn’t the first time a team like this appears at an eSport tournament. Many have come to compete, but the Balee Sathit Suka team is the first one to actually win. The incident triggered curiosity in the Arena of Valor community.

monks compete
There's nothing wrong in letting the monks play games as a recreational hobby

There are controversial opinions on whether religious activists like monks should participate in events like this. The games they play often provoke violence, which stands against the Buddha Commandments. However, Chaturong Jongasa, a respected Buddhist scholar, said it was not wrong because this was merely an act of entertainment. It would be a total waste of talents if these monks couldn’t participate and fairly compete in the world of eSports.