Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok has spent more than a decade at the highest level of League of Legends, an unusually long career in a scene where most players peak and fade within a few years. In a recent interview, the T1 mid laner reflected on the fears he once held about age and the mindset that has allowed him to keep competing at an elite level.
Around 2018, after already winning multiple World Championships, Faker admitted he worried that his performance might decline simply because of his age. At the time, the prevailing view in esports was that careers were short and that players in their late twenties would inevitably fall off. He absorbed that narrative.
"I don’t think that way anymore," Faker said. "I think the reason I believed my performance would decline because of age was that everyone around me was saying it would. I kept hearing that professional gamers retire or decline once they reach their late twenties, so I think I came to believe that at the time as well."
What changed his perspective was deliberate effort outside the game. He began reading more widely and reflecting on how to keep improving. Through that process he concluded that the real threat was not the passage of years but the mental stagnation that can come from repeating the same work without growth.
"What causes performance to decline isn’t age itself, but rather the boredom or lethargy that can come from repeating the same thing for a long time," he explained. "So now, rather than being afraid of age, I try to guard against becoming numb simply because something has become familiar. I focus on continuing to learn and staying immersed."
Motivation, for Faker, remains tied to personal standards and the audience that has followed him for years. Performing at a level that satisfies him and delivering strong showings for fans are what keep him going. He has described still finding the game fun and still feeling genuine passion for the work, which makes sustained effort feel natural rather than forced.
That outlook has become increasingly rare in a competitive environment where the average professional career is measured in a handful of seasons. Faker’s continued presence, including a long-term contract that extends his time with T1, stands as a practical counterexample to the old assumption that elite play ends in the mid-to-late twenties. He has repeatedly said that players who maintain passion and a commitment to improvement can last longer than the industry once believed possible.
The comments arrive at a moment when Faker remains one of the most scrutinized and respected figures in the game. His willingness to revisit earlier doubts about aging and to frame longevity as a matter of mindset rather than inevitable physical decline offers a clear message to younger players and to the broader esports audience. For him, the challenge is no longer outrunning age. It is staying curious enough to keep getting better.
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