Going through Twitter (Yes, I still refuse to call it X) last night, I stumbled upon a trend where I saw a picture of Mount Rushmore but with Esports figures. The original photo (that I saw at least) had League of Legends superstar Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, Counter-Strike god Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, and Fortnite wunderkind Peter “Peterbot” Kata.
So it got me thinking… who would be worthy faces if we had a Philippine version on Mt. Makiling. I’ve been around the local scene since 2015 so I’ve seen its fair share of ups and downs and definitely the ugly side too. But this time I just want to reminisce and think about the names who in my opinion helped shape Philippine Esports to where it is today.
Father of Philippine Esports: Ronald Robins
Before arenas, before franchise leagues, before brand deals, there were computer shops and organized chaos and Mineski’s Ronald Robins who helped start it all.
With his famous “Gaming is not a deadend” quote, Ronald Robins helped kickstart in making gaming in the Philippines not just a hobby, but a way for the truly talented to make money. With his business savvy, he helped the internet cafe boom and work his way in normalizing that professional video gaming is a proper career choice.
From his Mineski internet cafes and the start of the legendary Mineski Events Team, Robins created the foundations of the industry today and he deserves to be here front and center because he opened the opportunities for not just players but for League Ops, Production, and everyone else.
The Pioneer: EnDerr
Long before mobile games dominated the Philippine esports scene, there was StarCraft, and back then this game was considered the barometer for esports greatness, and a singular name put Philippines on the map and his name is Caviar Napoleon ‘EnDerr’ Marquises-Acampado.
EnDerr started playing Starcraft: Brood War, the original game of the series at 12-years-old, and helped jumpstart his career as the best ever Filipino player in StarCraft history. While the international scene was dominated by South Koreans and the West, EnDerr dominated the Philippine and Southeast Asian region with his godly Zerg play. People even joked that EnDerr was so good that he made Filipinos quit StarCraft II because they knew they were never going to beat him.
To cap it off, EnDerr won a Gold Medal for the Philippines in the 2019 SEA Games beating out Indonesia’s Kopankiewicz “Blysk” Thomas for the glory.
He symbolizes the first wave of Filipinos stepping onto the global stage not as hopefuls, but as legitimate competitors and today’s generation needs to know what EnDerr did.
The Talisman: DJ
If Robins built locally and EnDerr proved global access was possible, Djardel “DJ” Mampusti represents the moment the Philippines truly belonged in International Tier 1 competitions.
DJ was the first big international superstar for Philippine Dota 2. With his flashy support plays and his longevity in the ever-changing Dota 2 meta, DJ was a player that any team would be glad to have.
With a career that has lasted well over a decade and having played for international organizations such as Fnatic, Rave, Bleed Esports, and BOOM Esports to name a few, DJ helped prove that the Filipino talent in video games is absolutely world-class. The west, the east, basically the world of Dota 2 knows who DJ is and he freaking deserves it.
Who is your fourth?
These names helped set the stage for what Philippine esports has become today. While mobile games particularly dominate the scene locally today. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Honor of Kings have continued to cement their position in the pantheon of Philippine esports, so moving forward it would really be their names that would be etched in history. But let me give credit where it is due, so I wanted to look back in StarCraft 2 and in Dota 2.
A modern pick for the fourth face to be carved could definitely belong to Blacklist International legends Johnmar “OhMyV33Nus” Villaluna who was a real trailblazer for mobile esports or Karl “Karltzy” Nepomuceno, a decorated Mobile Legends: Bang Bang world champion.
But who do you think belongs in a hypothetical Mt. Rushmore of Philippine Esports?