2 days Ago By Nathaniel Fetalvero
Professional Dota 2 player Remus "ponlo" Goh, 26, may not be a household name but in the global esports arena, he's a rising star. This year, he became the first Singaporean since 2021 to break through the notoriously tough qualifiers for The International, the biggest Dota 2 tournament of the year. But Goh's journey is no overnight success story.
It began at the tender age of eight, when he first laid eyes on the fantastical world of Dota. “I didn’t even know how to make bots, I was just playing in a private lobby, but the animation, the colours of the game and everything else just captured me," he recalls. The nickname "ponlo" was coined as Goh would often ponteng (Malay for play truant) school to play the game at home.
During secondary school, Goh went professional albeit with little success. Esports camp promotes teamwork, sportsmanship among students “I was terrible,” he says and laughs as he recalls his early performances. “I was never among the top five players in any of these things.
” Goh did try to balance his gaming aspirations with societal expectations, enrolling himself in Republic Polytechnic's Mass Communication course, but his academic journey was short-lived. "I was in class one day and the teacher was talking about career prospects and of interviewing 'big people' at prestigious events. "Then I realised I did not want to be on their side of the camera, doing the interview.
I want to be on this side." He dropped out before the first year was over. Towards the end of National Service in 2019, Goh was coaching Singapore-based team Resurgence.
But in the lead-up to the year’s iteration of The International, the team found itself one player down and requested that Goh fill the spot. A post shared by ponlo (@remuzgoh) “I needed to chao keng (Hokkien for feign illness or injury) to get some time off army, so we tried to break my toe." With heavy metal music blaring and a friend holding his hand, Goh braced himself as a heavy foosball table was dropped repeatedly on his toe.
“We tried to do it like six times or something because it wasn’t breaking. It hurt so bad." Goh still laughs at the desperate attempt but cherishes his first taste of the big stage, playing at The International with Resurgence.
This year will be less painful. His Team Zero already fought their way to a top spot in the China qualifiers, securing a coveted slot at TI13. My first TI pic.
twitter.com/on6OGGsZYk "It's emotional, like I finally did something. I played badly but it was a very nice feeling nonetheless.
" Despite Team Zero's ultimate elimination from the tournament, Goh remains optimistic about his future in Dota 2. “I know I'm not done playing, I still want to play,” he declares. “I always think of Colonel Sanders starting KFC when he was 62.
My whole life is ahead of me. I don't really worry about age, I just want to play.".
