An Oral History of the Best Dota Song Ever

Celebrating the enduring legacy of “Dota o Ako”

Dota: Dragon's Blood is a fun watch (especially in the Filipino dub) but we’re here to talk about that amazing music video that came out to promote it: Dota at Ako.

[YouTube Video: Netflix' Dota at Ako music video]

A sequel to the legendary “Dota o Ako” a song that encapsulated the struggle of every Dota addict and their long suffering partners, the Aikee and Vanessa creation came out in 2011 and has not been topped since. Well, until they themselves made the sequel at least.

We searched but found barely anything about the story behind the original. So we caught up with the duo and GIGIL, the award-winning agency behind the Netflix-produced viral hit, to ensure that the true story behind an iconic piece of Pinoy video game culture may live on forever on the Internet.

Do you remember what you were doing on that fateful day that “Dota o Ako” came out in 2011?
Aikee: Sobrang adik ako maglaro before ko magawa yung song. Kaya 90% nung song ay nangyari talaga sa buhay ko.

Raphe Ramirez, GIGIL Senior Copywriter: Besides studying and playing Dota at the end of classes, I was experiencing a boring coming of age phase. Dota really was a highlight, and that song was a bop! Even if you didn’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend that would make you choose “Dota or me?” during that time, you’d still identify with it.

Jaime Yusin, GIGIL Senior Art Director: Comp shops with friends were always the go-to after school, so we could always hear the song playing in the background at certain times when we would go and play.

Sonny Calvento, director: Interestingly, the song came out during the time that I landed my first job as a scriptwriter for a television network... I vividly remember the first time I heard the song Dota o Ako. My brother would usually have his friends come over to our house and I heard one of his friends play the song while they were talking about how viral it was. I was busy writing a script while I overheard the song. I remember I paused my writing to listen to the song. I think that was the first and only time I heard it and honestly, I would never imagine myself directing a sequel to that song 10 years after!

Did you think the song was jeje-or think Dota was jeje in general?
Raphe GIGIL: Yes, and that’s not bad. Pinoys had their “jeje” era the same way they also had their emo era. It’s a defining moment, and it’s something we’ll remember throughout life.

Jaime GIGIL: Definitely, it was one of those songs that were super catchy, would grow on you, get sick of, and then-after a while-cycle back to growing on you again. Dota on the other hand, was something everyone my age then would enjoy.

Direk Sonny: Definitely not. The beauty of Dota o Ako is that it translated to different economic classes in the Philippines. Everyone knows the song: from students who frequent computer shops to those with high-end setups at home. The song and the conflict it presents rings true to a lot of DOTA players that’s why majority find the song funny yet easy to relate to. I find the song more universal than jeje, at least for Filipinos.

[Picture: Aikee and Vanessa in 2011. Text: Does this look from 2011 count as jeje?]

While some online reactions skewed towards “Netflix cringe” (or indeed “jeje”) the general reaction to Dota at Ako was overwhelmingly positive – and immediate. However the same can’t be said for the original, at least at the time according to Aikee.

Did Dota o Ako go viral during its initial release in 2011 or did it take time for the people to appreciate it? Any milestones you recall along the way?
Aikee: Actually, 2010 natapos yung album namin ni Vanessa. Part ng album namin yung “Dota Vs Gf” yun talaga ang title niya. Madami pang humadlang sa song na maging part ng album pero nilaban ko pa rin as a gamer and as a songwriter. Matagal din bago nag pick up yung song to the point na, ayoko na mag rap. Naghanap na ako ng work.

Nung time na umingay yung song (in 2013) nagtatrabaho na ako sa Inquirer.net as a writer, talent and talent coordinator. Then nagsimula siya umingay hanggang sa nafeature na ako sa mga TV shows (KMJS, Rated K, etc.), kaliwa’t kanang mga gigs at marami pang iba, at ito rin ang nagpaalala sakin na dapat kong ipagpatuloy ang pagiging rap artist at songwriter: 2015 ng makamit ng awiting “Dota o ako” ang Gold Record Award.

[YouTube video: Dota o Ako featured in the Filipino TV show "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho. Text: For non-Pinoys, going on KMJS is something like landing on Oprah (okay, maybe not really)]

Real talk: did you actually earn a lot from the song?
Aikee: To be honest kumita ako pero hindi ganun kalaki. Kung sasabihin natin na sa song itself-like monetisation sa YouTube-hindi po. Nakabawi po talaga ako sa mga shows, gigs at guesting sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa dahil sa awitin na ito.

A trademark of many Pinoy rap songs is often a catchy chorus performed by a female vocalist. In this case, Vanessa who also played the naghihinagpis na (long-suffering) girlfriend.

Did you suffer from the Dota o Ako problem in real life?
Vanessa: Never had that problem actually! Buti nalang, haha! Kasi before when I was still in high school ang dami kong classmates and friends na may ganyang issue. Most of them led to break-ups pa, so nung lumabas yung song namen ni Aikee super daming naka relate talaga.

[Picture: Aikee and Vanessa in 2011. Text: Dota couples can relate.]

As the girlfriend in the video, we have to ask: may something ba kayo ni Aikee noon?
Vanessa: Nako, we've always had something talaga matagal na...matindi and solid na friendship! Super magkapatid ang turingan namen and even after how many years solid pa din kami parang walang lumipas na panahon.

While a 24-million view video is the first result among many on YouTube, we’ve always wondered why the AikeeVEVO 2015 remake video and the numerous TV appearances featured a different singer. Our headcanon: could it have been a falling out due to the song’s newfound success?

Burning question: Why was Vanessa replaced by Sabrina in the remake video you did 5 years ago and your subsequent TV appearances?
Aikee: That time hindi available si Vanessa dahil naka-sign po siya ng contract. MCA Universal po ang label ko noon at napagkasunduan po namin na mag-collab kami ni Sabrina sa song na ito at naghatid sa awitin bilang “Gold Record Award” in 2015.

Vanessa: Actually, Aikee called me and wanted me to be part of the remake cause we were the original nga, pero at that time I was under strict management and just signed a three-year contract and I had a tight schedule so I didn't get to do the remake.

Nalungkot ako nun actually kasi mejo matagal na din kami di nakapag catch up ni Aikee. Good thing when Netflix reached out ako napili nila to be part of the project! Super thankful ako for that.

[YouTube video: Aikee - Dota O Ako featuring Sabrina music video. Text: And why were you playing Dota on a Macbook of all things?]

What was it like to produce the original song and that iconic music video? It's not actually a school project, right..?
Aikee: Talent po kasi kami ni Vanessa dati sa RHTV (DZRH’s TV channel) and nag-lambing kami sa management na gawan ng music video yung song namin and since wala kaming budget, green screen lang po talaga ginamit namin. At since kami ay mga estudyante that time ganun na lang ginawa namin para marami rin ang makarelate na estudyante.

Vanessa: No, it wasn’t a school project actually pero if it was, sana perfect score na kame diba, ha ha!

Anyway at that time we were just really having fun and living in the moment! The whole time nung video shoot pag tinitignan ko si Aikee, I had such a hard time kase lagi nya ako pinapatawa and inaasar! Kaya, oh my gosh, the struggle para ma-tawid yung shoot! Pero I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else but Aikee-super memorable nung experience.

Was Dota o Ako made just for laughs or did you know it had potential for greatness?
Aikee: Lahat po ng nasulat kong song kung hindi nangyari sa kakilala ko ay nangyari po sa akin.

Naniniwala din po ako na walang formula sa hit song kapag nagustuhan talaga siya ng maraming tao kusang lilipad ang song. Hindi ko po inakala na aabot sa ganun yung song at hanggang ngayon ay talagang namayagpag siya. Sabi nga po ng matalik kong kaibigan na si Davey gumawa ka lagi ng timeless na mga awitin.

Vanessa: We knew it had potential of course. We just didn't know na ganung LEVEL pala ang maabot niya. I think when we were shooting that video parang naglalaro lang kami and just had a ton of fun while shooting. I thought "solid din yung effort namin dito sana madami matuwa at magustuhan yung song/video kasi parang okay naman siya?" So nasagot naman yung thought ko, sobra pa nga eh, ha ha!

[YouTube video: Dota o Ako (original) music video. Text: A true king owns this channel.]

Who actually owns that YouTube account with the the original video that has 24 million views?
Aikee: Hindi ko po kilala. Pero nag-papasalamat ako kung sino man siya kasi dahil sa kanya doon mas lalong nakilala yung awitin namin na naging theme song ng mga computer shop.

Vanessa: Di ko maalala kung kaninong Youtube account yun pero wala talaga akong ka alam alam na ganung level yung video na yun di ko akalain. Nagulat nalang ako pero in a super positive way. Nakakatuwa din na hanggang ngayon pinag-uusapan padin and pinapakinggan yung song.

Now, 11 years later, the duo returned when no one expected and dropped an instant classic. While GIGIL has become known for coming up with all sorts of wacky (and award-winning) executions, who would’ve thought Netflix would approve such a bold project?

[Picture: Dota At Ako music video thumbnail. Text: You’d think someone just bootlegged the Netflix logo onto this art, you know?]

The sequel is super accurate to the feel of the original. There must be a true Dota o Ako stan in your team?
GIGIL Raphe: Seph (Seph Asentista - Senior Art Director) and I were classmates in college and we’d usually play after class, even compete with other batch mates. Jaime too is a Dota addict, even Jeano (Jeano Cruz - Associate Creative Director and Head of Social) was fully aware of Dota and “Dota o Ako” since he was there during the computer shop era here in PH. In fact, Jeano was the one who first pushed the song “Dota o Ako”.

Our client at Netflix is a Dota player too! They raved when we pitched it and even pushed for us to stick to its roots and make it crazier with the green screen.

GIGIL Jaime: Definitely Jeano and Raphe, haha. During the first briefing of the account, Jeano was excited and quick to share the original Dota o Ako video. Raphe was also the one who really kept pushing that we retain the original cast of the first video.

How long did it take to write and produce the song? Did it go through a lot of revisions or did Aikee bang out a winner immediately?
GIGIL Raphe: After getting the idea approved, the song writing went straight to Aikee. It got a few tweaks for the benefit of the brand. But in the end both parties are happy with the end results.

Did you think at any point that "Netflix is going to say we've gone too far"?
GIGIL Raphe: No. Actually, we came wanting to push them further. But the surprising bit was that they were the ones who are pushing us into crazy directions. Definitely a top tier client.

GIGIL Jaime: Nope. If anything, the client asked to go even crazier in some scenes. Amazing team.

[Picture: Aikee and Vanessa in 2021. Text: The duo reunited in 2021.]

What were the biggest challenges in following up an 11-year old song?
GIGIL Raphe: The pandemic.

GIGIL Jaime: Creatively, there were so many executions that we wanted to pursue, because how can you not with such a big thing like the biggest computer game in the Philippines getting its own Netflix series. But because of the pandemic we were experiencing, many of those ideas were no longer possible to execute properly.

Aikee: Well, ang naging challenge lang po sa akin eh yung twist ng song na pipiliin namin pareho ang Dota. To be honest nahirapan ako ikwento na ganun yung magiging ending ng Dota at ako.

If you were told that Dota would have to lose to ako/GF in the sequel, would you have fought for the alternate ending?
Aikee: Actually, maraming nagulat sa song lalo na nung nalaman nila kung ano ang pinili namin.

In real life, I think may mga pumili talaga ng Dota kaso ang ending eh naghiwalay sila ng partner niya. For me habang nagmamature ang tao malalaman na niya kung ano ang priorities sa buhay. Hindi masama maglaro, ang kailangan lang ay time management, disiplina at alam mo kung sino o ano ang dapat unahin. Kailangan lang mabalanse mo ang buhay para ma-enjoy mo ito.

While videos games have definitely spawned some major musical moments in the recent past-such as K/DA or that Chug Jug song-there hasn’t been a Pinoy ode to gaming of note since then. Where are the Mobile Legends or Ako attempts? Has no one thought of following up on Chiksilog as well?

Why hasn't something as iconic as Dota o Ako shown up in the 11 years before Dota at Ako? Is it subsequent games just hitting different? Is the problem with the kids these days?
GIGIL Raphe: I think Dota o Ako came out at a time where our only source of entertainment was TV and computers, that’s why it became the most prominent hit at that time. Today, there’s just so many sources of viral entertainment, not just games. We can’t blame today's kids for diverting to other things-like TikTok. Let them have their fun.

GIGIL Jaime: I think it's because no other game came even close to the popularity of Dota in the golden days of computer shops. There's a reason why every computer shop in the country always had the Warcraft 3 icon on their unit’s desktops, and it was definitely not because of Warcraft 3. Dota o Ako came at the perfect time for viral videos, and every other video that tried to copy it just fell flat because of the popularity of the original video.

Aikee: I think marami po talaga ang nakarelate sa song naat marami ang na-experience na pinapili sila ng partner nila. Sa tingin ko may ibang kwento rin ng mga mag karelasyon sa likod ng mga bago at iba’t ibang mga laro sa panahon ngayon.

Vanessa: Madami din namang different games na kina-adikan before and after that time. Nagkataon lang na super daming naka relate sa "Dota o Ako" kaya nag hit. But I think realistic talaga yung ganong issue sa isang relationship lalo kapag yung isa heavily addicted to gaming. Sometimes na neglect nung other half yung relationship nila ng partner nya. Wala pa lang gumagawa ng song about it!

[Picture: Low-resolution image of Aikee and Vanessa promotional material. Text: Check out how low-res FB photos were back in the day (from Aikee and Vanessa's FB page). How times have changed indeed.]

Do you think the whole “*insert game* vs ako” struggle has changed in the last decade?
Vanessa: I think may changes naman na from before and now. Dahil yung mga nagbababad sa internet cafe before may PC na sa bahay malamang, ha ha! Pero may ganung issue padin for sure para sa ibang couples, kelangan lang na understanding ang girlfriend or boyfriend and time management para balanced.

Aikee, right now your legacy if you get ganked tomorrow is firmly as "the rapper who did Dota o Ako (and now Dota at Ako)". Does that make you happy?
Aikee: Yes. And I believe na hangga’t may taong nag-Dodota lagi nandyan ang awiting Dota o Ako at Dota at Ako. Sobrang nakakataba ng puso dahil maraming bumalik na alaala ng muli nila itong narinig na at meron ng kasagutan sa tanong.

While the good folks at Netflix didn’t share too much for our story, they did provide a glimpse at life without Dota at Ako. And we have to agree it is a darker timeline.

In an alternate timeline where Dota at Ako did not fly, what could we have ended up with to promote Dragon's Blood?
Netflix: We knew we wanted a campaign that delighted core fans of the original game while also being able to appeal to broader audiences and penetrate mainstream Pinoy pop culture - and fortunately, DOTA at Ako sat at the intersection of all of that. Other ideas that we had during the planning phase included giving DOTA heroes Pinoy voices and getting Cosplay artists to recreate scenes as DOTA heroes, but none of them held a candle to DOTA at Ako.

Dota at Ako currently has more views on YT than the Basshunter revival. What does this prove?
This just shows how big the Dota fandom in the Philippines is and is a strong testament to the Pinoy local pop culture that can play with huge global titles like DOTA: Dragon’s Blood. And of course the fact that the track is incredibly catchy and the video is irreverently hilarious doesn’t hurt either.