By Mike "LD^Mike" Luxion

Gaming and sports are nothing new to Aaron “Phenic” Aw. He may have been born clutching a controller, but his competitive streak carried over into the non-virtual world, as well. He was a member of the Singapore National Team in ten-pin bowling for years before stopping to focus on computer and console gaming.

In a way, the decision to focus on eSports was merely a choice to return to his roots. Aw owned his very first console (the Atari 2600) as a toddler, and he has been gaming ever since. He got serious about the competitive side of the industry while attending the University of Hawaii, where he was a major Quake 2 enthusiast.

Singapore Sword bids farewell to interim GM, Steven Yong.

But it wasn’t until Aaron switched gears from the First-Person Shooter genre to racing that he found his stride. He has a litany of top finishes in the WCG Singapore competitions, spanning various racing games, including three versions of the Need for Speed series and Project Gotham Racing 3. That aspect of his career reached new heights in 2007, when he was the first person in history to take home two gold medals during WCG Singapore, winning the competitions for PGR 3 and Need for Speed: Carbon.

His accomplishments outside game servers might be just as impressive. In 1998, Aw pioneered one of the first comprehensive gaming news portals, Epicenter, a repository of first hand news and information regarding the latest in the international and local gaming scene, including competitions and clan/team updates. In his stint as a Tournament Director for CPL Asia in 2000, he coordinated and managed world standard international and local competitive events, and he established competitive league tables and playoff rules and regulations. While not as glamorous as gold medals and representing your country in the World Cyber Games, that behind-the-scenes experience gives him valuable insight on the industry as a whole.

Filling out his gaming resume is leadership experience. He captained Team Forsakened, a Singaporean multi-game team comprised of top ranked local gamers, and helped the team become a force in games from Warcraft 3 to Need for Speed.

Of course, as the new General Manager of the Singapore Sword, it’s his experience as a player inside and outside of the CGS that might be most important.

“Right now, I do have an understanding of what a CGS player will go through and the challenges they will face, so it's not hard for me to put myself in their position and help them in whatever way I can,” said Aw. “As a player, all you had to do was focus on your own game. While as a GM, you need to deal with people and that sometimes can be tricky because everyone is different and has to be approached differently. What would work for someone may not work for someone else, so a GM needs to find an effective way to communicate effectively with his team.”

Then again, looking ahead to the Pan-Asian competition and beyond, he still has to worry about the other teams, too.

“I feel we do have a good chance to win going into the Pan-Asia Championships but there's no discounting the fact that most if not all teams will be more prepared this time ‘round especially the Wuhan Dragons with their home-ground advantage. Also with 2 spots up for grabs instead of last year's 4, it's going to be a very tough competition.”

After last year’s early exit from the World Finals, Aw is set to bring a refreshing perspective in his new role as the General Manager of Singapore Sword, and he will draw from all his experiences to help propel the Singapore Sword to a higher level of professional gaming, and give the other teams of the CGS a force to be reckoned with.

In other words, when all is said and done, he hopes to leave his opponents Aw-struck.

Editor's Note:Aw replaces outgoing GM Steven Yong, who served as an interim General Manager for the team last season until a permanent GM was found. Yong will focus his efforts on helping spearhead CGS’s business development efforts throughout Asia, with a particular focus on China.