Former Philippines Senator's Attempts to Play MLBB in a Bid to Connect With Youth Backfires

Cover and thumbnail via @Inquirer.net

Former Philippines Senator, Bongbong Marcos came under fire after he attempted to connect with the youth by connecting over videogames. The 63-year old is the son of former President and dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose rule was infamous for corruption and exploitation. BBM has continued to be an active part of the political system in the Philippines, despite his turbulent early years, which saw his entire family living in exile in Honolulu. He would return to the Philippines after his father's death and was elected Senator for a period, before running for Vice Presidency in 2016 and losing out by a narrow margin. 

Earlier this week, he uploaded a video of him attempting to play MLBB on his YouTube in a bid to connect with the younger demographics. On Twitter as well, he spoke about how far gaming has come since the days of playing Space Invaders in arcades. However, his followers were quick to remind him that it was his own father who had banned video games and arcade machines from the country back in 1981. Even more people reminded him of the atrocities that his family had committed during their rule and how they had laundered huge sums of money for personal benefits. 

Nonetheless, the attempt shows the current cultural impact of video games and esports in certain countries and how mainstream esports has become in SEA in recent years.