IN THE male-dominated world of Chinese martial arts, a 25-year-old Singaporean gamer used a female character to punch and kick his way to becoming a world champion.

Gaming enthusiast Wilson 'Tetra' Chia chose Kasumi, a waifish yet buxom beauty, to defeat 23 competitors in the martial arts computer game Dead or Alive (DoA) 4 at the recent World Cyber Games (WCG) in Seattle.

Mr Chia chose Kasumi because he believes that he relates to her personality the most.

'Kasumi is portrayed throughout the series as being a compassionate character who has an honourable and kind spirit,' he explained.

'Although she is a fighter, she is also sensitive and emotional.'

Using Kasumi, Mr Chia battled his way to a major upset when he outfought the top-rated player Ryan Ward to end the American's 14-game unbeaten record, winning US$5,000 (S$7,200) in the process.

Speaking to The Sunday Times from California, Mr Chia said that he hoped his win would bring due recognition to local cybergamers.

'It was a great experience for me and my emotions simply cannot be explained through words.'

His win also goes some way to convincing his mother that he made the right career choice.

Mr Chia started playing in game arcades when he was just six.

Worried about his academic results, his parents attempted to curb his interest in gaming by placing the computer and gaming consoles in the living room so that they could monitor the time he spent on games.

He was restricted to just two to three hours of gaming a day back when he was still a young boy.

By the time he was studying multimedia infocommunication technology at Nanyang Polytechnic, he was clocking six to eight hours daily on the gaming console.

Mr Chia said that despite the amount of time he put into gaming, his grades were not affected and he graduated with a grade point average of more than 3.5.

But his mother still did not approve of his obsession.

Mr Chia said that his mother, a beautician, felt there was little educational or developmental benefit in gaming.

But his passion for cyber- sports made him continue gaming.

'I find gaming very fun and interesting as I get to play with other people who share the same interests,' he said.

It was only when he came third at the 2005 World Cyber Games in Singapore that his mother began to support him.

His usually shy mother would proudly inform friends and family whenever he was featured in newspapers or on television.

She also attended the prize ceremony at this year's WCG.

Mr Chia turned professional cybergamer this year, having wanted to do so ever since his third-place finish in 2005.

'After the publicity I got after I won a prize in the competition, I realised I really enjoyed competitive gaming, and that it was my dream to become a professional cybergamer,' he said.

To date, he has earned $36,000 in prize money.

He also has a full-time job as an online content executive for games operator and distributor Infocomm Asia Holdings.

The gaming enthusiast lists GE Force and Street Fighters among his all-time favourite games.

Nowadays, however, he is more into DoA because it gives him a sense of excitement and adventure.

'It is a great game as it requires fast gameplay, and that makes every millisecond very exciting. The game also has a wide variety of characters, which I like very much,' he said.

Apart from Kasumi, he has also tried out Hayabusa, a futuristic ninja. He found the character 'very cool' and like the 'god' of all DoA characters.

But he still prefers Kasumi - a 17-year-old, 158cm-tall brunette - who is into fortune telling and origami and fights with swords and spears.

Like all the other female characters in DoA, Kasumi is scantily clad, with her signature outfit being a skin-tight, low-cut top and mini-skirt.

She also has a big bosom that bounces when she spars with opponents.

When asked about his feelings towards these assets, Mr Chia giggled and declined to comment.

But he aims to win more tournaments with Kasumi.

'I plan to train and practise even more to be more skilled at DoA,' he said.