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| Sanford Vinuya revealed that he is now the primary provider for his family in an upcoming documentary. Joseph Sanvictores (file photo) |
MANILA—Sanford Vinuya shared in an upcoming documentary that, despite being at a young age, he had to take over in providing for his family following a medical issue that hit them back in 2022.
The Team Liquid Philippines EXP laner is one of three Mobile Legends pros who will be featured in the documentary series "Level Up".
The documentary followed Vinuya in the lead-up to last year's MLBB Midseason Cup, which became a part of the Esports World Cup following the said tournament's revised format.
There, the Candaba native revealed that his father suffered a stroke while the M4 World Championship was ongoing, and he began doing breadwinner chores from there.
The younger Vinuya then shared how he was able to overcome the obstacle en route to the M4 title, two MPL PH championships, and a bronze medal in the MSC from 2022-2024.
"Being featured in the docuseries is important to me as it gave me a platform to share more about my life story and the struggles I had to face before winning a title or participating in a major tournament, like the MSC 2024. I feel honored to be selected to tell my stories to global esports fans alongside other esports icons. I want the world to know that no matter how competitive tournaments are, we are still people who face real-life challenges. It's not just about winning—we need to give importance to the things that matter most, like family," said Vinuya, whose Liquid PH side just reclaimed the MPL PH title on Sunday night and will be back for this year's MSC.
Also to be featured in the EWC-produced documentary are sisters Michelle and Cindy Siswanto, also known as "Chell" and "Cinny", respectively.
The Team Vitality duo shared their own family struggles ahead of MSC 2024, particularly the story of how they played through the MLBB Women's Invitational after finding out that their grandfather passed away right when they arrived in Riyadh.
"With this docuseries, we would love to see our fans stay passionate about their love for the game and esports. If you truly love this path, I hope you pursue it wholeheartedly and do it for yourself and the people you love," said Cinny.
"It’s a meaningful opportunity for us to represent women in the gaming community who share the same struggles or challenges, and show that female players also deserve a spotlight. We feel honored and truly grateful to be included in the docuseries," added Chell.
Ray Ng, Moonton's head of esports ecosystem, said that he is glad that Vinuya and the Siswanto Sisters get to share a part of their human selves as they thought about their respective families while vying for glory in Riyadh last year.
"Having MLBB pro players, highlighting mobile esports participants featured in an international docuseries, is a reflection of MLBB's expansive global presence. More importantly, this docuseries provides our talents like Sanford, Chell, and Cinny, a platform to share their inspiring stories of grit and determination with the global audience," said Ng.
Level Up will premiere on Friday on Amazon Prime Video with an inside look at Team Falcons CEO Mossad Aldossary, while Vinuya's story will be featured in the next episode on June 13.
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