'I was so poor when I was young that I had to sleep in a bed with seven other siblings, but now I have $300,000 in assets thanks to esports.'
RIYADH: When it comes to rags-to-riches stories, the story of Lowgien “Ogwen” Yunigo is hard to beat. As a child, he shared a bed, not a room, with his seven siblings. Now a 23-year-old professional eSports player, he has a career earnings of $300,000.
“I come from a very poor family,” says Ougwen, a Quezon City, Philippines native and world champion roamer for Saudi Arabia’s Team Falcons in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
“There are seven of us, and we lived in our grandparents' house. All seven of us shared one big bed. I'm the oldest. Sometimes my other siblings would wake up during the night because there wasn't enough space in the bed for all of us. That meant we suffered from sleep deprivation.”
The family also struggled to support themselves. Ironically, his mother, who worked in a restaurant, and his unemployed father divorced when he was young.
“We were so poor that we could only afford soup and rice. Soup and rice every day, every week,” Owen said. “We got soup for free from our neighbors. We got rice from our grandmother, who we all lived with. There weren't enough for seven of us. It was really hard.”
Despite all this, he developed a passion and talent for gaming, playing games anytime, anywhere with his friends and those who recognized his abilities.
A player with incredible gaming skills who has earned millions of fans around the world, Ogwen vividly remembers the first time he won the “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang” amateur tournament in the Philippines.
“I thought, ‘There’s money here,’” he recalls. “I won. I won this tournament and made money, and it helped me a lot to support my family. As the eldest son, it helped my family get through the day-to-day.”
His dream was to become a professional eSports player. For the 19-year-old, who has yet to register, the barrier was taking time off from his job as a call center agent to compete and stand out as much as possible.
“Luckily, Coach Ducky scouted me,” Owgwen said of Team Falcons coach Francis “Ducky” Glindro, a native of the Philippines. “He gave me a place in esports, and the rest is my journey.”
Owen adds: “I support my three siblings. They are only children, aged 14, 12 and 11, and are still in school. I help provide for my family's needs. And of course, I help with the bills.
“It means a lot to me to be able to do that. Life is hard when you have nothing, and you have to survive in life. It helps my family and I experience a normal life.
“I made $300,000. It changed my life and my family's life. I'm so happy that I can give my family the lifestyle they want.
“What motivates me the most is that I come from poverty. That really motivates me to compete and be competitive.”
In addition to supporting his family, he recently started his first business, an internet cafe and gaming hub in Binangonan, about 30km from the Philippine capital Manila. He helps his dad run the gaming hub.
“Business is booming,” Ogwen smiled.
As a child, Ogwen would never have dreamed that her gaming activities would take her around the world. Since she first got on a plane two years ago, at the age of 21, she has been to Cambodia, Indonesia, Romania, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.
Their most recent venture is the eSports World Cup, the world's largest gaming festival, which will take place in Saudi Arabia for eight weeks from July 3 to August 25 at Boulevard Riyadh City.
The Elite competition is where the best players and clubs on the planet compete for the Esports World Cup Club Championship. The tournament has the largest prize pool in esports history at $60 million, which is truly life-changing money.
With Owgwen in fine form, Team Falcons reached the finals of “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang” at the Esports World Cup earlier this month. However, in an incredible match of the timeless glory, they lost 4-3 to Malaysia’s Selangor Red Giants in front of a raucous crowd at the Saudi Esports Federation Arena.
As disappointing as Ougwen was, overcoming setbacks is something the Filipino knows all too well. He also saw the bigger picture and was impressed by the passion for gaming and esports in the kingdom.
“It’s huge here,” Ougwen said. “Saudi Arabia supports esports. It really helps us shine as players who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity. It means a lot to me. I’m happy to be able to serve Team Falcons.
“They put their name on us. We made it to the grand final but sadly we didn't win the championship. But it was still a great experience for us on our journey to Saudi Arabia.”
When asked if he wanted to become a millionaire through esports, Owen replied, “I’m not focused on money. I’m much more focused on winning esports matches and helping my teammates get better on their ML:BB journey.”
And what is his message to those who were once like him, those who lived only for their dreams and their love of family?
“Don’t stop,” he says. “Don’t stop pursuing your passion. If you really love your passion, you won’t regret it, and you can get this far.”
