Wazzup Pilipinas!
ESports is on the rise around the world and nowhere is it blasting into the mainstream more than in the Philippines. The global eSports industry was valued as a 493 million dollar market in 2017 and is expected to increase to $1.65 billion by 2020. Not only is this creating a job market for competitive gamers to join pro teams, but it is opening up new avenues for gamers to make a living for themselves live streaming as well as new niche jobs related to more traditional careers. These include eSports journalists, eSports event coordinators, social media, content, eSports experts who cash in by betting on the matches, and marketing jobs related to the eLeagues and the list goes on. This is great news for the youth and young adults not only in the Philippines but all across Asia.
We all have our favorite teams and players so It should be noted that it is important to check on the reputation of online betting sites that offer odds on eSports before jumping in headfirst, like this Youwager Review.
A Growing Culture
Like baseball in the United States and Japan, eSports are becoming a national pastime in Manilla. There have been several huge events held in Manilla over the last couple of years and it doesn’t look like will be slowing down any time soon.
Dota 2 and affordable internet cafes changed it all. The ability to sit down for a couple of hours to play Dota 2 for 20 PHP. Of course, WarCraft 3 and Dota Allstars back in the 2000s led the way in the internet cafes, but it was Dota 2 that caught on like a fever that spread through Manilla.
The simple fact that with DOTA 2, you don’t have to purchase a gaming console or computer and you don’t have to buy a pricey copy of the game itself, but the fact that you can play online day or night in just about any internet cafe for a few cents is what made it so popular. Very little investment, and a whole lot of fun.
Here is a stat that will bring it into perspective for you readers: according to TeamSpy, in 2015 and 2016, Pinoys made up 10% of the entire DOTA 2 server. That means that roughly 8% of the population in Manilla would be logged on at any given time!
The Future of Events
Some of the most historic competitions have been held in the Philippines, and now we have the Nationals, “A franchise driven league for DOTA 2, Mobile Legends, and NBA 2K18.” - DA Geeks
Now the search is on to fill the Nationals roster with top players. ‘The Road to The Nationals’ got underway this August. The events at TNC Morayta, Mineski Portal Cebu, and iPlay CyberSquare in Manilla, Cebu City, and Cagayan de Oro are already completed and have yielded teams to qualify for the inaugural season in 2019.
Teams That Have Already Qualified for DOTA 2
Quid Pro Quo
Sterling Global Dragons
Polar Ace
Davao’s Pride
But there are still three DOTA 2 qualification events left. The tournament at TNC Bacolod on September 22, 2018, a tournament on the 29th of September at the Localhost Cafe in Iloilo City, and in Imus City at the UGZ on October 13, 2018.
NBA2K18 & Mobile Legends
The Mobile Legends qualifiers will be decided by the Mobile Legends Professional League Season 2 Tournament.
The best NBA2K18 teams in the country will qualify through six different tournaments, starting on the 22nd of September 2018 and running through October 14th, 2018 with a final tournament at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay on October 27th and 28th.
This is going to be a huge event next month and fans all across the Philippines are chomping at the bit to see who will come out on top.
24 Teams in all (eight for each title) and millions in pesos for prize money the winning teams and franchise draft opportunities for one of the six Nationals franchise teams … eSports is definitely on the rise in the Philippines.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
