Professional e-gamers have, quite literally, taken things to a whole new level. Tatler takes a glimpse into the e-sports industry's state and future in the Philippines
The accessibility to smartphones and mobile internet has undeniably paved the way for the rise of many Filipino e-gaming communities. Through online games, players no longer have to be assessed for their innate skills, weight, and even race. In this field, all athletes get an equal shot at winning.
Esports is defined as "competitive gaming at a professional level". It is a sport that can be viewed by a large number of audiences via streaming platforms like Facebook, Twitch, or YouTube. Typically, esports games are multiplayer online battle arena games that involve real-time strategies; these are played on gaming computers and mobile devices with high specs.
In the Philippines, there are more than 43 million active gamers who are steadily increasing by 12.9 per cent annually since 2017. The country's gaming sector is led by the 2.6 million active players of the infamous Mobile Legends, a multiplayer online battle arena developed and published by Moonton, a subsidiary of ByteDance.
Other online games like PlayerUnknown's Battleground (PUBG), DOTA 2, Tekken, and League of Legends can also be credited for the rise of active mobile gamers in the country.
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World Championship Events
Next to Indonesia, the Philippines has the most number of Mobile Legends players according to JJ Lin, the esports manager for Montoon. In an interview with ABS-CBN, the official said that the number of esports gamers in the Philippines has gotten so big that a professional Mobile Legends league was born.
“The Philippines is a very important market for Moonton. We love all the MLBB fans. . . Actually, the Philippines is the second most important market for MLBB,” he told the press.
“We will focus more on the Philippines in the future and [add] more tournaments, and maybe more skins, more heroes,” he remarked.
