As SEA Games closes, age of esports begins
The lights have been turned off at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan. By the time the sun shines the day after the SEA Games closing ceremony, there will hardly be a trace of the battle for golds that took place there. But it is clear now, judging by the reception of fans and the widespread media coverage, that esports has maneuvered itself into the mainstream sports realm. And it is here to stay.
The neon haze of PC screens and mobile phones at San Juan's Filoil Flying V Arena has begun to fade following the closing ceremony of the 30th Southeast Asian Games’s esports disciplines, but the fire still burns in the hearts of our national athletes—casting a bright light into the future of this burgeoning industry. For a first-time showing in southeast asia, Philippine National Team Sibol came out strong. Out of six esports events, Sibol took home five medals (3 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze) which is the most out of all the competing countries, and is especially noteworthy given the context: these 2019 SEA Games introduced esports as a multi-sport medalled event for the first time ever, sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee. In the team-based games, the Philippines celebrates two groups for taking home the gold. On Dec. 8, the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang team claimed the nation’s first gold medal after a fierce display of tenacious perseverance as they pushed past Indonesia’s match point at game 3 of 5. Despite their opponents’ early lead, Sibol regained their footing by game 4. And with game 5 evening out the field at 2–2, SIBOL-MLBB saw gold, rode their momentum, and sealed the deal. The next day, Sibol-dota 2 clashed against Thailand in their hard-fought battle. Mirroring their MLBB brothers from the day before, our Dota 2 competitors struggled in the early games of their series. Things looked grim for Sibol as the Thais won match after match, until in the final round of the series they reset their minds and switched tactics. After one fateful skirmish and a perfectly-placed Black Hole 39 minutes into the match, the tables turned and the rest of the game was defined as one that Team Philippines would win. In the individual esports, all our delegates played their hearts out but only one secured the win. Sibol’s Starcraft II champion Caviar “Enderr” Acampado lived up to his alias after ending Singapore delegate Thomas “Blysk” Kopankiewicz’s title bid, by winning 4–1 in the title match. “I’m really happy and at the same time relieved that I didn’t disappoint our countrymen and all of our fans and supporters,” Acampado said after his historic win. “My opponents were really tough but fortunately my preparation along with the program we had prior to the SEA Games helped me a lot. This is for all who believed in us.” And what a training regimen it was. One month before the SEA Games, Acampado honed his skills by climbing the Starduring Craft II ranked ladder. In the week leading up to the event, he even started contacting his old friends from other regions to scrim on a nightly basis, developing the optimal strategies to take against specific playstyles. All this on top of Team Liyab's training schedule: a minimum of 8 hours a day doing match studies, game practice, physical workouts, and mental coaching. Liyab is the professional esports team of Globe in partnership with Mineski, from where Enderr hails. As full as Enderr's day sounds, Liyab actually takes steps to prevent their players from overexerting themselves training and burning out. “We want Liyab athletes to treat esports as their careers and jobs,” explains Gerald Sobrepeña, Marketing & Player Development Manager for Liyab Esports. “That's why we regulate their training hours. They receive monthly salaries depending on their skill set and what they can contribute in their specific discipline. They also receive raises just like regular employees, depending on how they performed for that specific tournament calendar.” During the SEA Games itself, Acampado’s road to victory was consistently stellar. Enderr reigned over Group B in the eliminations—including a victory over Kopankiewicz—and advanced to the knockout round with a perfect record. In the semis, Acampado had to dig deep against a very familiar opponent and tormentor in the winners’ bracket. Against Vietnam’s Trân “Meomaika” Hông Phúc, Enderr proved steadier in the clutch to eke out a thrilling win over his rival to enter the gold medal match. Enderr won the match in a heart-stopping base race to assure himself at least the silver medal. Kopankiewicz, on the other hand, bounced back from his earlier loss to Acampado by beating local bet Derick “Nuks” Santos and compatriot Toh “Lobo” Wei Liang Alvin in four games to clinch the other ticket to the finals. As if Enderr's story wasn’t impressive enough, it should be noted that his opponents, Blysk and Meomaika, are highly decorated Starcraft II competitors themselves. They hold ranks #105 and #53 respectively in the Starcraft II World Championship Series at the time of this publication. Enderr himself is #72 in said rankings. The Starcraft II WCS is a professional tournament series organized and sanctioned by the game’s developer and publisher, Blizzard Entertainment. With this achievement, Acampado became the first Filipino individual esports champion in the Southeast Asian Games. And while he and indeed all the esports athletes are certainly walking away feeling fulfilled for having made their respective countries proud, their participation and accomplishments at these biennial games speak to an ideal much bigger than themselves. “Enderr’s hard work, perseverance and faith finally gets rewarded. And it couldn’t come at any better place than the biggest sporting event in the region,” says Ernest Cu, Globe President and CEO. “Hopefully, his win will solidify further the acceptance and recognition of esports as a legitimate discipline in the country and solid source of gold medals in future Southeast Asian Games.” What Cu, the PHILSGOC, Razer Inc., Blizzard, and everyone else who supported bringing esports to the 2019 SEA Games realize is that the advent of esports carries with it an opportunity to thrive in real life outside of video games. The spotlight will always shine brightest on the esports athletes, but their success is shared among all those who support the industry: shoutcasters, observers, coaches, technicians, marketers, educators, and more. Esports’s rising tidal wave will lift all these ships and bring careers, education, and purpose to hundreds, if not thousands of Filipinos. “This augurs well for the further development of esports in the Philippines,” Cu predicts. We will welcome that future with open arms, should it come to be. For now, we celebrate the victories our esports athletes have brought home, as we all win as one.