Aside from bringing honor to the country, Sen. Paolo Benigno ?Bam? Aquino said the online gaming industry create jobs and livelihood for Filipinos.
“There is so much potential in our gaming industry,” said Aquino upon hearing that a Filipino team — TNC — qualified again for the prestigious International DOTA 2 Championship, which will be held from August 7 to 12 at KeyArena in Seattle.
Last year, TNC placed eighth among 18 countries that joined the event.
“We have very talented gamers that are winning big in the world stage. But we also have game developers and local studios that are hired to help create some of the most popular games,” said Aquino.
The lawmaker mentioned that several Filipino game developers and studios recently made their mark in the international arena.
In the Tokyo Game Show, Japan’s most important video game convention, seven Pinoy independent game developers brought home awards, including Keybol Games, Squeeky Wheel Studio, Monstronauts, Unibox, Popsicle Games, Moocho Brain Interactive Designs, and Nico Tuason’s “Games by Nico”.
He added that the game Flippy Bottle Extreme by Derrick Alain Mapagu also became a global hit, beating out games like Temple Run 2 and even Pokemon Go in the United States.
Other global companies tap Filipino studios and artists in producing popular games, such as Electronic Arts and FunGuy Studio. Synergy 88 and Microsoft for Gears of War 4 and Sony’s Naughty Dog and Secret 6 on Uncharted 4.
“This is big business. Gaming can actually bring in money, jobs and livelihood into the Philippines,” said Aquino.
Furthermore, he said the inclusion of e-sports in the Asian Games in 2022 will give Filipino athletes another venue to highlight their skills and excel and bring honor to the country.
