With gamers now able to receive national colours for interacting with pixels, that sentiment may change. Someday, L33tk1d may be mentioned with the same revered tones as Danie Craven.

Last year, the Amateur Gaming Association of South Africa (AGASA) announced that local PC gamers would be the first in the world to be awarded national colours. The gamers in question play for a clan called Advanced Special Forces (ASF), representing South Africa at an international Battlefield 2142 online PC gaming tournament held in Taipei every year.

“It is encouraging to see how far gaming has come in South Africa,” said Brett Hamilton, managing director of Electronic Arts South Africa, at the awards ceremony to present ASF with their national colours.