Meet Vaughn, the Youngest Esports Player in the Country

Vaughn Llena is 11 years old. Currently, he is the youngest esports player in the Philippines. He recently signed with Minerva Supremacy. 

Vaughn was just seven years old when he first picked up Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, guided by his dad, Ham Llena, who taught him the ropes. These days, the tables have turned—Vaughn’s the one booting his dad from the game lobby.

“Kini-kick na niya ako eh!” Ham told ALL-STAR, laughing. 

(“He’s now booting me out of lobbies!”)

“Hindi na niya ako sinasali kapag mayroon silang ranked game. Kahapon nga naka-live sila, sabi ko ako na eh. Kinick ako eh!”

(“He doesn’t pick me anymore when they play ranked games. Yesterday, they were live streaming, I told him I would fill in. He booted me!”)

Vaughn looked sheepish as his father revealed this story. 

As a gamer, Ham played Dota and League of Legends before he discovered MLBB. “Mas madaling gamitin, at kahit saan pwede laruin,” he said, describing the game. 

(“MLBB has a better interface and you can play it anywhere.”)

Vaughn started playing MLBB during the pandemic, encouraged by his dad to play so he will not get bored at home. 

“Natuwa siya at natutuo siya, tapos ang naging goal niya ay magkaroon ng skin. Syempre, binigyan namin siya ng skin,” said Ham. 

(“He was happy when he learned how to play, and then his next goal was to get skins. Of course, we gave him one.”)

But Ham realized Vaughn could aspire for more skins in the future, and they just can’t keep giving him free skins. 

“Paano kung may iba na namang skin na gusto niya? Hindi na natin maibibigay iyon. Nakita namin na pwede siyang mag-live stream dahil yung MLBB, mayroon mga KOL streamers,” said Ham. 

(“We realized, what if he wanted more skins? We couldn’t give all of those. But we saw that he could become a content creator because MLBB has KOL streamers.”)

That’s when Vaughn, just seven years old, became one of the youngest Mobile Legends: Bang Bang streamers in the country. Watching from the sidelines, Ham quickly realized his son had raw, natural talent. Vaughn’s rank climbed so high that even MLBB icon Dogie couldn’t help but take notice.

“Noong nagla-live siya, na-discover siya ni Dogie. Nag boot camp siya for a couple of months pero pinauwi sila noong kumalat yung pandemic. Eight years old siya noon,” said Ham. 

(“During one of his live streams, Dogie discovered him. He invited Vaughn to stay at his boot camp for a couple of months but they were eventually told to go home because of the pandemic. Vaugh was eight.”)

Vaughn was among the kids taken in by Dogie in his former boot camp in Pampanga. He wanted to nurture the future of MLBB esports by giving them a chance to shine and hone their skills, and be exposed to the world of esports. 

Dogie’s favorite bonding with the kids was eating with them and going out with them. It was a core memory for Vaughn.

“Sobrang bait po ni Boss D. Palagi po siya nagbibigay sa amin ng pagkain, saka tuwing lumalabas po kami, binibigyan niya po kami ng bodyguard,” Vaughn told ALL-STAR. 

(“Dogie is very kind. He always spoils us with food, and whenever we would go out, he would assign us bodyguards.”)

Unfortunately, things had to be cut short because of the pandemic. Everybody in the boot camp was sent home. 

Nearly four years later, Vaughn is now an esports player competing with an amateur team. While many parents are hesitant to support their children pursuing a career in esports, that was never the case for Ham and Vaughn. From the beginning, Ham backed his son’s passion.

“It became clear to me that Vaughn is gifted, and I wanted him to pursue what he likes,” said Ham. 

But there was one thing that worried Ham. 

“Hindi pa nagsisimula yung game, may trash talk na.”

(“The game hasn’t started but you would already encounter trash talkers.”)

He wants to protect his son from the toxicity of players in gaming. 

“As parents, kapag nakikita mo yung ganoon, hindi ka matutuwa. Pero kay Vaughn, focus lang siya sa goal,” Ham added. 

(“As parents, when we see things like that, we get sad. But for Vaughn, he just ignores those and focuses on his goals.”)

For Vaughn, the hardest part is when people pin the blame on him after a tough match. But when it comes to trash talkers? He doesn’t waste his energy—he lets his gameplay speak for itself.

“Nakafocus lang po ako sa game,” Vaughn said when asked how he deals with taunts and negativity.

(“I just focus on the game.”)

Hurtful words used to get under his skin, he admits. But over time, he’s learned that the best clapback isn’t said—it’s played.