Peruvians ready to share their esports passion – and bring the DOTA 2 trophy home

It is 11,800km from Lima to Istanbul, but Peru’s esports delegation knows that for their esports community, it will be a huge step – and well worth it to get #worldconnected

“It will be a great competition, with important countries,” says team leader Tapia Mariano about the Global Esports Federation’s flagship event, the Istanbul 2022 Global Esports Games. “We will strengthen ties of friendship, with several delegations.

“That is the most valuable part of the trip – to be able to share with other people what we are so passionate about.”

As well as inclusion and innovation, Peru have also come to show the rest of the world how credible the scene is in their homeland.

“The gaming scene in Peru is huge,” said Mariano. “We have over 11 million players, which is about 57% of the connected population in Peru.

“We are thrilled to showcase all the talent we have. We will give everything in the gaming arena.”

Mariano recognizes how great the mutual support is among teams at GEF events – and he believes that Peru can be at the forefront of paving the way for Latin American players on the world scene.

“We had a very good qualifier and got through all the stages undefeated,” he said. “The Peruvian esports delegation is very excited about the trip to Istanbul and our firm conviction is to bring the cup home, showing that Peru is a great power in DOTA 2.”

Mariano and his players have been preparing since last September, an acknowledgement of the prestige of this competition.

“We have had some changes to our playing line up and training is more intense with the new members,” he said.

“All of them are players of a very high level. The members of the national esports delegation are players who have participated in very important DOTA 2 tournaments before.

“Many of them traveled more than four times to different countries in both Asia and Europe to compete.

“Some are 100% dedicated to their careers as professional players. Others pursue their careers alongside their university studies and others compete and work.”

“It’s a discipline, just like traditional sports. You have to know the difference between playing for training and playing for recreation.

“Gaming is what I am passionate about and drives me to continue achieving great things for the Peruvian esports ecosystem.”

Tapia was a programmer between 2001 and 2004 and competed in the StarCraft Broward category at the World Cyber Games, one of the first-ever esports competitions.

When he retired, he started to pursue a career in marketing, but gaming was always part of his life.

“Along that path, I got to work for VIU Studio in Brazil as a Spanish admin for esports competition that we developed throughout Latin America”, he said.

“Later I also worked in Blizzard Entertainment, developing the conceptualization and management of esports in Peru. When I left, I realized that more support was missing in the ecosystem and that’s when we met with several friends, all former programmers.

“We decided to promote and develop the ecosystem of esports and video games in Peru.”

This year, the Peruvian team only competes in the DOTA 2 (Open) category with the team consisting of five players, one alternate, and a head coach.

But they are aiming to expand their roster next season. “For 2023 we will be participating in all categories, always aiming to win”, said Mariano.