Southeast Asia Beauty Queens Who Game: When Crowns Meet Controllers
Beauty pageants have always been full of glamour, grace, and occasional controversy, but recent drama in the Miss Universe space has many fans joking that the organizers might be playing us like we’re characters in a gacha game. From dethronements to trending social media chaos, every twist feels so engineered for engagement that you’d think they’re optimizing for views and viral moments rather than titles. In 2025, pageants might just be the latest engagement-based battle royale, where every eyebrow raise is a marketing win.
While controversy keeps the headlines hot, another trend is quietly leveling up: beauty queens who aren’t just runway ready — they’re game ready. These women show that being crowned doesn’t mean you can’t also clutch a victory in digital realms. Let’s dive into some of Southeast Asia’s most fascinating beauty queens who also bring joy to the gaming world.
🎮 Pia Wurtzbach — Miss Universe 2015 and Certified Final Fantasy Fan
Let’s set the record straight. Pia Wurtzbach is not a “casual gamer for content.” Long before pageantry crowned her Miss Universe 2015, Pia had openly confessed her deep love for video games, especially the Final Fantasy series.
Her passion became so well-known that Square Enix themselves took notice. In 2016, the official Final Fantasy X account publicly reached out to Pia, inviting her to attend a Final Fantasy XV event. Yes, the RPG giants slid into her mentions and the gaming world collectively lost its mind.
Pia later revealed that Square Enix formally invited her to a major gaming event in March after learning about her long-time fandom. This wasn’t a PR stunt. It was a rare crossover moment where a global beauty queen was acknowledged purely as a gamer by one of the biggest RPG franchises in history.
For gamers, this moment mattered. It shattered the stereotype that beauty queens are outsiders to gaming culture. Pia wasn’t borrowing gamer clout she earned it through genuine fandom. If pageantry had party classes, Pia would absolutely be the Black Mage with max charisma stats.
Pia Jauncey (@piajauncey) • Instagram photos and videos
🎮 Megan Young — Miss World 2013 and Southeast Asia’s Gamer Queen Pioneer
Before “gamer queens” became a trend, Megan Young was already there.
Crowned Miss World 2013, Megan has always been open about her love for video games. Over the years, she has streamed and shared gameplay from titles like Animal Crossing, League of Legends, Stardew Valley, and more. Her gaming presence isn’t a side quest it’s part of who she is.
What makes Megan special is authenticity. She didn’t pivot into gaming after fame. Gaming was already part of her life, and the crown simply amplified her platform. In Southeast Asia, she remains one of the clearest examples that gaming and pageantry don’t cancel each other out — they coexist.
🎮 Cindy Monika — Indonesian Pageant Gamer on the Rise
From the vibrant pageant stages of Indonesia, Cindy Monika (also known as Cimon) brings another level of gaming authenticity to this list. She represented Central Sulawesi in Miss Indonesia 2019, reaching the Top 15, but that’s just part of her story. Cindy is also a gamer, cosplayer, and YouTuber who creates gameplay content and dives into titles she enjoys — especially horror and story-driven games. Her mix of pageantry, cosplay creativity, and gaming content showcases how multifaceted modern beauty queens can be, blending performance, personality, and play all in one.
While Cindy may not wear a sash every day, her influence thrives where communities gather — online, in streams, and through interactive play.
🎮 Joy Barcoma — Miss Philippines Earth 2025, Rarely Entertaining Beauty Queen, and ROBLOX Newcomer with Self-Aware Humor
It’s rare to find a beauty queen who is genuinely entertaining without forcing it, but Joy Barcoma stands out as one of those uncommon personalities. A seasoned events host and Crowned Miss Philippines Earth 2025, Joy brings something refreshingly different to pageantry sharp wit, quick-thinking humor, and a natural ability to connect with audiences across platforms.
Her TikTok videos are a testament to this. Joy delivers clever, funny remarks with perfect timing, often reacting to trends or comments in ways that feel spontaneous rather than scripted. It’s a level of charisma that is rarely seen in traditional beauty queens and even rarer when it feels this effortless.
Beyond entertainment, Joy takes purpose seriously. She is actively involved in Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) public service announcements, using her platform to promote environmental awareness and responsible action. What makes her advocacy effective is how naturally it blends into her personality informative without being stiff, meaningful without losing warmth.
Recently, Joy stepped into the world of gaming through ROBLOX, incorporating her gameplay and streaming moments into her already bustling TikTok / Discord ecosystem. Her discovery of gaming feels genuine, capturing real reactions as she learns, experiments, and laughs through the experience. It’s not about looking skilled it’s about having fun and bringing viewers along for the ride.
Adding to her gamer credentials, Joy also enjoys mobile games, including dance-based rhythm games, where timing, movement, and coordination matter as much as flair. It’s a perfect fit for someone who understands performance and rhythm, and it further shows that her interest in gaming extends beyond a single platform.
Of course, the irony is impossible to ignore. Virtually Joy is a blonde Miss Earth queen, part of a recent trend of blonde winners, yet in ROBLOX she can be seen even posting cutting down virtual trees, laughing at the contradiction. It’s self-aware, funny, and exactly the kind of humor that resonates with digital audiences.
In a space where many beauty queens struggle to feel relatable, Joy Barcoma proves just how rare it is to be both purposeful and entertaining. Whether she’s advocating for sustainability, dancing through mobile rhythm games, or causing harmless chaos in a pixelated world, she represents a modern queen who isn’t afraid to play and that makes all the difference.
🎮 Anna Sueangam‑iam — Miss Universe Thailand Who Gamified Her Feed
Thailand’s pageant scene is rich with style and grace, but one name stands out when you scroll beyond the usual red-carpet shots and polished press stills — Anna Sueangam‑iam, Miss Universe Thailand 2022. While Anna isn’t known as a professional gamer, what makes her inclusion worth noting is that she’s actually been seen streaming mobile games like Arena of Valor (RoV) with fans and communities online, blending her beauty queen visibility with real‑world gaming interaction.
A social media clip shows Anna diving into RoV gameplay alongside other creators and fans — not in a staged promo, but in the kind of casual play sessions that many gamers recognize instantly: pick a hero, drop into battle, laugh at the chaos, and keep your cool under pressure.
This crossover matters because it reflects something deeper about how pageant queens in Southeast Asia are interacting with digital culture. Anna didn’t just pose with a controller, she picked it up and played, showing a willingness to step into gaming spaces that many titleholders only observe from the sidelines. It’s a small moment, but it echoes broader trends where beauty queens are participating in online universes rather than just being represented in them.
In a region where mobile games like RoV are cultural staples and gaming communities are massive and passionate, a beauty queen showing up in gameplay streams even casually signals that the boundaries between glamour and game culture are fading.
🎮 Ahtisa Manalo — Miss Universe Philippines 2025 and Hardcore Gamer Girl
When you think of beauty queens and gaming, Ahtisa Manalo might not be the first name that comes to mind but maybe she should be. Crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2025, Ahtisa has shared glimpses of her genuine love for video games in interviews and social media that reveal a relatable, real‑world gamer side behind the crown.
In more candid moments outside official pageant coverage, Ahtisa has openly confessed that she’s played Hogwarts Legacy for days straight skipping sleep and basic self‑care just to complete quests and explore the magical world. Her honesty about diving deep into gameplay challenges the polished image often associated with beauty queens and shows she’s unafraid to embrace the gamer grind.
This kind of dedication is something many gamers will recognize instantly: the “just one more hour” mentality that turns into three days straight of immersive play. For a queen whose schedule involves glitzy events and travel, admitting to marathon gaming sessions makes her feel super relatable to young fans everywhere.
What makes Ahtisa’s gaming personality even more compelling is how it contrasts with her public image of grace and elegance. Here is a beauty queen who balances elite pageant performance with down‑to‑earth gamer instincts, proving that determination and passion run deeper than any stereotype.
In a way, Ahtisa’s gaming confession is more than a fun sidebar it’s a reminder that today’s beauty queens often have multidimensional lives filled with hobbies, fandoms, and digital adventures just like anyone else.
Beauty queens and gamers might seem like worlds apart, but in today’s digital age, the lines are blurring. Elegance, charisma, and advocacy can coexist seamlessly with playful curiosity, competitive spirit, and hours spent exploring virtual worlds. These modern icons remind us that passion isn’t limited to a single stage or screen it thrives wherever creativity, skill, and joy intersect. In the end, gaming and glamour aren’t opposites; they’re just different ways to shine.
