From Lolas to School Flames: ESF Cebu 2015 Brings Different People Together
Last weekend, people from all over the Philippines made the trip down south to the beautiful city of Cebu to take part in the Esports Festival (ESF) 2015. The crowd present came from all walks of life and its a wonderful thing seeing how diverse the fans of eSports can be. Seeing different people uniting for the love of gaming can be quite the inspiring spectacle. Check it out.
This Mother and Son Cosplay Tandem
Jack Daniel Soler as Tychus Findlay from StarCraft 2
His most ardent admirer is his mother, Maribel Diaz-Soler (left most).
Jack Daniel Soler has been cosplaying since 2012 and ever since he started, he just couldn’t step on the brakes. The 29-year-old has also cosplayed as the iconic Master Chief from the Halo series.
Jack seems to have a knack for sci-fi armor and the talent with rubber sheets to back it up. Maybe along with the release of Fallout 4 in the coming months, Jack might just scrap up some Brotherhood of Steel style Power Armor in the coming months.
Cosplayers all have fans but Jack’s most loving one is his very own mother. Maribel Diaz-Soler, a former Miss Manila winner and a runner up in the 1974 Ms. Philippines, is not shy from the spotlight and loves being by her son’s side when he cosplays. She even wears anime wigs and other trinkets on the side when attending such events. Mothers and sons all have their specific way of spending time together but this one takes the cake.
The Multi-Talented Mistah J
29-year-old Joshua Andrino stole the spotlight at ESF Cebu with his very spot-on portrayal of the Joker. Cosplaying isn’t just about looking the part but also acting and sounding the part. Joshua did this with flying colors.
He’s a fan of dynamic personalities having done Loki from the Marvel Movies as well as the memorable crazy primate Mojo Jojo from the Powerpuff Girls. He is actually just a high school teacher by day but cosplaying lead him to meeting Jack Daniel Soler. Together the two eventually starred in the TV5 Cebu production Guardian Blade Saga. Talk about serendipity, huh?
Gaming Love
HRM student, Erbie Justoba is a bonafide gamer girl. She loves playing League of Legends, Dota 2 and even CrossFire. The 19-year-old has also cosplayed as Asuna Yuuki from Sword Art Online and Rea Sanka from the Sankarea anime series. Her boyfriend and block mate is also an avid gamer so the two find gaming as a way to spend time together while doing what they love.
The Support play from Upper Management is strong
One interesting tournament that was held in ESF Cebu was the Corporate Dota 2 Tournament. Not all of us can banner the names of Mineski or Arcanys in competitive Dota 2, so the next best thing was raising the flag of the companies you work for.
Something along the lines of Teleperformance vs. JPMorgan was going to be an interesting match up regardless of anonymous players. This team called DJD Engineering has been working together for months before joining the Corporate Dota 2 Tournament.
Captain Jade Diendo says that they’ve been friends since high school so they decided to work together in the same company. Rather than go drinking together they would rather play Dota 2 after work. They average 4k MMR playing together so they decided to join the ESF to try their luck in competitive gaming.
The King of Fighting Games (also Pharmacy Owner)
Donald “PBE.don” Gimperoso is one of the best Ultimate Street Fighter 4 players in the Philippines. While he isn’t wrecking havoc as Evil Ryu, he is managing a pharmacy shop and also dabbles in buying and selling of cars.
Don says that if you really are passionate about something you find time to fit it in your schedule no matter what. Staying on top of your button combos takes hours of practice and Don finds ways to do just that. True gamers always find the time.
International Feels
This maybe a Philippine tournament but ESF Cebu saw the participation of two all-Korean teams in their League of Legends tournament. Divine Blessing features Korean players who have lived all over the world and now find themselves residing in the city of Cebu.
Team Captain, Kim “DvB.Limit” Hyung Bin, says they’ve experience playing in the NA and EU scene so it is a very interesting challenge to tackle the PH scene. Divine Blessing had a very respectable showing in the LoL division, finishing in the top 4. Most of them have been in the Philippines for at least 2 years. Playing LoL gives them a way to hang out with the local Korean community.
The diversity that came down to ESF Cebu 2015 is quite the interesting microcosm. However, one thing is absolutely clear. Gaming unites.
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