Interview with Mika Daime

If you're into the League of Legends' scene, the name Mika Daime will definitely ring a bell. Previously known as "Wicked", Mika has been playing League of Legends since Season 3. Don't be taken in by her small stature and sweet looks for she's a lean, mean, fighting machine in her matches and is currently in Master Tier, Diamond 1.

It was by no sheer luck that Mika has come so far in her Esports career. Her ambitiousness, competitiveness, and tenacity were what tide her through the toughest times in her pursuit to live the Esports dream. To know more about Mika, I have managed to contact her online to ask about herself, the difficulties faced chasing her Esports dream and her goals.

Potatofluff “Can you tell me more about yourself and your role in League of Legends?”

Mika: “I'm Mika Daime Sabate. I'm 21 this year and I'm working as an Assistant for Wargods Pro Gaming Arena's Social Media. I have been playing League of Legends since Season 3. I play Jungler but before Season 4, I play support. But now my main role is Jungle"

Potatofluff “How did you start League of Legends?”

Mika "In high school, I used to play DotA, MMORPG and strategy games. But I ended up playing League of Legends since... you know, every MMORPG you need to pay for every items and stats, making it expensive to play MMORPG.

So I started MOBA games and I first thought that League of Legends was, oh my god, this game's so ugly and resembles a chibi-fied anime (laughs). But after I started playing, it was nice. I got addicted to it.

I then dreamt of playing in the competitive scene since I like to be in competitions. I like to win since I used to play sports. I joined track & field, swimming and dance troupe. I'm very athletic at that time but I stopped to play games."

Potatofluff "So did you end up competing in League of Legends? What was your team and how was the experience?"

Mika: "I used to be in a mixed-gender team before joining an all-female team called Team Redemption. In the beginning, it was frustrating because we keep finishing in 2nd or 3rd place. Not to mention lots of problems to solve amongst ourselves. We still managed to win a tournament for females."

Potatofluff "It sounds like you've spent a lot of time on this team. Were your parents okay with you trying to enter the Esports scene?"

Mika "No then yes. As I'm the only daughter in the family (with brothers), my mum worries a lot about me and she's quite strict. I remembered a time when she cut my long hair super short with a scissors because I returned at 3 AM after my night shift class.

Not many people know this but I wanted to go to Manila to play competitively so much that I left my home after I graduated. I'm from the Province, so it's really hard to get good internet and to have a chance in Esports, Manila has a much higher chance. I know I won't be contented to stick to a life I don't want in the Province and I won't be contented if I know I can do better.

I didn’t tell my mum that I went to Manila. She was on vacation and I scheduled my flight on that day. The only way to get enough money was to sell my old PC. After my mum found out, she threatened to disown me. "

Potatofluff "A one-way ticket? How did you survive in Manila all by yourself?"

Mika "Thankfully, my friend loaned me a roam in his house and provided me work since he owns an Esports Organisation. They believed in my gaming skills but it money was not enough and I started working in an IT company.

After I saved up enough money, I prepared a proposal for the company I worked in to loan the PC to me. Tried streaming in 480p since internet was slow for 11 Months. It was really tough at that time and I do cry sometimes in my room,thinking about life.

When I first started, there were only 5 to 10 viewers since I played from 8PM to midnight without a schedule. For some reason, there were a lot of followers randomly on one of the nights. I then realised that Sirhcez from Team Liquid hosted me and got 1k followers immediately. I was featured on Twitch as well which boosted my viewership. I'm really grateful for it because I really didn't know him before this."

Potatofluff "Glad that things work out on your end. Did you manage to patch things up with your mum?"

Mika "I did contact my mum in the end. Before, she thought that I will get nothing out of Esports, but now that I send money back, my mum is seeing Esports differently."

Potatofluff "From here onwards, what is your plans moving forward?"

Mika "Personally, I want to be a part of a really strong team that becomes the best team in Philippines and let them know that there are other females who can compete with the males.

Currently, it's still rare to see girls playing at a high level and it's common to be thrash-talked in public games. For example, if I die, they will say that I'm 'boosted'. I don't answer to them because I'm confident with my skills."

Potatofluff "Thanks Mika for your time! Is there any words for your fans?"

Mika "Currently I have a roommate, my best friend who encouraged me to pursue my Esports dream. Now that we're both in Esports and being streamers, I'm glad that I don't have to do this alone and follow our dreams together!"