‘I was so poor as a child I shared a bed with 7 siblings — now I’m worth $300,000 thanks to esports’

RIYADH: When it comes to tales of rags to riches, Rowgien “Owgwen” Unigo’s story is hard to beat. As a youngster, he shared a bed — not just a room — with his seven siblings. Now, as a 23-year-old professional esports player, he has career earnings of $300,000.

“I grew up in a very poor family,” Owgwen, from Quezon City in the Philippines, and a world champion roamer for Saudi Arabia’s Team Falcons in “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang,” states matter-of-factly.

“We are seven siblings and we just lived in our grandparents’ house. All seven of us shared one big bed. I’m the eldest. Sometimes my other siblings would wake up during the night because the space in the bed wasn’t big enough for all of us. It meant we suffered from lack of sleep.”

The family also struggled to feed themselves. His mother, who ironically worked in a restaurant, and 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 Owgwen. “The broth was from a neighbor for free. The rice was from our grandmother, whose house we all lived in. It wasn’t enough with seven siblings. It was really hard.”

Despite all this, he developed a passion and talent for gaming, playing whenever and wherever he could with friends and people he met who saw his ability.

Owgwen, whose incredible gaming moves are adored by millions of fans across the globe, remembers quite vividly the first time he won a “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang” amateur tournament in the Philippines.

“I thought: ‘there’s money here,’” he recalls. “I won — I won money for winning these tournaments, and that helped a lot when it came to providing for my family. As an eldest son, it helped my family survive through everyday life.”

His dream was to become a professional esports player. The barrier to that, as a 19-year-old still to be signed up, was getting time off from his job as a call center agent to compete as much as possible and be spotted.

“Luckily, Coach Ducky scouted me,” says Owgwen of Francis “Ducky” Glindro, a fellow Filipino who is the coach for Team Falcons. “He secured me my spot in esports and the rest is my journey.”

Owgwen adds: “I support three siblings. They are only children — aged 14, 12 and 11 — and are still going to school. I help my family provide for what they need. And, of course, the bills I help with too.

“It means a lot to me to be able to do that. Life is hard when you don’t have anything, and you have to survive in your life. It helps my family, and me, to experience a normal life.

“I’ve made, like, $300,000. It’s been life-changing for me and my family. It makes me feel really good I can give my family whatever lifestyle they want.

“What motivates me the most is that I came from poverty. It really drives me to compete and play competitively against my opponents.”

In addition to supporting his family, he also recently set up his first business — an internet cafe and gaming hub in Binangonan, around 30 km from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. His dad helps him run the gaming hub.

“Business is booming,” Owgwen smiles.

Growing up, Owgwen could never have dreamed of the places that his gaming exploits have taken him to around the world. Having traveled on a 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 venture is the Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia, the largest gaming festival in the world, running for eight weeks from July 3 until Aug. 25 at Boulevard Riyadh City.

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 prize pool of $60 million, the largest in the history of esports, and truly life-changing money.

With Owgwen in fine form, Team Falcons qualified for the “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang” final earlier this month at the Esports World Cup. However, in an incredible game-for-the ages showpiece, in front of a raucous crowd at a packed Saudi Esports Federation Arena, they were beaten 4-3 by Malaysian outfit Selangor Red Giants.

As disappointed as Owgwen was, overcoming setbacks is something the Filipino knows all too well. 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 Owgwen. “Saudi Arabia supports esports. It really helps us shine as athletes that otherwise might not have the opportunities. It really means a lot to me. I think it’s a pleasure to serve Team Falcons here.

“They have trusted us with their name. We made it to the Grand Final but sadly we didn’t win the championship. But it was still a great experience for us in our journey here in Saudi Arabia.”

Asked whether he wants to become a millionaire through esports, Owgwen replies: “I’m not focused on the money. I’m focusing much more on winning esports games and helping my teammates be better on our ‘ML:BB’ journey.”

And his message to those who were once just like him, with only their dreams and love of family to live for?

“Don’t stop,” he says. “Don’t stop catching your passion. If you really like your passion then you won’t have any regrets, and you too can come this far.”