WHEN MPL PHILIPPINES unveiled their 'Letter to You' series, there was a lot of emotional depth that was revealed.
Upon watching the series, tears could flow in our eyes as we get to learn more about the hardships, the struggles, and sacrifices that each pro player endured.
And upon reflecting on his journey, Rowgien "Owgwen" Unigo couldn't hold his emotions. During the interview for the M5 video, he started crying.
"Actually noong ininterview pa lang ako, naging emotional na ako. Syempre nag-look back ako sa ginagawa ko para lang makapunta dito sa kinatatayuan ko ngayon."
"Kaya medyo naging mabigat talaga yung puso ko," he reflected in an exclusive with SPIN.ph
Inside the land of dawn, Owgwen plays a tank/support role but upon digging deep into his story his role extends beyond the game.
Left with no choice
Owgwen's childhood wasn't a bed of roses as he had to grind between numerous paths. Ideally, Owgwen should be spending more of his youth studying and having fun.
Living in a broken family, and being one of the primary breadwinners, Owgwen was left with no choice.
"Medyo mahirap sa tulog kasi may shift ako na call center agent, 9 PM until 6 AM. Pasok ko naman sa school is from 1 PM to 6 PM. So yung sleep ko noon, medyo bitin talaga," revealed Owgwen to SPIN.ph.
Given the hectic schedule, Owgwen's mentors would give him a chance to rest. He was lucky to have people who cared for his welfare.
"May mga advisor ako na binigyan ako ng chance kasi alam nila yung ginagawa ko noon. Pinapatulog ako minsan sa classroom may mga time na tulog talaga ako noon."
And to lessen the burden, he was under scholarship.
"Ako nagbayad ng tuition ko noon. At that time scholar ako so medyo mababa yung fee."
Entering the amateur scene
As the clock strikes at night for Owgwen to enter into his nightshift role in a Call Center, the grind never stops.
Not only did he hustle and work in his dayjob, as he also spent time thinking about improving his craft as an aspiring professional Mobile Legends: Bang Bang player.
He and his teammate would spend their break periods, learning more about the trends in the scene.
"May mga time na on break sa call center kasi may mga ka-teammate ako na sinamahan ako sa work na ganun. So every 1-hour break sa call center, may mga time kaming mag-practice, para maka-chat sa meta."
Owgwen had a dream, he wanted to burst into the scene and reach the professional stage. During weekends, he would join amateur tournaments and earn a living.
And he tried to knock on the doors of the MPL scene during the qualifiers in Seasons 3 onwards.
"Actually noong mga time na naglalaro ako noon, parang nagvi-visit kami sa kada-Barangay, sa mga smart tournaments, mga small prize, mga 10K. Noong na-discover ako ng mga amateur, nag-qualify kami sa MPL Season 3, nag-top 8 kami sa qualifiers," he looked back.
All of these activities were for a reason, as Owgwen was driven to sustain his family saying, "Tinutulungan ko yung kapatid ko and sarili ko sa pag-school."
Taking the leap of faith
But at the end of the day, Owgwen realized that his body likewise has limits. The daily grind to traverse the traffic-infested areas caused by the sudden rush hour period would ultimately force Owgwen to make a massive sacrifice.
It was finally time to fly like Mathilda.
"May point na na-feel ko sa katawan ko na hindi ko na kaya, kaya nag-quit na lang ako sa work ko. Nag-risk na lang ako sa pagiging amateur player."
"Noong time na ni-letgo ko yung work ko, hindi ako makapag-focus sa isa't isa e, so tinake ko yung risk talaga sa Mobile Legends. Hindi ko na talagang kinaya yung schedule ko, dahil may ano pa sa biyahe, may rush hour pa so pagod na talaga sa biyahe."
Now with so much time at his disposal, Owgwen can finally bring his game to the next level. From the amateur scene, his team made a statement in the tournaments they joined.
Until Bren Esports came knocking to his doorstep, a new chapter that would change his life.
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