'It's like heaven for esports players,' says Riyad Ayanami after the victory
RIYADH: With the whitest of sands, the most golden of sunsets and the look-your-feet-clear aquamarine waters, Cebu Island in the Philippines epitomizes a beautiful honeymoon destination.
Not everyone there, however, is happy while their time away at the beach.
Each of the Omega Empress players — who recently won the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Women's Invitational at the Esports World Cup in Boulevard Riyadh City — is from the island. But while it will always be home, the team has also found its place in the state-of-the-art Saudi Esports Federation Arena and its surroundings.
“It's like heaven for esports players,” says Omega Empress player Knot Ayanami, real name Gwyneth Diagon. “Everything is perfect here. The organization, the media, the player care, everything, everything, everything.
Many people get used to indoor life at this time of year as Riyadh's summer temperatures soar above 40 degrees Celsius. Cebu's temperatures may be moderate, but Riyadh's lifestyle has long resonated with the 21-year-old.
“I grew up playing video games, but for others they live by the beach and some of them live by waterfalls and lakes,” she says.
A professional esports player for four years, whose team position is EXP Lane, he added: “You'll never run out of water there; you'll never run out of a waterfall or a beach. I'm not much of an outdoors person. I prefer to stay inside. I like to watch movies, Loves reading books and obviously playing games.
“My family likes to go out. I'm the only one who likes to read books. At some point in my family, 'why the fascination with books?!' It became a heated debate and they asked my books 'why buy books?!' started throwing that. But later it was fine.
“It's what I love, so now I'm a world champion, I can buy as many books as I want! I can buy a library.”
MWI presented the largest prize pool in the history of women's esports – an incredible $500,000. The $180,000 winnings will be shared among a total of Omega Empress players, including Knot Ayanami, gold laner Sheen 'Shinoa' Perez, jungler Kaye 'Keshi' Alpuerto, and mid laner Rika 'Amori' Amores. The team is led by coach Salman Macarambon.
“It's the biggest prize pool, and it's life-changing,” says Knot Ayanami. “I think I'll save most of the money and put some aside to rebuild our house in our province. Maybe I'll use some of it to take seminars on financial education so I can learn how to handle it better.”
Playing against favorites Team Vitality in the final, Omega Empress whitewashed their more fan opponents 3-0. The victory ended a 24-game, three-year winning streak.
“It sounds like a fantasy to me,” Knot Ayanami admitted. “It hasn't really sunk in yet, but I feel very happy and proud of myself that we have brought our country's name to the top.
“We did not expect this. We just played our game. We stayed calm, stayed disciplined, and focused on the game with 100 percent mentality. And that was it. At first, we didn't really think we were the strongest. But now I think we are. It seems very touching.”
As 48 percent of Saudi Arabia's 23.5 million gamers are women, the Philippines star was delighted to see the huge support of women in the crowd during MWI.
Asked if she had a message for them, she replied: “Go for your dreams. Don't let the stereotypical setup say that men are for gaming. I would say that they should make sure that it's really their passion and, if it is, I Suggest they really study the games they're playing. They need to understand how it works. Not like, 'OK, I'm hitting it, I'm good.' It's a quick way to improve.
The EWC runs until August 25 in the city of Boulevard Riyadh and includes 22 global competitions in 21 major sports.
