Ewe on Leaving Execration: “You are not a gamer forever.”
by Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas and Juan Carlo Candido “Jucasa” Saquin
“You’re not a gamer forever.”
These are the words of team Execration’s former position three player (offlane), Earlwin “Ewe” Libre, in an exclusive interview with eSports Inquirer. Ewe shared his thoughts on the current situation of Philippine eSports and more.
Ewe left the Philippine Dota 2 team from Cavite in order to set up his business — an internet gaming cafe.
Ewe considers putting up an internet cafe business as a form of “self-help” and something more sustainable than being a lifelong competitive player.
“It’s not that you’re going to be a gamer forever,” he said. “I’m just helping myself if ever I’ll quit playing Dota.”
This is the same thought that The Net.Com (TnC) owner and manager Eric Redulfin expressed about gaming, saying that being a gamer is not a “job for life”.
Possible names for Ewe’s internet cafe include: Battle Grounds, Arena or Area 1.
“Ginagawa pa lang lahat, by the end of December [okay] na ‘yun,” Ewe said.
Taking a break
“They asked me to take a break.”
This was Ewe’s answer when asked if Execration booted him or just asked him to lie low. He got out of Execration allegedly due to his “risky playstyle” which caused their consecutive losses.
After departing from the team, he admitted that he received a lot of offers from other gaming organizations but refused them due to personal commitments.
“There are teams who wanted to get me but the problem is I’m busy with a lot of things,” Ewe said. “I’m still playing however it’s all pub (public matchmaking) games.”
“I’ll focus first in the meantime on our family business,” Ewe said. “If it stabilizes then that’s the time I’ll get back into competitive gaming”. He added that he might get back in the professional scene around March or April.
“And if ever someone picks me up by that time, it would be better if it’s my former team,” Ewe said. “Execration lang.”
Ewe said that there’s no conflict or any sort of misunderstanding between him and Execration.
“We don’t have any conflict, we are all friends,” Ewe said. “[Execration] do your best and I’ll watch you choke in your games Kimo. I hope the curse is gone.”
No strings attached
Player contracts have been a rising issue, not only in Philippine eSports, but in the eSports industry in general.
Ewe also said that the lack of contracts between the players and teams contributes directly to how easily players can get terminated from a team.
“Contracts do have a connection with the player’s status,” Ewe said. “One can not easily play for another team if the team did not give you an letter or a proof that you got booted from another team.”
Ewe, who was with Execration for three intermittent years, disclosed that there were no existing contracts between him and the team.
“For us longtime players of Execration, I think there’s no contract. It’s the matter of testing how loyal are you to your team. Maybe it (contracts) is for formality sake, if ever there is such,” Ewe said.
“I think in 2015 the player contracts will be implemented,” he added.
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