When ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio is not taking names inside the ONE Championship Circle, he is busy bolstering his rank in the popular 5-on-5 MOBA game, ‘Mobile Legends.’
And believe it or not, “The Passion” actually sees a lot of benefits in playing it.
“A lot of people are saying that it’s addictive but I believe it’s all about staying disciplined in playing. There’s always a time for everything and I am aware of that,” Pacio said.
“It’s actually beneficial to me, it keeps my brain sharp because you have to make a good strategy to win.”
Pacio shared that he just started playing Mobile Legends last year, the same time when he captured the ONE Strawweight World Title in Manila at ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR.
Aside from the enjoyment he gets from playing it, Pacio shared that to an extent, it even helps him to stay disciplined when it comes to eating and watching his weight.
“It also helps when I am in the middle of training camp and I am trying to reduce weight, because I am so enamored by it, I forget all about the delicious food that I want to eat.”
The mechanics of Mobile Legends are pretty simple. Two opposing, composed of five players each battle each other to reach and destroy the enemy’s base. Heroes are grouped into six different roles – marksman, assassin, mage, support, fighter, and tank.
Pacio, who plays by the name of ‘Ben 10’ is an avid fan of marksman and fighter heroes.
“You know sometimes I see myself as an athlete when I play, because even though I struggle at first, I still keep on pushing to win. It sees how well you can coordinate with your team, because no matter how good you are, without a good strategy, you’ll probably lose,” Pacio shared.
“Granger, Alucard and Dyroth,” Pacio said, naming his favorite heroes. “I play like how I compete inside the ONE Circle, I do everything to win.”
The game is so popular in the region that it was featured in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
But while the popularity of the game is now soaring high with different high-level tournaments already being held around the globe, Pacio is not about to change careers.
“I know that it is growing at an amazing rate, and of course there’s ONE Esports, but for me, it’s just a pastime,” Pacio stated.
“I have no plans of pursuing it professionally but each time I play, I give it my all – like how I am in the ONE Circle.”
Fight Game Asia 