Alodia Gosiengfiao showed that geek culture and gaming can get you places too, while making it her goal to open doors for those that will follow in her footsteps.
On one table were Alodia Gosiengfiao’s awards mixed in with accessories from past cosplays, while on the other end of the studio stood the stunning black gown she wore for her induction into the TOYCON PH Hall of Fame.
A Woman of Substance Award from 2023. Her Motherland Chronicles headpiece. A sci-fi looking firearm. These were just some of the many props prepared by Alodia and her team for our July cover shoot.
Packed with roughly six paper bags, it wasn’t just a celebration of Alodia’s legacy. Often lost in the hustle and bustle of work, it was a subtle reminder of how far she had come.
“I mean, now that you mention it…because when I do my stuff, I never thought about the awards or the achievements, I really did it because I really just love what I was doing,” Alodia tells The GAME.
“So when I saw them now, [I realized] it’s been a while since I started. I’m really honored that people recognize our work because it’s not just me alone. It’s like a whole team producing everything.”
And as Alodia says, her journey — filled with countless awards and iconic character portrayals — all boils down to one reason: passion.
Press Start
Long before Alodia Gosiengfiao brought iconic characters to life, she was just another child that grew up around video games. Gaming was a family pastime in the Gosiengfiao household, and as Alodia recalls, one of her earliest memories involved the Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom).
“Gaming is what brought my family together, and my dad loved to play games with us like Gran Turismo…actually it was a Family Computer so you know which generation,” Alodia said with a laugh.
To be exact, Alodia didn’t just grow up around video games. She was born with it, if her mother Mariglor’s story is accurate.
“My mom was telling me a story that when she was pregnant with me, before she was brought to the hospital, she was playing Super Mario Brothers, so probably, I was already hearing the video game sounds back then,” she says.
Among Alodia’s childhood favorites were Counter Strike, Diablo 2, Final Fantasy, Tekken, Soul Calibur, and World of Warcraft. Last but not least was Ragnarok Online, the MMORPG that became a computer shop staple in the early 2000s.
It was Ragnarok that opened Alodia’s eyes to cosplaying, bringing the Priestess to life during the game’s launch event in Makati.
“Back in 2003, they announced (in a forum) that they will be having their first launch and I think I was in Glorietta,” Alodia recalls. “And then we didn’t know what cosplay was! They said it was like a costume competition, to just dress up as your favorite character from the game.”
Fresh off training with her pep squad, Alodia’s first cosplay was a rude awakening, as she quickly realized that creativity wasn’t just limited to quality costumes.
“I didn’t even realize that you had to perform on stage and do stuff like that! I came from cheerleading training, I didn’t even put on makeup. I didn’t prepare at all!” Alodia recalled.
“I just wore my costume then I had to go up on stage; I was super shy and I wasn’t prepared at all. Then it was actually a competition, so we actually didn’t win — but after that, we learned.”
True enough, this first try didn’t discourage Alodia one bit. Although stage presence was a work in progress, Alodia had found a new venture that brought her passions under one space.
“The hard part for me is going up on stage, but the crafting, I super love crafting!” she said. “And cosplay is like a combination of a lot of hobbies — designing, creating, putting on makeup, fixing your wig.”
“I used to (make my own props)! And there were times where I’d just disappear for two or three days making up my costumes, but most of the time, I work with my friends.”
And as she fell in love with cosplay, part of Alodia’s goal was establishing its legitimacy. As with anything “new”, she recalled a time where cosplay was frowned upon locally. In fact, there were even times where she was on the receiving end of negative comments and straight-up bashing.
“Anything new is intimidating, it’s weird and it’s not accepted. So my goal before was hopefully more people know about it so that it would be more accepted in the community. I did interviews, I did events and stuff like that hopefully to promote how fun this hobby actually is.”
“That it’s actually a good hobby or pastime to do with people who love video games, anime, or movies.”
Slowly but surely, Alodia Gosiengfiao realized this goal — and more — as her career went on.
Expanding her horizons
Over the years, Alodia Gosiengfiao would come up with faithful portrayals of characters like Final Fantasy’s Rikku, Masane Amaha from Witchblade, and GoGo Tomago from Big Hero 6 — cosplays that earned recognition not just from fans, but from international competitions as well.
But what exactly was the turning point for Alodia and her love for cosplay? In her view, it was a very gradual transition. One thing’s for sure, though, and that’s success allowing Alodia to uplift the community beyond faithful portrayals.
“I’m not sure if there was a turning point; it was very gradual. Because I’ve been joining competitions, and fortunately, I’ve been winning those competitions,” Alodia said.
“I started when I was 15 years old, so by 18 years old, the convention organizer said, ‘Alodia, can you please stop competing? Can you help judge?’ I was like, okay, let me try and I’ll help out, then that started with me being involved also with the organizing team.”
For many audiences, including those from Gen Z, Alodia wasn’t just a cosplayer — she was also a celebrity. Chances are you could recall seeing her everywhere — from old gaming magazines, Animax, and even ABS-CBN on cable television.
Through a brand rooted in her passion, Alodia was proof that cosplay could take you places, and that gaming, for all the stigma, can find its way into the mainstream too.
“I just feel super lucky, and sometimes it feels like a dream…it’s not like real na I’m just lucky. What did I do to deserve this?” Alodia reflected. “My goal is to share what I have to people who also share the same passion, and I just feel very blessed about it.”
“During that journey, I really thought that there are other people who deserve the spotlight more than me, that’s why I also like featuring other cosplayers, artists, and gamers.”
Rather than enjoying the limelight, Alodia’s celebrity status became the foundation for a higher purpose — to uplift the community she’s grown along with. Long before dipping her feet into business, Alodia had already been sharing the wealth, albeit “casually” to her friends.
“It’s funny because I’ve been acting as a friend…if I get projects and I can’t really handle all the projects, I pass them on to my friends. I ask them, ‘Do you want to work with this brand? Here’s what you do. If they accept, okay, the project is theirs,’” she said.
“It just became more professional when we put up the company before, then it’s more into gaming because that’s our niche. Cosplay, content creation, it just became more professional but I’ve been doing it since way back casually.”
In 2017, Alodia and her partners founded Tier One Entertainment, billed as “Southeast Asia’s lead gaming and esports company”. At its peak, Tier One was home to MPL PH powerhouse Blacklist International, alongside content creators like Team Payaman, Bianca “Biancake” Yao, and Sharlene San Pedro.
“I just found other people who would be able to help that dream of mine come true. I like helping other people,” Alodia said of her business interests.
“But instead of just, for example, giving them something, I’d rather teach them something that would bring food to the table, to help their families. I’m training them to do what I do, so that when I’m not there, you guys can stand on your own.”
Though differences in vision led to Alodia’s departure in 2023, she still acknowledges how the company once tied in to her goal to uplift gaming and esports personalities.
“It was a good run, when I started I really had high hopes. Luckily we did well; we won World Championships for Mobile Legends and many other things,” she said. “The journey came to an end and that’s okay, because I learned a lot.”
“There were many creators that we helped grow. There were ones who started with 3,000 followers, and now they’re in the millions, so I just feel like a proud mother, we changed people’s lives.”
The next adventure
These days, Alodia Gosiengfiao remains as invested in the local gaming scene, namely with the Black Rose gaming guild. In a preview of things to come, Black Rose recently collaborated with Riot Games for a VALORANT tournament held last July 11 at the NAOS Esports Arena in Pasay.
“It started as a guild, but we’ve been evolving for a while. I really can’t say what we are, but it’s a gaming guild…and it’s been amazing because when we started it, we set like the guild foundation. Everyone who joins has to agree with this,” she said.
“There were tough times because there are some people who are different and whatnot. But it’s okay, because we don’t aim to grow fast. We aim to grow slowly and carefully.”
At this stage of her career, Alodia is guided by her lessons as a family woman, settling down with partner Christopher Quimbo in 2023, and welcoming their son Cameron a year later.
“The journey has been a blast! It’s been fun. It’s tiring, but it’s rewarding…I also learned how to balance more. Before I was like work, work, work. Like go, go,go,” Alodia admits. “Now it’s like, okay I have to cook for baby in the morning so I can go to a shoot this afternoon.”
“I think the mommy instinct is stronger now. For example, I have my team doing the streams. Like oh my gosh! Are you guys good? Do you want water? Do you want food? Are you comfy with your chair? Because I know you’ve been sitting down a lot…parang mommy na talaga to all the younger members of our team.”
After wrapping up the shoot, members of our team go on to take photos with Alodia, while security guards from a neighboring business also took the chance to snap some selfies — requests that Alodia gracefully accepted on her way back to the parking lot.
During our our art director’s turn, she sends Alodia a short message, saying, “Thank you for paving the way for female gamers and cosplayers.” Already reminded of her work by six paper bags’ worth of trinkets, it was another sign of how far she and the local come since starting out over two decades ago.
“It’s very heartwarming. I guess it’s not just me who felt the pressure, that’s why my (gamer) name was Black Mage before. People didn’t know if I was a girl or guy,” says Alodia.
“I guess it’s more accepted now. Growing up in an all-girls school, playing video games was really tough. People see it as a cool thing; we have all these tournaments, esports. You travel for gaming! That was unheard of before and now they really look up to it.”
At this point, Alodia Gosiengfiao’s career can be compared to that of a fully completed video game. Yet as seen with Black Rose, she remains as eager as ever to create — not just for herself, but for those who will come after her.
Coming from a space that was once seen as “weird”, Alodia has seen the power of community, where people find a safe space in the presence of like-minded peers — one that she hopes to empower at this point of her career.
“I think I can do more. I never want to stop learning and evolving, and still be able to contribute. That’s why I want to make this group again with the right values. So that maybe one day, this group will still be here, that it will transcend my timeline,” she said.
“[I want to be remembered] as someone who supports others with their passion — that’s all,” Alodia continued. “Before, they were calling me ‘Queen of Cosplay’ and it doesn’t sink in with me. I’d rather be called ‘Queen of Supporting Others’, or Queen Support’.”
And as this chapter continues to write itself, Alodia knows that she hasn’t changed one bit. At the end of the day, she’s still that introvert kid with a love for video games. An introvert who happened to find her niche in a venture that centered around that passion.
“Probably I would say it’s still the same. I’m still geeky and whatnot and it’s just probably a leveled up version,” she said. “For example, you play the character in a video game, you’re like a novice.”
“But when you’re level 99, you just have better equips and more experience. That’s all.”
Text RJ BALLECER
Photography EXCEL PANLAQUE/KLIQ, INC.
Grooming MANDY LIAO-YU, AYANA CARPIO
Creative and Art Direction SOFIA RODELAS, ROBIN TOPACIO
Styling CHLOE VILLANUEVA assisted by RHIANNA PALACOL
Sittings Editor RJ BALLECER
Production Coordination VIANCA JIMENEZ
Frequently Asked Questions
Alodia Gosiengfiao is a Filipino cosplayer, content creator, and gaming entrepreneur who began competing in cosplay at 15 and became one of Southeast Asia’s most recognized figures in geek culture. She co-founded Tier One Entertainment in 2017 and is a TOYCON PH Hall of Fame inductee.
Alodia’s first cosplay was at the Ragnarok Online Philippine launch event in 2003, where she dressed as the game’s Priestess without knowing the event was a competition. Despite not winning, the experience sparked a career that would span over two decades of competitions, award-winning portrayals, and international recognition.
Tier One Entertainment, founded in 2017, was billed as Southeast Asia’s leading gaming and esports company. Alodia co-founded the company to professionalize content creator management in gaming, housing teams like MPL PH champion Blacklist International and creators including Team Payaman. She departed in 2023 following differences in vision.
Black Rose is Alodia Gosiengfiao’s current gaming guild, focused on slow, values-driven community building rather than rapid growth. The guild recently collaborated with Riot Games for a VALORANT tournament held at the NAOS Esports Arena in Pasay, marking one of its first major public activations.
Alodia Gosiengfiao is associated with the early Philippine cosplay and gaming community, the rise of Ragnarok Online locally in the early 2000s, and the growth of esports through Tier One Entertainment — which won world championships in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang during her tenure as co-founder.
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