Owgwen for Business: a world champ roamer’s experiences as a first-time businessman

World champion roamer Rowgien “Owgwen” Unigo of AP Bren is putting his hard-earned championship money to good use by starting up his own business.

While MLBB stars opening up their businesses may be nothing new – such as Tristan “Yawi” Cabrera’s Food Hub and the royal duo of Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” Villaluna and Danerie James “Wise” Del Rosario’s VeeWise Sari-Sari Store which sells clothes and a popular Filipino shrimp delicacy called bagoong alamang (sauteed shrimp paste), Owgwen’s first business venture is something close to Filipino gamers’ hearts: an internet cafe in his hometown of Binangonan in Rizal province, 33 kilometers away from the Philippines’ capital of Manila.

 

“OWGWEN FOR BUSINESS”: Rowgien “Owgwen” Unigo inside his computer shop. (PHOTO COURTESY FACEBOOK/BREN Owgwen)

 

Owgwen says his Gaming Hub has already been operational for a month, and the venture, he says, is already yielding good results.

“Business is booming because there’s a lot of young people who want to play online, and they also want to experience something high-end [in terms of gaming], that’s why they’re drawn to my internet cafe,” Owgwen told reporters on the sidelines of their victory against Minana EVOS last March 24th.

Internet cafes in its heyday have been an all-around source of technology exposure for Filipinos, especially the millennial generations. Internet shops in the country have been known not just to offer internet access, but also printing services, longer-term usage hours called “open time”, and in some cases, Rush ID photo printing and even typing jobs.

It is also the gateway for many Filipinos’ exposure to gaming in a country where technological expenses are set aside to put food on the plate or to send children to school. Many Filipinos grew up to play computer games such as Grand Theft Auto, Warcraft III, Dota 1, Dota 2, League of Legends, Counter-Strike and more through these neighborhood internet cafes.

 

Owgwen’s Gaming Hub offers a standard rate of ₱15, more or less 30 US cents for an hour of PC usage. 4 hours can cost you more or less one US dollar, and for roughly US$2 or ₱100, one can stay for a full working day of 8 hours – perfect for those working remote jobs and had internet connection problems.

“My father and my sibling help me with making sure the business grows,” Owgwen said. “My father is really good with computers and stuff, so his knowledge of the business is a very big help in establishing the computer shop, because my dad knows every corner of that kind of business.

The 21-year-old roamer says, spending his winnings on a business was the first thing he thought of after winning the M5 World Championship on home soil as part of AP Bren.

“That’s really the first thing on my mind since we’re 7 siblings,” Owgwen candidly says. “I really thought of ways to make the most out of the money I won from Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournaments.”

“The first thing that came to my mind was a computer shop because that’s what I basically grew up with, that’s the profession I feel I’m really good at.”

Owgwen is no stranger to a difficult life himself. Having grown from an underprivileged family, he juggled a late-night call center shift and afternoon classes to ensure he was able to study and provide for his family.

Owgwen opened more about his life in a SPIN.ph exclusive back in December.

“There were times that I was on break in the call center because I had teammates who joined me at work. So, every 1-hour break, we had time to practice and chat about the meta,” he told SPIN.ph.

Those chats may have paid off – as after grinding his way through MPL qualifiers, small village tournaments, and eventually becoming the World Champion Roamer that he is today, Owgwen was able to pursue his dream of playing pro in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and provide for his family while doing the thing he most loved.

 

Snaps of Owgwen’s esports journey. Owgwen has won tournaments both for AP.Bren and as part of SIBOL, the Philippines’ national esports team. (PHOTO COURTESY FACEBOOK/BREN Owgwen)

And with the Gaming Hub now online, Owgwen’s fame and popularity is also helping drive sales up. He tells reporters, people have been messaging him to time their visits whenever he’s there, just to get a feel of the place and have selfies with him as well.

Owgwen also has tips for fellow esports players wanting to venture into their own businesses.

“In terms of tips, it’s better to do research, and see your personal connection to the business you want to establish. If you enter into a business that you like, you won’t feel regrets,” he says in the vernacular.