A talk with Rhom

Hello. Rhom. While I know who you are, majority of the community don't. Do you mind doing an introduction about yourself?
-"I am Ronald Robinson "Rhom" Robins, Founder of Mineski Gaming Group back in 2004, played captain for dota team 2004-2009.."

So we know that you stepped down as player/captain of the Mineski DotA team not a while ago. Are there any reasons behind it?
-"There are 2 reasons why i need to pass the responsibility as captain of the DOTA Team to another person. Firstly i am getting married this coming november 20 and im sure that the team does not need a captain that cannot focus on the training methods and focus for the game. Secondly There is more to be done in the Gaming Industry of the Philippines compared to playing and establishing Philippines in the International Scene
Having to make this decision really broke my heart as i am really passionate for this game. But there is always a time for everything and it is just not my time to bring a gold cup for the country.

Married? How old are you?
-"I am currently 24 years old, born on may 25th 1986"

So after stepping down as captain, what have you been up to? Besides planning for your marriage that is.
-"I was already laying low since mid 2009 so that a new captain will be comfortable enough to lead the team, cause I alreaddy planned that the last competitive tournament i will attend was SMM09. That time i had bong lead the team since he is the only person in the team who has almost the same experience as i have in competitive gaming internationally. Since then, I have been finding and making plans for the development of Philippine gaming community. It might sound so familiar as to what other people want in their place(to be like Korea), but the Philippines is starting the engine to reach that point. Due to the fact that Philippine is a third world country with no government support, lousy internet connection, no reliable organizations who support competitive gaming. I decided to take a better direction of my work in dedicating it to push the development of the community by organizing tournaments for all teams to participate.

We built a website for gamers to be updated with strategies and news/events, unifying the haming communities for the "Gaming Dream". All of these are done with Mineski Organization's Mission and Vision in mind. Although everybody might think that Mineski is just a DotA team. There is actually more to it than the eye can see when they talk about Mineski. We have an events team, multiple gaming teams (DotA, LoL, SC, SC2, CS, COD4, MMORPG just to name a few), Cyber Cafes and a web team. All dedicated to push the mission and vision of Mineski. Through the times that i have tried to do all of these made me realize that one man can only do so much, that's why i am very thankful to everybody that is helping the Mineski Organization. I forget to mention, sometimes there are alternative classes in schools where they invite organizations who want to deliver or showcase message. We will be there to advocate responsible gaming."



You've talked about the Vision and Mission of Mineski. What exactly is their mission and vision?
-"You can find them on our website. But I'll list them out anyway. Our Vision is to uplift the current gaming situation in the Philippines and train Philippine's Best Gamers to become World Champions. As for our Mission, we aim at providing the best Gaming Environment to all deserving Gamers and slowly growing together as one as we tackle all games possible in the near future."

So with the Mission and Vision in mind, what events or steps have the organization taken to bring the country's gaming industry forward?
-"Based on the scenes i have personally encountered in different countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and China, there is one thing in common that is consistent tournaments that inspire teams to play seriously and really train. Mineski so far has made the effort to do this. Tournaments that we organized include, PDECT - Philippine DotA Elite Community Tournament (Consistent Online tournaments for top 8 ph teams - weekly matches), AMPGL - Monthly LAN Tournament Starting Jan 2010 - Oct 2010 (To Identify the current best team in the country and send the winner to SMM). We also maintain Garena rooms for best gamers from the country (Mineski-Grounds, Infinity, Battlegrounds). We also run the countries most active gaming site (www.mineski.net). Currently we are working on having WCG Back in Philippines.

Mineski has been leading through example ever since, now we guide other teams to participate in international online/offline tournaments as well, only time will tell when Philippine gaming will shine. Another thing is, we also pay players to play as i learned in Malaysia and China to provide to their daily needs so they can proudly say 'I'm a professional gamer.' Mineski is the first and currently the only organization in the country that does this. Having said that Mineski leads through example, we hope other teams will also get the same with their own salaries from their contacts/resources, this will make everything serious for gamers as money is already on the line."

With money coming into the mix, wont you think it would backfire? Like players/teams choosing the better paying organization. Making the industry seem very unprofessional?
-"It does have minimal effect, but if you are from the Philippines you would know that these players really deserve to be compensated with their hard work. But even with all these in mind, Mineski has a principle of never taking players from teams with potential. Actually many Players from other teams already approached me but I simply don't agree. When a player is driven by the money and not by the passion it will all backfire. Passion for the game must be there or else they are going to be 'Fired' by me. In our country gaming is really a Taboo. People think you are a bum, don't study or a nerd. The only way to show these people the true meaning of eSports is by showing them that gaming provides them with a salary they can be proud of."

Lets talk a little about some of the events that you have organized, Specifically AMPGL. What gave you the idea to organize a 10 month long qualifier for SMM?
-"Ten month long? While playing in SMM2009, we were already the best our country has back then. It made me think, no Philippine team can win internationally unless the gameplay level is high in the country itself. That gave me the idea to boost the skill level of all the teams in the country, not just Mski-DotA through this League which really saw improvement. Seven months past, six different champions. Even teams from Visayas and Mindanao have visited. This just goes to show that AMPGL is the hardest tournament to win here. Mineski will be sponsoring the best team this year to SMM may it be Mski-DotA or not. It will go to the deserving team of the year. We also practice with the latest game version, sometimes we even make the first tournament for the news maps. Cause we don't dwell on past versions as we know it will always go forward, not backward."

As a Filipino, what do you think can be done to improve the image of your fellow countrymen.
-"There is nothing we can do about the current image of Filipino's on forums as trolls. It can vary depending on the perception of the readers themselves. In Philippines, DotA is too famous to be evolving only around hardcore players it also carries to other categories. There are youngsters who age from 10-15, hardcores 16-23 and veterans 24 onwards. As usual maturity says it all, the way they reply or comment on things. If gamers on GosuGamers notice, hardcore players such as players of top tier teams in from the Philippines never reply or post anything cause they know its pointless to defend anything as its a matter of opinion. If they are not mature enough of course they will say non sense things. Pro players keep it to themselves and know which is right and which is wrong. And well everything in life has its haters and fans. As the saying goes. 'No one can please everybody'"

As a former player yourself, what do you have to say to current players to boost the "Gamer" image?
-"As a player myself before, there was no structure to begin with. Now that the road is set for all aspiring gamers, all they need to do is participate in tournaments organized, train well, find financial support and only time will tell when they will reach their goal, may it be winning a world scale event, or win a local tournament in their own vicinity. Its all up to them. Everything now is spoonfed by Mineski right now. Before only industrious players know how to research international replays, scout for new strategies and so forth. Now everything is open to the public via the local site www.mineski.net and and international sites such as GosuGamers. Its easier now to be competitive, just always practice 'Responsible Gaming' and you will be successful in no time. There are also things to be learned in teamwork in gaming that applies to real life. Being a successful gamer can and will lead to a successful person in the future."

Besides the usual dream to become more like Korea in terms of eSports. What are your personal dreams for the development of eSports for your country?
-"At first of course i wanted to become a world champion but as time passed by, I had too many responsibilities to attend to. I just wish a Filipino team will become a world champion one day, then it will become easier for me to set the gaming scenario here. It happened in Billiards, Bowling and Boxing, they got automatically accepted in society once they won as world champions. As i said before, time will tell if the new teams now will have what it takes to become world champions, my best guess will be 2011."

What makes you think 2011 will be the year that the Philippines will get a world championship then?
-"The top tier teams now are learning to adopt, plan and execute strategies unlike before. As people notice, Philippine DotA revolves around the Bottle Crow strategy, that's because they are used to playing 3v3 bet matches and in those matches there is no way that you can win without bottle crowing. Since the AMPGL this January, teams have really changed the way they train and compete in international rules. There are also support coming in for players to train everyday, skilled players are popping out day after day, new teams are winning. More teams are starting to appear in international tournaments such as CMstorm, MYM PriDe, ADC, RGC even with high pings they are still competing. 2011 will be the length of time needed for these teams to learn more and play better."

That's a wrap. Any shoutouts?
-"To all Filipino gamers, never stop believing and always persue your dreams. I have sacrificed mine so you can live yours. Go Philippines and make NoyNoy proud!"


Tribute Video to Rhom after this retirement.
Video credits: TheBloodyMassacre.