SHOWBIZ BEAT MEDIA

Minana Esports launched ‘The Greatness in our Blood’ event last Sunday, November 13, at the Trinoma activity center.

The three key pillars of the event were gaming show matches, music, and fan experiences. Showbiz Beat Media was lucky enough to ask two of the esports team’s content creators regarding their beginnings in the online gaming world, as well as the risks they took to get to where they are.

Lhea Bernardino, who attended the event, has been playing online games ever since she was a little girl, and she stressed that this must be because of her male siblings’ influence. Back then, she already liked Gundam, Ragnarok, and other online games. However, she was deprived of sleep and she only took a break to focus on her studies. She tried her hand at different ventures, until she rose to fame.

She admits that all of this was made possible by taking risks. “Nag-YOLO (you only live once) po ako. Yung last money ko from eatery and food business, pinangbili ko ng computer,” she said. However, it still took her 3 to 4 years of grinding to be able to reach her goal.

Hypebits, on the other hand, traces back his early online gaming days tom playing Command and Conquer: Yuri’s Revenge, as well as DOTA (Defense of the Ancients). He also tried his hand at Starcraft, Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom, and Diablo. “Yung pagpasok ko talaga sa gaming industry, hindi siya as planned. Kasi, way back 3 years ago, nung first month ko, parang nagdecide ako kung pipiliin ko ba yung trabaho, yung day jpb, tapos yung passion ko sa gaming,” he said.

Like Bernardino, he also did a YOLO. “Walang nakakaalam nito, pero sinanla ko yung motor ko way back,” he confessed. At that time, giveaways were the thing and it so happened that he had to buy a lot of items for his PC. “Siguro ang nangyari nun, parang may kumurot lang sa’kin, kasi sobrang nakakapagog na 8 hours a day talaga. Ayun. Dun ako nag-start. And then, the rest is history na,” he said.

For Hypebits, public activities like this launch is important for him as an online creator. “Nagblossom kami nung pandemic so we don’t really have bonding sa mga fans namin. So, eto yung parang isa sa mga big event. And, this is the perfect time para makapag-give back kami sa fans namin…makasama namin sila, makalaro.” he said.

“Same lang po kay Hypebits, kasi siyempre kami, nasa apat na sulok lang kami ng gaming room araw-araw. And yung feeling na makikita kami personal ng mga fans namin, ng supporters namin…actually, wala po sa isip namin na may pupunta kami dito para makita kami eh,” said Lhea Bernardino, regarding the event’s relevance to her as a gamer and a creator.

She added that the creators are also excited to see their fans and not just the other way around. Hypebits referenced a keyboard in advising aspiring gaming creators: “Always press W. Never do backspace, kasi, as long as you’re doing well, gusto mo yung ginagawa mo… kung passionate ka about it, trust me, you will flourish.” Bernardino advised aspiring content creators not to bash, because they persevered to get to where they are and thought about their unique branding.

Minana lifestyle and gaming brand is powered by Singapore-based sports startup and Web3 proponent Ampverse. Joining Hypebits and Lhea Bernardino in the Minana esports team are ChooxTV, KingJasro, Eric “Eruption” Tai, and Elanorm.