The passion and skill of Filipinos for MLBB is legendary, as encapsulated by Melvin Rodas’ art.
Last Saturday, Filipino graphic designer Melvin Rodas gave our two M7 representatives a powerful gift with his M7 Mural. Unveiled at Pop Up Katipunan, Manila, the mural represents both Team Liquid and Aurora Gaming PH as they begin their campaign to defend the Philippines’ MLBB dominance and bring home our sixth world championship.
“To be honest, I had zero understanding of MLBB before this,” admitted Melvin. “But for general esports, may idea ako. Nakikita ko din siya but to be honest I had to do research on it so that I could understand the visual language. I didn’t really have time to get its full history so I just winged it!”
Melvin has a deep love for sports, particularly basketball, and has worked on similar projects with organizations like the NBA. He may be new to esports but he understands the vibrant energy that connects players and fans to their games. His bold and colorful style brings out the passion found in competition, making his art the perfect fit for MLBB.
“I just wanted to shout ‘Filipino pride’ without adding too much straightforward elements to it. I wanted to use the colors and placements to mesh Filipino symbolism into the artwork. Kasi yung mismong visual elements ng MLBB is chaotic in a good way. And at the same time, I wanted to infuse yung pagiging festive ng mga Filipino. I wanted those two worlds to intersect, to bleed together in a way that’s fresh to the eyes. You don’t see the usual visual elements of the three stars but you see how bold, energetic, and youthful esports is.”
Capturing the Energy of Competition
“Bago yung esports sa akin but I treat it the same as other sports that I’ve worked with,” continued Melvin. “Nakikita ko yung mga players – they’re young, like a batang version of me, but they’re on a professional level. So it really shows that sports has really evolved from before.”
His enthusiasm was certainly felt in both his art and the way he explains his process. Whether it’s traditional sports or esports, Melvin sees that the energy and drive people have for them is the same. And that’s something that excites him.
“When there’s winning or teams involved, talagang naca-capture siya sa akin na gusto ko siya i-translate through my visual vision.”
And now that he’s been introduced to the world of MLBB esports, he’s more than happy to take on future esports projects.
“Why would I say no?” said Melvin, all smiles. “It‘s a way for me to give my take that might be fresh for those eyes. And it’s also a way for me to be more involved. Before I was just watching from a screen but now I want to go to the [M7] watch party so that I can feel the energy. Like, when you watch live games of basketball, the energy is so immaculate. It’s what fuels my passion. So I want to feel that energy from esports.”
Banner image by Melvin Rodas on Instagram.
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