'Naglalaro ako gamit paa,' how One Hand Gaming inspires the community

One Hand Gaming aspires to be a beacon of hope
by Carlos Pineda and gab pe | Jul 13, 2023

One hand gaming isn't just an icon for bossing around Call of Duty Mobile 

"NAGLALARO AKO GAMIT PAA."

Inspiring, motivational, these are the perfect adjectives to describe Kevin "One Hand Gaming" Maglaqui's livestreams as he would be seen bossing around the Call of Duty: Mobile universe with only one hand.

A closer look at his livestreams would reveal him using his toes to grace around the battle royale and first person genres in mobile gaming.

While his efforts are worthy of praise given how he defied the odds in life, there were those who would still try to psychologically pull him down. It didn't matter if he has an inspiring backstory nor did it matter if he was a Tier One Amplified talent.

"Noong 2021, kinuha ako ng Tier One, as one of their Amplified streamers. Then marami akong natanggap na hate din. May masabi lang, yung wala kang kamay pero meron, pero tahimik lang ako, syempre, kasi kung gusto mong maging role model sa streaming, kailangan ikaw na yung iintindi sa kanila," he revealed in one of Tier One's talks.

And due to these comments he received, there were moments when Kevin felt like he was mentally pushed to his limits.

But he never let those deter his morale, and throughout his journey he has always managed to push through.

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Early life

Before he ventured into streaming and content creation, Maglaqui grew up in the era of computer shops and spent most of his time grinding in Dota.

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"Simula pa lang noon naglalaro na ako ng mga games. Parang sinasabi ko, like I was born to be a gamer despite my disability. Then after a few years, nag-high school ako, tambay ng computer shop, mga Dota 2, Dota 1, computer shop, trastalkan," he reflected.

And while others would mash their keyboards and mouses with two hands and 10 fingers, Maglaqui on the other hand had a different approach. He only has his right hand and a handful of fingers, while his feet would be on the desk.

"Isang kamay lang, mouse lang gamit ko (PC). Then, pag-CounterStrike, nakataas yung paa ko sa keyboard. Sobrang chill lang noong gaming days ko sa computer shop."

And while gaming has been the center of his life, Maglaqui has also been active in other activities, specifically sports. Upon entering the court, he receives a huge ovation from the crowd.

"Every time na pinapasok akong support ng league namin, lahat ng mga tao naghihiyawan kasi isa ko sa pinakakilala sa school namin at sa village na nagba-basketball," revealed Maglaqui.

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He added: "So every time na hawak ko yung bola, kahit na mintis o pasok, naghihiyawan sila. Di sila humihiyaw sa galing, hindi sila humihiyaw sa sikat. Bale, ina-anticipate nila kung magsho-shoot or hindi."

And it never ends with the Filipino classic as he also tried other sports such as volleyball and badminton. Despite the limitations he had, he managed to make an impact in these sports.

"Then noong college, isang beses na pinanalo ko yung isang game ng volleyball in terms of serving. So parang nalilito yung mga players sa kung paano ako maglaro ng volleyball."

"Badminton, iniisip niyo kung paano ako mag-serve, diba? Yung racket, nasa paa, ibabato ko. Diskarte. Kapag may gusto kang gawin, idediskarte mo diba? Hindi porket, hindi mo pa nata-try, sabihin mo hindi mo na kaya, diba?" explained Maglaqui.

Yet despite some of his impressive feats, doubts were still clouding him and this was evident when he graduated college.

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Rejections

With a degree in Entrepreneurship in PUP, it was time for One Hand Gaming to test how he fares in the real world. He tried looking for opportunities in the Philippines, only for him to be denied.

"Iba yung way of thinking ng mga company dito sa Pinas, na kahit nag-graduate ka, kasi tinatawag nila ako kung kaya ko bang magsulat? Ginaganon pa ako," reflected Maglaqui.

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The harsh treatment he received somewhat motivated Maglaqui to prove his point to his potential employers, though he decided to remain civil.

"Pero nasa isip ko, 'Ma'am/sir, graduate po ako. Siyempre, kaya ko po magsulat. Graduate ako sa Normal University. So bakit yun yung sasabihin, diba? Pero hindi ko siyang pwedeng sabihin kasi intern."

But nevertheless there were other opportunities ahead for the PWD content creator.

"Pero okay lang din naman kasi, every rejection, may mga opportunity na darating.
Which is, yung streaming," expressed Maglaqui.

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The birth of One Hand Gaming

All he needed was a push and this happened when he lurked in BLinK Gaming's livestream session. A simple shoutout from BLinK was enough to kickstart his content creation career.

"Bago ako nakilala, nagpapansin ako sa isang streamer na nagko-Call of Duty," explained Maglaqui. "Isa sa pinakasikat noon, kung kalala niyo man yung isang sikat na streamer sa Call of Duty, si Daddy Blink (BLinK Gaming)."

He further elaborated: "Nag-comment lang ako na, 'Hello, my bro naglalaro ako gamit paa. Then yun yung start ng aking streaming journey. Isang pioneer ng Call of Duty mobile, napansin ako."

It was on May 27, 2020 when the legend of One Hand Gaming was born and he rose to fame due to his inspiring backstory. He eventually teamed up and collaborated with other content creators, which boosted his growth.

But his legendary feats weren't just centered on how he defied the odds or bossed around the battle royale or first person shooter scene as his livestreams would see him serve as an inspiration to the community.

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"Sa mga bashers. Syempre, inisip niyo kung paano ko sila hina-handle. Kasi yung iba, parang pag may nang-bash sa kanila, inaaway nila, pinapatulan," he started.

He further explained: "Pero para sa akin, oo, may times na pinapatulan ko sila, pero may times na hindi kasi parang iniisip ko na lang na naiintindihan ko sila kung bakit nila ginagawa yun, kasi baka may pinagdadaanan sila sa buhay na ayaw nilang may nakakita sila na masaya, despite na may ganito siya."

As to why he remains such an optimistic outlook in life, One Hand Gaming has one major aspiration: To be a beacon of hope.

"Parang motivation ba? Parang gusto ko maging isang motivation sa mga taong nawawalan ng confidence, nahihirapan, nalulungkot, syempre. Kasi sa panahon ngayon, ah, nalulungkot din talaga ang mga tao."

And as he ended his talk with the community, One Hand Gaming has an important advice to those struggling in life. Everytime Maglaqui would feel down, he would look for ways to move forward.

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"Tuwing nag-o-overthink ako sa bahay, mag-isa, nakahiga, di ako makatulog, gumagawa ko ng mga captions para sa sarili ko to motivate myself."

"Kasi ayun nga, nakaatanggap ako ng comments na walang kamay, putol kamay, isang kamay, parang gumagawa ako ng mga paragraphs sa board na, in the end of the paragraph na, despite na ginaganon ka nila, at least, masaya ka, nagagawa mo yung gusto mo, at may nagagawa kang para sa pamilya mo."

"Ako naglalaro for the sake of having a life na hindi ko iniisip na, 'Uy! may disability ako. Kailangan ko maging malungkot, kailangan ko magpaawa. Parang itong disability ko is naging confidence boost ko na yung nagagawa ng mga kumpleto, nagagawa ko din," he reflected.

This he mentioned despite his stage fright, truly a man worthy of admiration.

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PHOTO: One Hand Gaming
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