Peru was imperious at the Istanbul 2022 Global Esports Games, putting on a dazzling showcase for an excited crowd. And their secret formula is nothing more than practice, practice, practice…
For DOTA 2 players, the game is life.
“You have to make sacrifices and put your entire being into it, if you really want to win,” said FLAPJACK, part of the gold medal-winning Peru side at the Istanbul 2022 Global Esports Games.
“There isn’t so much room for study or another job if you want to get to the top. DOTA 2 has to be your main work.
“You have to make the decision to dedicate yourself to it. We play for eight hours a day, like you would work a normal job – but then do more hours on top too, because it is our hobby.”
Peru has been unstoppable throughout this event. All of its players are professionals, some of them on US-based teams, placing them on another level to their rivals at #GEG22. The team defeated local heroes Türkiye in the final, who battled valiantly to grab silver.
The Peruvians have put down a marker for their country internationally. The DOTA 2 scene is huge across Latin America, having been the title of choice for young kids getting into gaming across the continent for the past decade.
“DOTA 2 is huge in Peru, probably the most common game, with a major following – and it is still growing,” MoOz said. “We have places where people meet to play video games online, and DOTA was always the game. It is a culture for us.
“There is a lot of raw talent in Peru. We play a lot. You’ve got to have discipline and dedication, and be smart about it as well.
“We are all professionals for different teams, but we bonded quickly for Peru. With good players, you can do that without too much time together. But you need to be humble and willing to learn, and have confidence too.”
Türkiye garnered plenty of applause from the hyped-up Istanbul crowd, and fans of imaginative gameplay.
“They were the better team but I believe we can do better next time,” coach Charda said. “We created the team new, two weeks ago. We are good players individually. We thought we could win, but it’s OK, we are happy to be here competing.”
Teamwork was key to Türkiye’s success, too. “We tried to make the perfect composition in our team, and for everyone to be on the same page. If someone wanted to go, we all go with them. We try to trust each other.
“Maybe next time, we will win the gold medal. If we spend a year together, maybe we can beat anyone. We are training after this. It’s a good start for this team.”
Mongolia took the bronze after beating Saudi Arabia. “We knew that outside of Peru, the other teams were not on our level,” se said. “We expected to win this bronze match. We enjoyed the first match. For the second one, things got a little out of control. The medal means a lot.”