Kenny Deo Alias Xepher, a world-renowned professional Dota 2 player. Famous for his saying 'My mother is at IT', who would have thought he was an internet cafe explorer.
"When I was little I didn't come from a wealthy family. But I was very interested in computer games. I also saved money to play internet cafes for 2-5 hours. Played two hours in middle school and five hours in high school," said Kenny, quoted by CNN. .
Kenny revealed that he often goes to various internet cafes, with the aim of measuring his abilities, as well as proving that he is the best. Because according to his confession, since childhood he has had the soul to be the best.
"I've probably moved 4-5 times (warnet). The thing is, every time I move, there is always someone who is better. At the time I was in the last neighborhood I felt I was in the best position, finally my friends invited me to join the Dota 1 tournament for fun -fad," said Kenny.
However, his journey to become a Dota pro player was not smooth. During participating in many tournaments, seven times participating in competitions to be exact, all of them failed miserably aka no one was won.
The challenge was even greater, when his parents did not support his interest in the world of esports. They think it's a waste of money.
Because according to his explanation, when he first participated in a Dota tournament, a lot of capital had to be prepared. But he emphasized that he had never asked his parents.
"Back in the day, Dota 1 tournaments still paid registration fees, billing fees, meals, and transportation. I spent more or less every tournament for nothing," said Kenny.
"To pay for the tournament fees, I use the Chinese New Year money (angpao) that I save every year, or give my uncle a snack," he added.
The adventure was well worth it. When Kenny became the champion, his name was increasingly recognized and he managed to get a contract offer from the Zero Latitude (ZL) team in 2014. This was the first time he felt that there was no need to pay for it yourself when participating in a tournament. Then he was recruited by well-known esports teams in Indonesia such as RRQ, NXL, Kanaya, and ThePrime Arvire.
Until finally he decided to have a career abroad, such as strengthening TNC Tiger and Geek Fam Malaysia. Until Kenny was glimpsed by an esports organization located in South Korea, T1, and was able to appear in Dota 2 The International 10.