eSports levels up as gaming goes pro

LEAGUE of Legends. Counterstrike. Overwatch. Three of the most-played video games in the world today, with a phenomenal following that has turned the gaming scene into a full-on professional sport.

With viewership numbers rocketing, prize money on the rise, and sponsors beginning to notice, eSports is primed for huge growth, much of which will take place in this part of the world. Brunch this Saturday in The Business Times Weekend puts the spotlight on the pro-gaming stage, and Singapore's part on it.

In The Raffles Conversation, John Lim, group CEO and co-founder of ARA Asset Management, tells why he leaves nothing to chance.

The Asian high-yield space comes under scrutiny in our Fund Watch column, with a focus on China. Also in the Investing & Wealth Section, CFA Singapore Insights parses the old conundrum of growth versus value, and characterises it as "Waiting for Godot (Growth's Overdue Decline over Time)." (Apologies to Beckett).

Much has been made of "people analytics", or applying algorithms to employee data to predict behaviour from productivity to "likely to resign". Cubicle Files spells out why these algorithms are flawed.

Gearhead takes a look at one of the year's most anticipated phones, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, while Cult Status introduces an unusual - and educational - experience: play sessions at a local cattery.

And in The Broad View, an American take on what Americans are taking away from the blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians.

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