With the Fortnite Twitch Rivals tournament concluded, Tina “Tinaraes” Perez, Keenan “Rhux” Santos, and Julio "Pika" Cesar Nevarez showed off consistent play and outstanding teamwork, earning the titles of champion for the tournament and taking home the top prizes. Tina was later voted MVP of the tournament and graciously accepted the award. So, who exactly is Tinaraes?
At twenty-two years old, Tina devotes all of her professional gaming time to Fortnite, and in October 2018 she joined Gen G. Esports “Generation Gaming.” She describes her youth as growing up in a gamer family, with her entire family having an interest in gaming. The first console she can remember playing was a Nintendo 64. If forced to pick a favorite game, Mario Party 2 is among her top picks, but there are many others that are classic titles that she also enjoys.
Tina grew up in Kyle, Texas but now lives in California. While she is a top tier player and constantly improving on her skills, she admits that the process of moving into the life of a full time esports player is somewhat lonely compared to her youth, which consisted of a home full of family, friends, and pets. Now in California she lives in a two-bedroom apartment with her Fortnite duo partner, Madison “maddiesuun” Mann.
The pair hold the distinction of being the first female Fortnite duo team, which Tina describes as a great first step: “I think I feel happy about it because it gives women in esports a goal to accomplish things. If they can see that we can sign to a big top-tier org, then they can potentially do the same thing, they just have to put the time into it and get recognized.”
The origin of the name Tinaraes is a blend of her first and abbreviated middle name. She describes the name as necessary in her mind because there were so many people with the name Tina that it would be difficult to stand out. Now however, as one of the best Fortnite competitors in the world, it seems that all others who go by Tina might be mistaken for Tinaraes.
Tina tried college for a time and found that it simply was not for her. Now she is grateful at the opportunities provided to her through esports, stating that there are, “thousands, if not millions of people that want to be in my position, so I’m doing my best to appreciate and take advantage of all the things I’ve been given. Obviously, this is like a blessing.”
Prior to her rise in Fortnite, Tina played competitive Call of Duty for about ten years until 2017. At that point she transitioned to the Battle Royale genre, experimenting with a few titles until finally settling on Fortnite.
Now that Tina has shown off her skills at Twitch Rivals, there is no doubt she will continue to shine in the competitive scene.
Source: Youtube.com, akshonesports.com