Akosi Dogie tells the story of his past struggles, working as a janitor, and becoming a model in Belgium before becoming a popular streamer in the Philippines.
Akosi Dogie, aka Setsuna Ignacio, whose actual real name is Naser Mollazehi, is the Philippines’ most prominent figure in esports. He is widely known for helping popularize Mobile Legends: Bang Bang in the Philippines, helping turn it into the most popular esports game in the country. Many esports players who have been associated with Dogie through his vlogs and boot camp have become successful content creators themselves, earning at least six figures through their pages and channels.
Although Akosi Dogie’s life is an open book on social media, there are apparently many stories yet untold about the Mobile Legends impresario.
Life in the Philippines was a struggle for Akosi Dogie and his family. His mother, who was based in Belgium, would remit cash to the family in the Philipines, but that would not be enough. When asked if they experienced poverty here, Dogie only had one answer.
“Super, super po. Kasi noong nandito kami sa Pilipinas noon, napasok na po ako sa gang by 10 years old, sa Antipolo. Doon po kasi ako lumaki. Hindi ko naman nireregret iyon kasi masaya iyong time na iyon eh, 10, 11 years old. Iyong Mommy ko nagpapadala ng pera, pag wala, gipit din talaga kasi mahirap ang buhay. Minsan wala, minsan mayroon. Tumigil ako ng school noon,” Akosi Dogie tells Abo Limos of Spin.ph.
It was during those times when Akosi Dogie would dream of becoming a basketball player. But fate had other plans for him.
Akosi Dogie moved to Belgium when he was 10.
When he was 10 years old, his life in the Philippines was uprooted when his mother took him to Belgium, where he spent most of his formative years.
“Basically, doon na ako lumaki. When I was 10 years old, umalis na po ako ng Philippines at kinuha po ako ng Mommy ko doon. Namulat ako doon kasi single parent yung Mommy ko, tapos ako, estudyante, kuya ko ang kasama ko,” says Akosi Dogie.
“Never kong inexpect na sisikat ako kasi ang hilig ko lang talaga ay mag-game nang mag-game. Habang nandoon ako sa Belgium, laro ako nang laro—Ragnarok Online, nag Philippine server ako kahit nagla-lag. Nagpapabili ako sa ate ko sa Pilipinas ng voucher para makapaglaro ako. Doon na nagsimula iyong pagiging gamer ko talaga.”
But what most people don’t know is how difficult life was for Akosi Dogie and his family in Europe. There were many times when they would struggle to make ends meet, resulting in electricity being cut off from their apartment when his mother would fail to pay the bills.
“Naranasan din namin na palaging brownout, walang ilaw, kasi single parent ang Mommy ko at tatlo-tatlo ang hustle niya.”
And what were the jobs of Dogie’s mother in Belgium?
“Madami! Like, ang side hustles niya, naggugupit siya ng buhok, may amo siya, naglilinis siya ng bahay sa weekend, tapos nagtatahi. Tapos iyong 7-to-4 job niya, ganoon—sa amo amo. Hustle talaga, hustle.”
Because of this, Akosi Dogie was obligated to start working at an early age.
Akosi Dogie worked as a janitor in a hospital.
“Pagtungtong ko ng 16 years old, nagtrabaho ako sa ospital, naging janitor ako."
Akosi Dogie would become a working student from that point on.
“Pagka-18 ko, ipinasok ako ng isang barkada kong Pilipino sa McDonald’s. So, hanggang makagraduate ako, doon ako nagwowork, tapos noong pagka-graduate ko, naging model ako sa Abercrombie & Fitch, tapos pinagsasabay ko doon iyong isa kong trabaho sa isang Japanese restaurant, waiter ako doon.”
It came to a point when Akosi Dogie could no longer bear the pressure of working double shifts while studying, so he looked for a different job, this time, something closer to his heart.
“Noong nararamdaman ko na iyong stress level na hindi ko kaya na doble-doble iyong trabaho, naghanap ako ng ibang work, which is iyong mga hilig ko, sa shoe shops. Doon na ako naenganyo sa mga shoes, sa porma," Akosi Dogie says.
"Thank God, nakapasok ako sa Bershka with a higher position, manager, and nag-stream din ako," Akosi Dogie adds.
"Ginagawa ko, stream-stream ako ng Heroes Legend dati. Noong nag-quit ako sa Bershka, umuwi ako sa Pilipinas kasama ko si Chix, tapos nakita ko sila naglalaro ng Mobile Legends. Sobrang ano pa noon, pag tinanong mo sampung tao, isa lang may alam ng Mobile Legends.”
When Akosi Dogie returned to Belgium, one of his close friends there encouraged him to play and stream Mobile Legends, which, at the time, was still an unknown game to many. That was around the year 2017. At first, he tried streaming on Twitch but it didn’t support the game. So he turned to Facebook. Facebook Gaming didn't exist yet back then. But he persevered on the platform.
“For two and a half years, walang kita, pinush ko pa rin. Pero thank God, iyong mga viewers ko ang nagsabi na mag-post din ako sa YouTube para may passive income ako. So doon, pantawid-gutom na lang yung kinita ko sa YouTube kasi ang monthly ko roon was $400 or $600. Eh, iyong rent ko sa Belgium, malaki. Iyong mom ko ang nagbabayad ng renta sa Belgium, hati kami, tapos sa internet.
A core memory Akosi Dogie could not forget
Unknown to many, Akosi Dogie’s biological father is Iranian. Currently, he has a stepfather living in Belgium with his mother. Some of the memories he couldn’t forget growing up involved how his Iranian father would forbid any form of fun or sport, forcing Dogie and his brother to keep studying and reading books.
“Iyong tatay ko po—half po ako, hindi po ako pure-blooded Filipino, half-Iranian po ako—So, iyong Daddy ko po noon, I’m not being harsh, pero kapag humawak po kasi kami ng bola ng basketball, pinapagalitan, pinapalo po kami,” Akosi Dogie says.
“Ang dapat hawakan lang namin noon ay libro. Books and books and books.”
Although Akosi Dogie hated school, he was studious and intelligent but still mischievous.
“Pagkatapos naming mag-enroll sa public school, magbabayad kami ng P20 para sa school books, P2 kada book. Sa public school po kasi, ganoon eh. So, ang ginagawa ko po noon noong bata po ako mga 8 years old or 9 years old ako, aaralin ko na po yung books sa isang buwan, pagkatapos po noon, kukupitan ko po iyong Daddy ko ng P20 tapos pupunta po kami sa labas, mag-a-arcade po kami. Magte-teks. Ito po iyong mga memories na hindi ko po makalimutan.”
It is the first time Dogie has ever talked about his biological father publicly.
“Iniiwasan ko po iyong topic iyon, pero since lumabas na po lahat at nai-open ko na po lahat, willing na rin po akong ilabas,” he says.
Now that he has significantly more freedom and more money, he’s indulging in things that were forbidden before: He built his own basketball court right outside his mansion-like compound in Pangasinan. There, he would play regularly with the people he lives with. And no one can stop him anymore.
For a man that has everything, what could he possibly want more?
“Ang pangarap ko po ngayon, nasa magandang kalagayan iyong family ko. Iyon lang po talaga. Gusto ko maging masaya iyong baby ko, iyong girlfriend ko, and iyong mga tao sa paligid ko. Kasi, nakuha ko na po lahat ng gusto ko sa buhay, and I’m grateful to the people na nagdala sa akin dito, iyong mga tao sa paligid ko, mga fans. Nakuha ko na talaga lahat ng gusto ko, at ang gusto ko na lang ngayon ay mapasaya iyong mga tao sa paligid ko."
How Akosi Dogie's stepfather rooted for him.
Initially, Dogie’s mother was adamantly opposed to him pursuing gaming as a job. But it is thanks to his stepfather that she eventually caved and allowed Dogie to leave Belgium and go back to the Philippines.
“Oo, tanggap na tanggap na niya (na ganito ang trabaho ko), and thank God din po sa stepdad ko kasi naging supportive din po siya sa akin. Ayaw po talaga ako pauwin sa Pilipinas ng Mommy ko, like, hate niya. Sabi niya, ‘Huwag ka nang umuwi! Nandito ka na sa Belgium bakit ka pa uuwi? Para lang i-pursue iyang career mo na panandalian lang?’
It was a very solid argument that Dogie could not refute.
But it was his stepfather who stood up for him.
“Pero sinabi sa kanya ng stepdad ko na kailangan kong tumayo sa sarili kong paa. Pag nag-fail, puwede naman daw akong bumalik. Kasi dual citizen po ako, Belgian and Filipino citizen po ako. Sabi ng stepdad ko sa mom ko, ‘Let him test. Pag nag-succeed, then congrats. Pag nag-fail, okay lang, balik sa Belgium, trabaho na lang siya dito.’ Ganoon po.”
Xander Ford helped make Akosi Dogie famous
One of the major twists in Dogie’s story came in 2019 when former showbiz personality Xander Ford, started streaming Mobile Legends but used an unconventional build for one of the heroes.
“Iyong turning point ko po noon is iyong kay Xander Ford po,” says Dogie. “Kung hindi dahil sa kanya, hindi magbo-boom ng ganito iyong pangalan ko. Naglalaro po siya ng Mobile Legends tapos nag-build siya ng Endless Battle sa Lunox,” he adds.
Endless Battle is an item designed for physical damage dealers in Mobile Legends. Lunox is a mage and relies on items that enhance magic damage.
“Tapos pinapanood ko iyon, hindi ko siya binash, parang pinagtawanan ko siya. Nag-react din siya sa akin, sabi niya 5-versus-5 daw, so sabi ko, ‘sige 5-v-5, g!’ Noong maglalaban na kami, umabot ng 200,000 live viewers ko sa Facebook. Iyon na po iyong turning point talaga. Like, sumabog na po iyong subscribers ko.
That was 2019, barely a year before Mobile Legends would truly cement its position as the Philippines’ most popular massive online battle arena in terms of viewership and content creation.
Akosi Dogie’s meteoric rise on Facebook took more than two years after he started supporting Mobile Legends on the platform. In fact, 2017 was not a favorable year for esports and Mobile Legends in the country, yet he stuck with the game.
Nobody believed in the game at the time, even some of the game’s shoutcasters did not think it would fly.
“Ang daming nagsasabi na copycat lang din ang Mobile Legends, iyong mga big shoutcasters noon na ngayon shoutcasters na ng Mobile Legends. Masaya ako kasi nahanap na nila iyong niche nila, may stable work na sila, pero dati, parang hindi nila gusto iyong Mobile Legends kasi copycat nga daw po. Pero nag-stick pa rin po ako doon kasi iyon po talaga ang bread and butter at nagpa-boom po talaga sa akin. Hindi ko po talaga sinukuan ang Mobile Legends, hanggang ngayon hindi ko pa rin po susukuan ang Mobile Legends,” says Akosi Dogie.
Is Akosi Dogie afraid of losing popularity?
Considering how many players have a short-lived career in esports and the gaming scene, is Akosi Dogie afraid of losing steam and popularity?
“Hindi naman po. Para sa akin po kasi, lahat ng kasikatan, may katapusan. At the end of the day, malalaos din ako, mawawala din iyong pangalan ko. Para sa akin, ang ginagawa ko na lang talaga is to enjoy my life,” Akosi Dogie says.
“As regards sa esports scene, yung mga jobs, hindi talaga siya forever, kaya pinu-push ko pong palakihin iyong esports scene para doon po magkaroon ng esteem iyong mga [players]. Gusto ko naman kasi na lumaki naman po ang esports scene, I need to look on the wider perspective na hindi lang dapat Mobile Legends ang malaki, iyong ibang game din dapat kasi para sa akin, more esports games in the Philippines means more job opportunities for people who love esports.”
He admits that there are parents who do not fully support their child’s career in esports but he still believes a stable career in esports is possible.
“Kasi po, iyong mga magulang ngayon, parang… Kasi Mommy ko po noon, ganoon eh! Parang, ‘Ba’t ka nandiyan sa computer, kumikita ka ng ganyan pero panandalian lang iyan!’ Gusto kong patunayan na there’s a permanent job and there’s a permanent place for people who love games and they can sustain their lives with it.”
‘Sana po sa generation natin, iyong mga bata na kasama sa pro teams, pagkatapos po ng pro scene nila, what now? Gusto ko po sana makapagtapos sila ng shool tapos papasok ulit sila sa isang organization na pro scene pa rin sa esports pero as head coach, analyst, boot camp manager, talent manager—nasa game-related industry pa rin po sila.”
Akosi Dogie reveals why he wanted to enroll Renejay in an expensive school
Speaking of players he supported and took under his wing, no one comes closer to Dogie than Renejay Barcarse, the esports superstar who started out by hauling hogs at piggeries in Bataan. The two consider each other close friends and brothers. At one point, Dogie tried to enroll Renejay at an international school with a tuition fee of P200,000 per semester.
“Si Renejay po iyong unang bata na napunta sa bootcamp ko po. Fifteen years old pa lang po siya noon, at ayaw ko talaga masayang iyong future niya, so I’m willing to give iyong magandang school, kasi talented si Renejay,” Dogie says.
“Sinabi ko sa sarili ko, kung maka-graduate siya sa magandang school, mas madami pa siyang makikilala from his surroundings niya. Kasi sa magandang school, marami kang makikilala na connections. It will be a stepping stone for your career. If ayaw mo na sa Mobile Legends, puwede kang maging singer, ayon. So parang, gusto ko siyang dalhin doon, kaso nag-focus po talaga siya sa Mobile Legends. Iyong mga nabibili po niya ngayon, deserve niya po talaga iyon kasi hardworking po talaga siya.”
In a previous interview, Renejay shared why he rejected Dogie’s offer to enroll him at such a prestigious school.
“Gusto ko naman po talaga mag-aral, pero sabi ko sa kanya, ‘Boss D, kaya ko naman magtapos sa hindi ganyan kalaki yung tuition!’ Kahit mag-public school na lang ako,” said Renejay.
“Kahit sobrang close na kami, syempre nahihiya pa rin ako sa kanya na gagastos siya ng ganoon kalaki para sa akin. Sapat na po sa akin na tinulungan niya po ako, kaya sabi ko sa kanya ayaw ko po pumasok sa mahal na iyon.” Renejay paused, then added, “Kasi public lang po ako galing, tapos ganoon yung tingin niya sa akin.”
Akosi Dogie: ‘Binato ako sa mukha ng PlayStation ng Ermats ko.’
Of all the esports personalities we’ve interviewed, nearly all shared how their parents used to get angry with how they kept playing. Apparently, Dogie is no different. In fact, his mother threw a gaming console at his face when he was younger.
“Binato nga po ako ng PlayStation sa mukha ng ermats ko eh. Kasi po noon, hate na hate ko pong pumasok ng school, super hate ko. Hinihintay ko umalis for work yung Mommy ko sa umaga. Lalabas kami nang sabay, siya sasakay ng bus tapos ako, kunwari hihintayin ko yung bus ko pero aantayin ko siyang makaalis tapos babalik ako sa bahay para maglaro,” Dogie tells Spin.ph's Abo Limos.
Dogie smiles as he reminisces on this core memory. After a pause, he feels sympathy for his mother.
“Na-realize ko ngayon, syempre yung Mommy ko po nagwo-work. Hindi ko na-realize iyon noong bata pa ako, ang gusto ko lang noon ay yung gusto ko. Pero noong naging magulang ako, na-realize ko, yung Mommy ko po noon, nagtatrabaho ng three jobs para lang masustentuhan kami, binabayaran niya iyong kuryente, uuwi siya at siya pa maghuhugas ng mga pinggan at magluluto para sa amin, babayaran din niya yung internet, halos lahat siya ang umaako. Tapos makikita niya iyong anak niya na hindi pala pumapasok, uuwi sa bahay para lang mag-computer.
Silence.
Now that he’s successful, he makes sure that his family in the Philippines and in Belgium no longer experiences brownout because of unpaid electric bills and experience the finer things in life.
“Si Kuya ko po, sinusutentuhan ko po, hati po kami sa apartemnt sa Belgium kahit wala na po ako doon. Tapos dito sa Pilipinas, tinutulungan ko po Ate ko. Yung Mommy ko naman po, sabi niya, tulungan ko na lang daw po mga kapatid ko, kahit huwag na siya dahil may trabaho naman daw siya at nandoon naman daw iyong stepdad ko. Every time na nagbabakasyon sila dito sa Pilipinas, ako po ang sumasagot sa iba’t iba nilang mga gastusin or lakad. Ako po iyong nag-push na magbakasyon sa Bolinao, para ma-feel nila iyong bakasyon po talaga.
Akosi Dogie never expected to be famous.
Looking back on the years 2017 to 2018 when Dogie started streaming Mobile Legends, he admits he never dreamed of becoming famous. In fact, he only realized he was famous as recently as 2020 when he broke up with his ex-girlfriend, Chix at 2:00 a.m.
That incident triggered a national conversation, with Dogie in the center of the maelstrom. It was the first time he realized that the personal decisions he makes, whether he liked it or not, create an impact on a very, very wide scale.
That day, he received thousands of messages from all his social media platforms, and his breakup became the subject of thousands of pages on social media.
“Doon ko na-realize na iyong impact ko is ang laki. Every social media page, ako iyong naging topic at that time, sabi ko, ‘Oh my God, ganito na pala.’ Kasi hindi po talaga ako lumalabas noon, sa loob lang ako ng bahay, naglalaro ng games.
Before he became what he is today, his most pressing concerns were to be able to pay rent and to eat three times a day.
“Iniisip ko lang po noon, makapag-stream ako, ma-sustain ko lang iyong apartment namin sa Belgium, makakain three times a day, masayang masaya na po ako doon. Noong time na iyon, hindi ko inisip na kailangan ko ng mga mamahaling bagay. Sabihin na nating tsamba na dumating ang Facebook Gaming, nag-offer ang Moonton, I was at the right place at the right time. Para pong tumaya ako sa lotto at nanalo ako, tsamba. Kahit sabihin nating hard work is hard work, pero may kasama pa ring luck iyon.
‘Hard work beats talent po talaga.’
The only advice Dogie left for aspiring esports players: Hard work and a good deal of luck.
“Hard work beats talent po talaga. Hard work beats talent, and syempre kasama din doon ang luck. Pero para sa akin po talaga, hard work. Walang sikreto to be successful. Sabihin nating na hardworker ka, after 10 years, napagod ka tapos doon ka na nagka-breakthrough. Iyong iba, magbe-breakthrough nang maaga. Depende po talaga sa luck ng tao iyon eh. And hard work, hard work lang talaga, huwag sumuko.
From: Esquiremag.ph.
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