I was so poor as a kid that I shared a bed with 7 siblings – now I'm worth $300,000 thanks to eSports.
RIYADH: When it comes to get-rich stories, Rowgien “Owgwen” Unigo's is tough. As a youth, he shared a bed—not just a room—with his seven siblings. He now earns $300,000 as a 23-year-old professional eSports player.
“I grew up in a very poor family,” says Owgwen from Quezon City in the Philippines and the Roaming World Champion of Saudi Arabia's Falcons team in “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.”
We are seven siblings and we just lived in our grandparents house. All seven of us shared a big bed. I'm older and sometimes my other siblings would wake up during the night because the bed space wasn't big enough for all of us. “It meant we were suffering from a lack of sleep.”
The family also faced problems to feed themselves. His mother, who ironically worked in a restaurant, and his unemployed father divorced when he was young.
“We were so poor that we only had broth and rice to eat—broth and rice every day, every week,” says Oguen. “The broth was free from the neighbor. The rice was from our grandmother, in whose house we all lived. Seven siblings were not enough. It was really hard.”
Despite all this, he developed his passion and talent for acting and played whenever and wherever he could with friends and people he saw and saw his ability.
Owgwen, whose incredible gaming moves are admired by millions of fans around the world, vividly remembers the first time he won an amateur “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang” tournament in the Philippines.
“I thought, 'Here's the money,'” he recalls. I won – I earned money for winning these tournaments, and it helped support my family a lot. “As an elder son, he helped my family survive in everyday life.”
His dream was to become a professional eSports player. The obstacle, as an unregistered 19-year-old, was taking time off from her job as a call center agent to compete as much as possible and be seen.
“Fortunately, Coach Ducky recognized me,” said Oguen of Francis “Ducky” Glendro, a fellow Filipino who coaches the Falcons. He secured my place in eSports and the rest is my journey.
Owgwen adds: “I support three siblings. They are only children – 14, 12 and 11 – and they still go to school. I help my family to provide for what they need. .and of course the bills that I help with.
“It's very important for me to be able to do this. Life is hard when you have nothing and you have to survive in your life. It helps me and my family to experience a normal life.
I made $300,000. It has changed my life and that of my family. It makes me feel so good to be able to offer my family whatever lifestyle they want.
“The biggest motivation for me is that I came from poverty. “It really pushes me to compete and play competitively against my opponents.”
In addition to supporting his family, he recently launched his first business – an Internet cafe and gaming center in Binangonan, about 30 kilometers from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. His father helps him run the game center.
“Business is booming,” Ogun smiles.
Growing up, Ogun could never have dreamed of the places his gaming exploits have taken him around the world. Having traveled by plane for the first time two years ago, when he was 21, he has since been to Cambodia, Indonesia, Romania, Japan and Saudi Arabia.
The latest action is the Sports World Cup in Saudi Arabia, the biggest gaming festival in the world, which will be held for eight weeks from July 3 to August 25 on Riyadh City Blvd.
The Elite Competition is where the best players and clubs on the planet battle it out for the Esports World Cup Club Championship. The tournament has a $60 million prize pool, the largest in eSports history, and is truly life-changing.
With Ogwon in fine form, the Falcons reached the finals of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang earlier this month at the Esports World Cup. However, in an incredible game for the ages, they were beaten 4-3 by Malaysia's Selangor Red Giants in front of a raucous crowd at a packed stadium in Saudi Arabia.
Overcoming obstacles is something Filipinos know very well, as Oguen despaired. He also sees the big picture and was blown away by the passion for gaming and esports in the Kingdom.
“It's so big here,” says Ogun. Saudi Arabia supports e-sports. It really helps us shine as athletes that we might not otherwise have the opportunity to. It really means a lot to me. I think it will be a pleasure to serve the Falcon team here.
“They have entrusted us with their name. We reached the grand final but unfortunately we couldn't win the championship. But it was still a good experience for us in our trip to Saudi Arabia.”
Asked if he wants to become a millionaire through esports, Ogun says, “I don't focus on money. “I'm more focused on winning electronic games and helping my teammates be better in our ML:BB journey.”
And his message to those who were once just like him and only lived for their dreams and love of family?
He says: Don't stop. “Don't give up on finding your passion. “If you really love your passion, you won't have any regrets and you can go this far.”
