Senator Bam Aquino believes that e-sports and game development in the country are gaining momentum towards being a source of honor and employment opportunities for Filipinos.
Aquino based his pronouncement on recent developments that put esports and the country’s game development industry in the spotlight.
E-sports was included in the Asian Games as a demonstration sport in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia. In 2022, esports will be an official medal event at the 2022 Hangzhou Games.
In addition, the Mandaue-based University of The Visayas New School included esports and game development in its Senior High Arts and Design track.
“I believe that if we strengthen academic-industry linkages and work with our schools to develop the skills and creativity of future Filipino game developers, we will be able to grow this industry more,” said the legislator, a staunch supporter of e-sports and the game development industry in the country.
The university said it will teach game strategy for Dota 2, game design and development animation and 2D and 3D animation, and game creation. After two years, the students can either choose to be game creators, designers, or e-sports players in the professional league.
The lawmaker has been supporting Filipino e-sports athletes who have excelled in previous international events, including the prestigious International DOTA 2 Championship event in Seattle where Filipino squad TNC finished eighth.
The youthful senator helped establish the Philippine e-sports Association (PeSPA) to strengthen the foundation of e-sports in the country, to look after the welfare of cyber athletes and stakeholders and promote e-sports in the country.
Aside from this, Aquino is also an ardent supporter of the video game development industry in the Philippines due to its tremendous potential to create fresh employment opportunities for Filipinos.
“All the ingredients are there to really make this work and primary of which is the Filipinos’ combination of artistry and technical know-how that can be the foundation for the game development industry in the Philippines,” said Aquino.