Refreshing Reflection With Hydration Man
A conversation with Andre Villegas, Los Angeles Gladiator’s super fan and part-time superhero.
When I first saw him, I had to do a double take. There, in the dazzling 1080P resolution of the Overwatch League Twitch stream, stood a man with a bandoleer of water bottles and broad grin, DIY’d water cannon on his shoulder. Decked out in the purple jersey of Los Angeles Gladiators’ projectile specialist João Pedro “Hydration” Veloso De Goes Telles, Hydration Man pumped his fists and lead the crowds in the Blizzard Arena to chant “SHIELDS UP!”, the team’s slogan.
I blinked at the screen and broke into a smile of my own. This man’s dedication to one of the lesser-known heroes from the Underdog-turned-Juggernaut L.A. Gladiators was refreshing. Andre (Dre) Villegas is a testament to everything that I love about professional Overwatch, how passion and personality can unite to bring communities — and worlds — together.
“Hello Hello Hello!”
Dre answers lightly; he lacks some of the volume that I expect from Hydration Man, though his voice still holds the vibrancy that drew crowds to him. He sounds a little tired, but ultimately enthusiastic. At the end of our interview, I find out that he has been up since 4 a.m. and talked to me while sitting in his car after work. His dedication to Esports and The Los Angeles Gladiators truly knows no bounds.
There’s an incredibly warm aura about Dre, even over phone call; it is not hard to understand why people have gathered around him in the community, why player’s parents and Twitch chats alike have delighted in his presence. His voice is clear though animated, talking with a practiced ease about the serendipitous way he found himself becoming a part of the inaugural season of The Overwatch League.
He regales me with stories of his time at the Blizzard Arena, the easy banter he found while sitting next to the father of Aaron “Bischu” Kim, L.A. Gladiator’s off-tank. Dre does his best impression of Bischu’s father before we both descend into giggles.
“I’ve always been a showman,” Villegas remarks when we finally get down to the business of becoming Hydration Man. Though he now serves as an event coordinator for the University of California, Los Angeles, Villegas has more frequently found himself in performance-based roles. He obtained an education from culinary school and moonlights as a stand-up comedian when he has spare time.
Having only a very casual awareness of Esports previous to the Overwatch League, Dre found himself drawn to the League through highlights of Hydration’s spectacular Pharah play, an air-borne hero that uses projectiles to take down her foes. Known for his impeccable positioning and quiet persona, Hydration brought Dre into the Overwatch League in a story that I’ve heard a thousand times: The kid popped off, and the rest was well-documented history.
I bring up the photo the framed (and autographed) photo of himself and Hydration that the player had prominently displayed on his desk at the Blizzard training facility.
Dre stiffles his own laughter, steadying his breathing before he lets me in on the story. I can tell he does comedy, that he’s every bit the showmen that he claimed to be: Dre takes a moment to set his stage.
“So, I’m at the Gladiator’s fan signing, right?” He begins, and you can hear the smile in his voice. “I thought it’d be funny if, instead of the usual thing, I was the celebrity…”
And so Dre waited among the crowds in the Blizzard Arena, eagerly anticipating his turn up at the table with the team. He approaches his favorite player, telling him how lucky he, Hydration Man, is to have a fan like Hydration.
“Don’t worry. Rest your hand: I’m gonna sign this for you,” Dre had told him with a dramatic flourish, autographing the photo of the duo and giving it to Hydration, sleek silver frame and all.
“I don’t know if the other players are jealous or anything,” he chuckles, recalling the way DPS player Lane “Surefour” Roberts teases him about Hydration, how his Team USA will fall to Surefour’s own Team Canada.
Canada got rolled, by the way. #WEBELIEVE!
Dre talks about all of his meetings with Hydration and the rest of the Gladiators fondly, speaks with an unconscious eagerness that is often forgotten with age. When Dre speaks about the Los Angeles Gladiators, it’s in the way that one speaks about a mentor, about someone who has given them more than they can repay.
To his credit, Dre, ever the showman, he continued to find opportunities to give back with the Gladiator’s team, delivering Braveheart-style speech to the crowds of the Blizzard Arena before the Gladiator’s semi-final matches against the London Spitfire, taking pictures with fans, and promoting the team on his Twitter account (@TheHydrationMan)
Now, for the heartbreak.
“I’ve retired Hydration Man,” Villegas tells me, and I sputter for a moment before finally asking him why. He laughs and reveals to me what it is that he has planned next, what it is that will delight audiences and players alike next season. This new project he has cooked up leaves me absolutely dumbstruck.
“I think that might be the coolest thing that I’ve ever heard,” I say, unable to maintain professionalism for a moment.
He told me that I could share what he was up to, but that honor belongs to Dre alone: it’s a well-deserved reward for his dedication to The Los Angeles Gladiators and the community surrounding them.
Dre and I talk long past my official interview questions are done. He tells me about how much he loves Mei, how he has over 300 hours of playtime logged with her on console. We theory-craft about who might be getting traded where, what the League might look like this upcoming season, what will happen if the teams ever become localized. When we finally hang up, there is a warm feeling in my heart as if I had just spent an hour chatting with an old friend.
I suppose that is what he is, though. Friend to everyone and defender of the dream, Dre keeps the spirit of fun alive within the Overwatch League and the community at large. For all the show, for all the costuming and character, Hydration Man is simply a genuine person with a heart for the game and the community that surrounds it.
Keep an eye on Dre during Season 2 of Overwatch League. Although, with his booming voice and endless enthusiasm, it’d be hard not to.
Special thanks to Dre for donating his time to a no-name journalist, to Riley Jamison, for taking the time to respond to my questions and letting me use his beautiful photos, and to the Los Angeles Gladiators for fostering one of my favorite communities in the world.
