With over a hundred thousand subscribers, there’s no denying how successful June Mar Fajardo’s AHOS gaming has turned out to be.
His YouTube channel alone has over 108,000 subscribers, and the reigning six-time PBA Most Valuable Player has been profiting off it nicely — so much so that he was able to launch his start-up Kraken Apparel last May.
On the other hand, his Facebook page, where he does most of his gaming live streams, has 105,212 followers as of this publishing.
Being in touch with the gaming community has also made him, even more, admired not just by his fellow Pinoys — remember when OG posted a meme due to his resemblance with midlaner Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen?
But while most people see the success Fajardo has been enjoying with AHOS Gaming, some do not know, perhaps, is how it all began.
In a guest appearance in 2OT, presented by SMART Friday, the 31-year-old revealed that he felt depressed during the early months of his recovery from the gruesome shin injury he suffered back in February of 2020.
“Nung first four, five months nung na-injure ako, sobrang na-depress ako,” he shared. “Tapos, wala akong makausap. As in. ‘Yun ata yung lowest point ng ano ko, sobrang down ko. Wala akong makausap sa bahay. Kasi dalawa lang kami sa bahay, yung bestfriend ko. E ‘di naman kami naguusap [masyado] e. Tapos injured ako, nasa room lang ako lagi.
“Alam mo ‘yung nasa room ka lang tapos ‘di ka naman nakakatulog, tapos ‘yung nafi-feel mo pain lang kasi sobrang sakit pa nung injury kasi fresh pa. As in wala akong makausap. Naguusap kami ng parents ko, pero ‘di naman ganun kadalas kasi ayoko rin silang kausapin lagi kasi alam ko naman na magaalala sila sa’kin e.”
It was definitely a tough situation to be in for anyone, but Fajardo simply thought of a way to somehow, someway, alleviate the mental stress he was going through. And so, he decided to come up with a page to stream.
He would stream his DOTA 2 and Call of Duty games. He also played Mobile Legends while in his downtime, he would boot up his PlayStation and Xbox.
Why stream, you wonder? “Sabi ko, kailangan ko ng makakausap … naisip ko, ‘Gawa kaya ako ng channel?’ Facebook channel, tapos mag-stream lang ako kahit walang camera para lang may interaction, para may makakausap.”
So, around April, AHOSgaming was born on FB, with the aim of not just interacting with other gamers but also to create a safe environment for those involved — or what the page’s cover photo says, “Good vibes only.”
The rest, as they say, is history.
But more than the success of AHOSgaming, what the San Miguel Beermen star really appreciates the most in his endeavor is how it helped him cope with what he described as the lowest point of his life.
“Yung online games nag-save sa akin.
“Malaking tulong yung pagstri-stream ko. Nagpapasalamat pala ako sa lahat ng nag-follow sa akin sa streaming ko kahit hindi naman ako magaling pero nandoon sila sumusuporta sa akin, kinakausap ako so malaking bagay yun para sa akin. Hindi nila alam na natutulungan nila ako doon,” he said.
“Sa akin kasi, ‘yung online games parang ‘yun ‘yung way. ‘Yung iba pupunta sila sa ibang lugar para mag-unwind. ‘Yun ‘yung way ko. ‘Pag malungkot ako, nago-online games ako, ‘pag masaya ako nago-online games ako. ‘Yun ‘yung ginawa ko. Wala naman akong ibang hobby, hindi naman ako nagna-night life, hindi naman ako mahilig pumunta sa ibang lugar para mag bakasyon. So ‘yung online games lang ‘yung kinagigiliwan ko, ‘yun ‘yung hobby ko, ‘yun ‘yung pampalipas-oras ko. Malaking bagay ‘yun para sa akin, ‘yun ‘yung tumulong sa akin,” he expressed.
