It’s another scorching hot Manila weather as Kevin scours for his mobile to check Facebook Gaming. He stretches, pops in Play That Funky Music, and goes for another round of some serious 5-hour streaming.
Meet Kevin Alexis Borja Maglaqui, a 24-year old entrepreneurship graduate who loves playing hoops, walloping volleyballs, and binge-watching on Netflix. He’s your ordinary guy, doing extraordinary things — except that he mostly uses his right hand and left foot to do them. You see, Kevin was born without a left hand, while his right hand was not fully developed (with three fingers) and unable to bend.
Behold ladies and gents, the legend of One Hand Gaming.
OG Gaming Roots
Kevin first played Counter Strike back in 2008 when he was still in grade school. He had to make do with the adjustments; his left foot maneuvered over the keyboard while his right 
hand manned the mouse. Initial crowd reactions went from astounding to shock and total admiration.
“Dang it! How do you do that?!”
“Seriously? Is this a joke? How’s he even going to play?”
“Honestly, I thought you were an easy kill. It turns out; you are way too slick than other players.”
“Damn it, you’re good! But we beat your a** Haha!”
People later realized that Kevin meant serious business. From his computer shop adventures, he conquered other games like Call of Duty, NBA 2K, Dota 1 and 2, and even GTA. Kevin shifted from PC to mobile gaming and played Mobile Legends, PUBG Mobile, and his personal favorite in Call of Duty Mobile.
Blame it on crappy net
Kevin felt destined for bigger things. His Eureka! moment to hit stream city came when his friend wanted to give it a shot but had lousy internet. Kevin created the streaming page since he had stable connection. After several tries, he realized that he was beginning to inspire people. No one knew that sooner or later, he’d end up under the radar of some well-known streamer.
Enter BLink Gaming, more popularly known in the local streaming scene as Daddy BLink. Kevin would casually watch his live streams and one time decided to comment.
‘I play COD-M with one hand and one foot!’
These magic words became Kevin’s instant ticket to recognition. Daddy BLink got so amazed with his play style that he decided to raid his stream with a couple of hundred viewers. That’s how streamers support their colleagues starting in the biz. This unexpected incident further cemented Kevin’s will to become a full-time streamer and ultimately carry out his mission.
One would probably think about the easiest or hardest game Kevin has ever played.
“To be honest, there is no such thing as an easy game for me. I try to play a game to test my limits and see how far I can go.”
Call of Duty Warzone is the most challenging.
“It’s hard to deal with an enemy who has a shotgun. It becomes too cluttered and hard to even land a lucky shot.”
One Hand Goal
One Hand Gaming is your genuine, humble beginnings story. Kevin’s family gamely supported him during his inspiring run. From his auntie lending him a laptop, cousins setting up equipment, to household folks fixing technical difficulties, Kevin’s march to cyber-verse has been phenomenal.
“My goal for One Hand Gaming is to be an inspiration, especially for Persons With Disabilities like myself. I want to be able to change other peoples’ notions towards PWDs, to see us equally and not look down on us. I also want to entertain my streamers, something I’m working hard on.”
A New Challenge(r) Awaits
Kevin is honest to admit that he is yet to achieve his goals. He manages to do at least two streams per day, 4-5 hours each. The longest he did was a whopping 10-hour marathon. (WHO DOES 10 HOURS OF PLAYING WHILE ON AN INDIAN SIT?)
To counter cramps, Kevin takes frequent ‘stretching breaks’ to ensure that the nerves and muscles are still okay. To improve his skills and game knowledge, Kevin watches YouTube tutorials to stay relevant.
The journey for OHG has also met a few bumps along the way. Admittedly, equipment is a major factor. He’s been using a low-spec PC setup and, at any moment, is on the verge of crashing. Another is how to keep viewers glued to his stream. To drive interest, Kevin writes inspirational and witty captions (hugot lines) to charm Gen Z’s. Kevin sometimes refers to his audience as “PAAwer”, a wordplay for Power (‘Paa’ refers to foot in Tagalog) to poke fun. It was popularized by one of the top vlogger/ streamer/ YouTuber in the Philippines, Cong TV (also his dream collaboration).
In just half a year, One Hand Gaming has amassed close to 4000 followers on Facebook. But more than the growing social media following, it’s his newfound advocate that makes Kevin even more admirable.
Just recently, Kevin and his family organized a fund-raising event to help those affected by the typhoon that pounded several key cities in the metro. With the help of his ‘stream for a cause’, they were able to generate enough funds to produce 600 packed meals for the evacuees. It was a humbling experience and one that he’ll continue to champion for life.
One Hand Gaming is a wonderful example that reminds everyone to just be yourself. Like his inspiration, motivational speaker Nick Vujicic, Kevin is just an ordinary guy doing extraordinary things. He sees his ability over disability to overcome obstacles — lay down that boogie and play that funky music!
Keep on dreaming, keep on playing.
*Click here to find out more about One Hand Gaming on Facebook.
