“A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work is.” - Colin Powell
SOMETIMES, to chase your dreams means you have to make sacrifices.
“Kung wala ko sa esports, siguro ga-eskwela pa gihapon ko, [BS] Civil Engineering siguro [akong kurso] kay mao na gina-estorya sa akong mama ug papa katong wala pa ko ga-Dota (I think if I’m not into esports, I am still studying BS Civil Engineering since that’s what my parents wanted),” Erin Jasper Ferrer, a 21-year old Dabawenyo, Dota 2 Pro Player from Davao City, said.
Known as “Yopaj” in the esports scene, Ferrer decided to pursue his passion for esports at an early age.
It was his friends, brother, and sisters who influenced him to play Dota when he was still young.
However, it was never in his plans to become a pro player. Ferrer said his parents were not in favor of him pursuing his career.
“They are against, since naapektuhan akong studies, hindi man sa ingon nga successful but nagbunga man pud gamay ang career, so nag-support nalang pud sila (since it affected my studies. I would not describe that I am very successful but I what I have been doing is already bearing fruits. When my parents saw this, they started to )” Ferrer said. He added that his family is his number one supporter.
“Last month gani, iba ang oras didto sa US mata gihapon na sila biskan alas kuwatro or alas singko na ang oras aron magtan-aw sa live (Last month, although we have different time zones, they really stayed up late just to watch me compete),” Ferrer said.
In every game, Ferrer said it’s not always a win for them, but his family is always there to cheer him up.
“I-chat ko nila nga ‘okay lang na, bawi lang next time’, tapos pag maabot ko’g Davao, ‘nganong kani inyuhang gi-pick, nganong gipili ni ninyo nga hero? (They will send a message to me like ‘It’s okay son, try again next time,’ then once I’m home in Davao, they will eventually coach me and ask me about the mistakes I made during the game),” Ferrer said, adding that his family, including his parents, would give him an earful about their thoughts on his gameplay.
He said his parents exerted effort to understand the career path he has chosen.
“Gina-learn nila ang dula para makasabot sila kung unsa ilang ginatan-aw (They really took time to learn the game for them to better understand what they are watching),” Ferrer said.
He started his journey with NCGC, a Davao-based esports team. He was then later hired by Execration, a professional esports team based in National Capital Region (NCR). After, he became part of NEON from 2019 to 2021, also based in NCR. Since 2021, he is currently part of Boom Esports, an Indonesian-based team, with two other Filipino pro players.
Recently, the team won the championship title in the BTS Pro Series Season 12: Southeast Asia tournament. They are currently competing in the biggest Dota 2 Tournament in the world, The International 2022, held in Singapore this October 2022. They are already in the Playoffs with 19 other teams who are fighting for the Aegis of Champions, a trophy awarded to the winners of the TI tournament.
Ferrer compares himself to Ember Spirit, a Dota 2 hero, because he said this hero is efficient.
“Paspas siya and kami sa team naa mi routine, naga-exercise mi every morning, so makaingon ko nga productive ko (It is a fast hero. In our team, we would do exercises every morning to be productive),” Ferrer said they are doing this to keep themselves healthy since playing esports most of the time required them to sit the whole day.
Ferrer said if he’s not into Dota 2, he might most likely play first-person-shooter (FPS) games like CSGO and Valorant.
Ferrer said that esports changed his life as he was able to provide for his family. According to esportsearnings.com, Ferrer is one of the highest-earning professional esports players in the country. Statistics by Liquipedia.net said his current total earnings are at $144,943.
“Gahatag pud ka sa imuhang pamilya at the same time syempre gatago pud ka para sa imuhang future (I also give to my parents, at the same time I also save money for myself)” Ferrer said.
Although Ferrer might have been blessed, for now, the pressure is on as anytime, the management may replace him in a blink of an eye.
“Kung dili ka consistent and dili mo-perform og tarong [mailisan ka], makita man gud sa team nga wala ka gahatag og dedication sa team. The number one nga ginapangita sa team is attitude [good] (If you’re not consistent and not performing well, you could lose your spot, your teammates can see your dedication. The number one quality they are looking for is good attitude),” Ferrer said.
Aside from that, mental stability is a must in the esports industry. He said in every match, he needs to be focused on the goal.
“Once maghunahuna ka sa laing bagay, murag mawala ang focus sa imuhang dula, murag mag-change siya (Once you lose focus, it will affect how you play the game),” Ferrer said.
Being in the esports industry can be taxing to mental health because of the criticism and negative remarks from some fans, including fellow Filipinos.
Fortunately, he said their fans in Indonesia are supportive, especially if they fail to win a match.
“Even though sige nami’g kapildi, ga-comment gihapon sila og come back stronger, bawi lang mi sunod (we have lose-streaks, they will still cheer us up to come back stronger next time),” Ferrer said.
Ferrer said he hopes that all their fans would still support them no matter the result of the game.
“Salamat sa inyuhang suporta, unta mosuporta pa mo maskin medyo low performance mi sometimes (Thank you for supporting us, hopefully you will support us until the end or even in our lowest moment),” he said.
Despite all those failures they have faced, Ferrer said you need to believe in yourself to achieve something in your life.
“Siguro kung mobilib ka sa imuhang sarili, ma-achieve nimo ang imuhang gusto-ma-achieve (If you believe in yourself, you will certainly achieve what you wanted),” he said.
Ferrer said all esports enthusiasts or those who wanted to be part of the professional industry should take esports seriously.
“Padalayon lang mo sa pagdula, dapat 100 percent dedicated ka sa game para mahimo kag professional player (Continue playing, always give your 100 percent dedication in the game so that one day you’ll become a professional player),” Ferrer said. KSD