One of the legendary Street Fighter players, Daigo Umehara, is donating all of his $60,000 Capcom Cup runner-up winnings to NYU’s EVO scholarship fund. He’s doing so to support the community that has helped his pro career. Now, that’s generous.
Here’s what Daigo had to say in an email he wrote, which was published by fighting game site Shoryuken:
I would like to donate all my prize winnings from the Capcom Pro-Tour Finals to the community. It’s simply because I would not have existed without community and I owe you. My “professional†gamer life has given me such invaluable experiences. I get to give all myself to fight against top players around the world and meet and engage with fans across the globe. I can express myself through my gameplay to the audience, the community. Just as you need an opponents in fighting game, the community is equally important to me.
I guess it is indeed the best time to give. The EVO scholarship was started up in 2012 to help people pursue an education in game development at the New York University Game Center, so his money will most certainly be well spent.
This is a really classy move by one of the legends in the fighting community, and a great story to hear during the holiday season. You have to respect someone that has stayed humble even after so much success.
It’ll be interesting to watch what kind of personalities come from the eSports scene, as its popularity continues to steadily increase. Daigo has had an interesting rise to the top. Though most of his success comes from taking opponents down using a fight-stick, he’s been able to use his opportunity in the spot-light to get appearances on television that have helped him become more well known. He even has a manga that’s based on his life. With more people investing into professional gamers like Rick Fox did recently, The Beast (Daigo) has certainly set a great example for future stars.
What do you think about this generous donation? Are you a fan of Daigo? Let us know in the comments below.
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HT: Gemasutra
Image Credit: Mad Catz
