Former Westlaker gives up e-sports to hit the beat

From a career in video gaming, former Westlake Boys High School student Henry Blackmore has switched to dealing with real-life scenarios as a police constable.

Newly graduated from police college in Wellington, Blackmore is back on home territory, having been assigned to start work in the Waitemata District this month.

It was in his teen years on the North Shore that Blackmore first got into gaming, going on to be the first person to represent the country in the FIFA football e-sports video game.

He competed at the world championships in 2019, when he was aged 22, finishing fifth. He won his place in the final of 16 players, from more than 20 million entries.

Blackmore, who graduated from the University of Auckland with a degree in commerce and arts, went on to combine travel and playing for a living, competing at events in the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, Qatar, Singapore, Canada and Australia.

“Although gaming is amazing, policing is the career I’ve always wanted,” he says. “I enjoy helping others and I find people are comfortable sharing and asking me for help.”

He has retired from e-sports, although his playing name, FUTWIZ Honey Badger, may follow him round.

Blackmore is one 31 new recruits deployed to the wider Auckland area from the May graduating wing. His aim is to be a detective, where those computer skills might come in handy.

“I believe there is no more rewarding career than policing,” he says.

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