By: Jan Marcus Montevirgen
During the MPL Philippines Season 14 Playoffs lower bracket finals matchup between Aurora and Falcons AP, Chery Tiggo blocker Aby Maraño came by to watch the league on-site.
She was there to support her idol Jonmar “OhMyV33NUS” Villaluna and the Aurora team.
After the fourth game of the best-of-seven series, the press had the opportunity to interview Maraño, where she shared how she got into Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB).
The 31-year-old middle blocker started playing MLBB during the pandemic, when the Premier Volleyball League was on hold due to the global surge of COVID-19. Maraño mentioned that the game significantly helped her cope, particularly in maintaining her mental health.
She revealed that her role in MLBB is mid-lane, which she compares to her position in volleyball—supporting the main attacker to help secure victory.
Despite coming from a traditional, physical sport like volleyball, Maraño views esports as a legitimate sport. She pointed out that many people still associate sports solely with physical activities, which limits their understanding of esports.
“Siguro kulang lang sila sa knowledge on the sport that we have right now. Kasi alam niyo naman for so long, decades ang pinaguusapan, ‘pag sinabing sports, physical sports ang nasa isip ng [karamihan],” she explained.
“Konti yung awareness ng nakakarami. It’s more on the Gen Z and millennial side lang yung mas nakaka in-the-know ngayon but definitely in the more years to come, mas lalaki pa yung esports, mas dadating pa yung mas malawak na avenue for esports na makikilala siya sa hindi lang sa Pilipinas kundi sa around the world talaga.”
When asked about the differences between esports players and traditional athletes, Maraño noted that she sees no real difference, as both groups share the same discipline, mindset, and mentality to win.
She also emphasized that esports players make sacrifices for their love of the game, just like traditional athletes.
“Pero kung tutuusin yung sport na esports may disiplina talaga eh. Mga players natin dito nagsa-sakripisyo den ng oras para sa pamilya nila, sa mga kaibigan, meron din silang bootcamp,” Maraño said.
“Same na same. So masasabi mo talagang sport ito. Hindi mo talaga sila pwedeng isantabi or hindi isama. Bakit? Kasi same lang din naman yung pinagdadaanan naming mga atletang Pilipino.”
