Peruvian women’s Dota team at the Bolivarian Games: “We are going to give our 110%, the goal is always to win”

The young athletes who will represent us are Wendy Arias Tuero (Lovely), Judith Polo Zelada (Dae), Vanesa Cahuana Pillco (Azumi), Abigail Cuenta Hilaita (Sylvanas) and Fanny Chuquimamani Chavez (Bambú), who seek to consolidate themselves in this discipline.

A year ago, the Peruvian team managed to win the gold medal at the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile, a precedent that has placed Peruvian gamers in a favorite position in this competition. The e-sport games will take place from December 6 to 8, at the Legado Videna headquarters (Lima).

They share their lives, their professions such as tourism, industrial engineering, commercial engineering, among other careers, with the sporting activity of e-sport. On this occasion we spoke with Lovelynickname by which Wendy Arias is known, she is from Cusco and is in charge of the assistance and protection of the team; and with Judith Polo, also known in the gamer world as Daewho has the offlaner position.

They tell us how e-sport and female participation have changed, the evolution of this discipline, their preparation and what is expected from this new competition where they play at home.

– How is the team formed? How long do they have?

Judith (J): Well, we have been playing for approximately almost two years now. In fact, in January 2025 we celebrated two years of playing together. There has been a variation of one player, but we are four permanent members. In total we are five players. We have had changes in the team name: we started with a name, then we joined an organization called Infamous, we later changed that organization to Mad Queens, but we have always been team Peru, since we qualified for the Pan American Games last year and also for the Global Esport Federation.

– What is the level of Peru in terms of women’s Dota play?

J: I consider that right now the Peruvian team, that is, us, is the strongest team in South America. Currently there is no team that has beaten us more than two years ago, yet. They have beaten us from time to time in a game, but never in a series or a championship.

– And now, in this competition, what is expected at the Bolivarian Games?

Wendy Arias (W): We are going to participate first online, we are going to face the teams. There is a group stage and then the final, which will be in person in Lima. The semifinal and final will be in Lima.

– And have you already studied the teams? Do you know them or have you competed with them before?

J: Yes, actually. We always have online tournaments that are organized out there, for example, by the community or other people who intend to support women’s Dota, and teams from different countries sign up because since everything is online, there is no problem and we can play. We have played against the Colombian team, the Argentine team that, well, this time is not going to be among the Bolivarians, against the Brazilian team. There are several countries and sometimes the teams make up a mix of players. We already know them.

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– If a kind of ranking of women’s teams could be made at the regional level, how could we understand which teams are the strongest or where they come from?

J: The Argentine team would be in second place and in third place, I think, the Brazilian team. Generally when we have tournaments we play against them at the end. We almost always have matches against Argentina. It has already become like a classic between Peru and Argentina because we always reach the finals.

W: Anyway, I consider that the girls from our region are a little more, perhaps, I don’t know if aggressive in that aspect or more competitive. Yes, I have seen several Peruvian teams that have won several games, even against the girls from Argentina, even though for me they are considered the second, the best after us.

-How do you prepare? Do they have any type of special training?

W: Yes, our training has always been online, mostly. This year, when we had the support of an organization, we were able to be in a bootcamp that I feel has helped us a lot, but more than all our training is online in each of their homes. We do not need to be in person together to have our training: each one from home, with a PC and Internet, is more than enough for us to have a training, the redundancy is worth it. We have our individual ranking and a group ranking, so to speak, and also this year there have been many men’s tournaments from which we always guide ourselves. We almost always see how these teams prepare, how they play, and based on that we also study the games, and try to make similar plays.

– And is there any physical preparation? Do you follow any physical preparation in addition to online preparation?

J: I think that depends on each person. We generally have a training schedule and that is currently decided by each member of the team. When we were at the Gaming House that Lovely mentioned, which is the bootcamp, we did have a slightly stricter gaming schedule. For example, it was 8 hours and the rest of the day you could dedicate yourself to doing anything else you want to do. There are girls who went to the gym, there are girls who did other activities, studies and so on, but it is always advisable to also maintain a physical exercise routine to be healthy, not only the mind, but also the body.

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– I wanted to ask you, Lovely, what e-sport is like in the regions. We are very used to looking only at Lima.

W: In Cusco currently there is not much momentum. I believe that within Peru the momentum is still just growing. I have always known that in Lima and Arequipa there were these tournaments. While with the girls I just found out that there were women’s tournaments. In Cusco there was only one women’s tournament that was individual, and from there it was not held. There was more support for the boys who did have men’s tournaments, but not women’s tournaments.

-And how has women’s participation and sexism changed, if at all, now that there are women’s tournaments?

W: Nowadays I think that most people know that both women and men play video games, so I think that [el sexismo] that existed a long time ago no longer exists today. You could say that from 100% it dropped to 20 or 30 percent, that is, it is the minimum you find. You go to a game, you’re playing and there’s another girl. It’s something super normal nowadays.

J: I think it has moments. Within the game itself, yes, as my partner says, you can find several girls playing and it is very normal for that to happen. Not before, about 7 or 8 years ago that was very rare. But it has its moments, you know? When we, for example, won the Pan American Games last year, forget it, it was beautiful because everyone wanted to know about us, they called us for several interviews. The support felt great from the entire community, but when suddenly you start losing, the bad comments and stuff like that start. I think it depends a lot on what you are achieving, and not only with us, but with several professional teams that happens: your favorite team is winning and you applaud it in a thousand ways, but it loses and the negative comments begin. That’s how the community is.

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-What message can you give to girls or boys who are in schools or who are looking to make a career in e-sports?

J: Well, I think that age doesn’t matter much, as long as you know how good you are, that you have the ability to measure yourself because, of course, when you play you realize more or less if you are doing well or not. , and that is measured through a ranking that Dota has, and which is called MMR. That is a little classification number that if you increase it, then it means that you are doing things well. I know several players, both very young and very old, who are on professional teams. There are boys and girls who suddenly don’t know much about e-sports these days, but within Dota 2 there are huge international tournaments and there is participation from young people from 16 or 15 years old to 33 or 34 years old, so I think that the Age doesn’t matter much, but rather how good you are in the game.

W: Yes, one is quite passionate about this game, because more than anything it has to be passion, it has to be a taste for the game, if you like the game too much and you put in the dedication, the hours, it works for you. to go very well. I don’t think age matters; It is more than all skill and skill. So, if a person is skilled, has the capabilities, they can do it whether they are 15 or 14 years old or older, over 30 or 34 years old.

– What would you say to your rivals that you are going to face in the Bolivarian Games and what do you promise to the Peruvian fans?

W: Well, tell our rivals directly to keep trying. It is always what I try to promote, I always try to invite girls to enter this medium because I always have the idea that the more female players enter, the e-sport will grow. So I always try to invite and motivate them to join. And to our rivals, directly, that they continue training, that they continue competing, that the scenarios vary; and to our general public that supports us, that continues to support us, right?, that the results are going to be there, that we are always going to give our 110% in the games, because that is what we want, and the goal is always to be win.

J: Well, we actually have very high expectations. In fact, we consider that the gold medal will go to Peru. And to our rivals, most of us girls already know each other, well it will be a pleasure to play against them again and I hope they have good games. For girls who want to enter this world, I consider that it is a very good way to have time apart from studies, work, perhaps not competitively but if they do, I think they will have a very good environment, since that the female community is growing. And as Lovely already mentioned, as long as there are more girls who want to play Dota, there will be much more support.