By Tan Chong Yaw

Dr Lee Yik Voon, 46, general practitioner

IN REAL life, he is a general practitioner at a neighbourhood clinic.

The bespectacled doctor in his white long-sleeved shirt and dark tie has a calm and soothing presence.

However, in the video game universe, he transfigures into a mace-wielding, armour-plated, bull-like figure who answers to the name Tuffone.

The link is that in cyberspace, he is also a healer - a shaman who can restore his injured team mates.

He and his two teenage sons play the World Of Warcraft (WOW) - an online role-playing game that involves massive numbers of players.

"My younger son reached level 80 in half the time my older son took. And I am progressing very slowly at level 66," said Dr Lee Yik Voon.

"I should reach level 67 by the time this story appears," he added with a laugh, of the one-week buffer he gave himself.

Besides his 50 hours a week as a GP, Yik Voon, 46, also oversees the administration of the Singapore Medical Association (SMA) as its executive director.

At home, he takes care of the family pets - seven Syrian guinea pigs.

Would you tell your patient that you are a gamer?

No, except if he tells me that he is also a gamer.

Then, I will ask about the level of the game at which he is playing to get him to be more receptive to my medical advice.

What sort of games do you enjoy?

I don't enjoy games that rely purely on quick reflexes.

They tire me out after 20 minutes.

I'd rather play games that require strategies and planning.

I am not one for console games although I do have an Xbox at home.

I can't get the hang of the controllers.

What was your longest record for playing video games non-stop?

Nine hours - 7pm to 4am. I think it was a Chinese New Year's eve.

Usually, though, I play two to three times a week.

A typical session takes about two hours.

I could be in the middle of a quest with other players online - I can't just abandon them.

What has been the worst reaction you got from someone after they found out you play video games?

It was the look of "Uncle, aren't you a bit too old for this?" from the shop assistants where I bought World Of Warcraft (Wow) expansion packs from them.

How would you feel if you found out that your surgeon or lawyer spent the previous day playing video games, before an important operation or a case?

I have no problems with that.

After a game, a person is more relaxed and in a better frame of mind for work.

Except maybe a surgeon who indulges in games involving the slaughter of creatures.

Do you think your subordinates will still respect you if they knew you are a gamer?

I think that they are okay with my gaming as long as I maintain my work performance.

Hey, my chief administrator at the SMA is an even more hardcore Wow player than I am.

This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.

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