Great Strides &
Growing Pains
Crash course on the Philippine
esports & gaming industry
Who am I?
Hi, I’m Benj
● Started gaming when I was 5 years old – started with
the Family Computer and got to try MS-DOS games
● Been part of Garena for the first 8 years of my career
starting as community manager, esports manager and
then as product manager for League
● Worked for an entertainment marketing agency as
account manager for gaming, working closely with
Globe Telecom on their esports and gaming projects
● Currently the AVP for Operations at Gariath Concepts
Source: Newzoo
Esports and the
Esports Ecosystem
Esports
is a form of sport competition using video games. Esports often takes
the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions,
particularly between professional players, individually or as teams.
Esports & Gaming
Ecosystem
ALL GAMING
Amateur
Competitive Gaming
Platforms/Channels
Teams / Players
Consumers
Publishers
Professional Competitive
Gaming
Brands
Events
Leagues
Source: Newzoo
Esports & Gaming
Ecosystem
ENDEMIC
NON-ENDEMIC
BRANDS
PLATFORMS
SPONSORSHIP
REGULATION
CHECKS AND BALANCE
TECHNICAL
RIGHTS FEES
RIGHTS FEES
SUBSCRIPTIONS +
CPM
PUBLISHER
GOVERNMENT
INSTITUTIONS
LICENSING
FEES
CONTENT FEES +
SPONSORSHIPS
MEDIA
3RD PARTY
PLAYERS
PUBLISHERS
DIGITAL ITEM
REVENUE SPLIT
PRIZE MONEY +
REVENUE SHARING
SALARY +
REVENUE
SHARING
COMPETITIONS
VIEWERSHIP
CONCESSIONS
MERCH + GATE
GAME /
CONTENT FEES
TEAMS / AGENCIES
MERCH
DONATIONS
Source: Catalyst Sports and Media
FANS
BROADCASTING
TOOLS
Western vs Eastern
● Tend to focus more on independent play and
personal skill
● PC is still the dominant form of gaming
entertainment. Can be attributed to fully
developed wired internet infrastructure
● Tend to be more driven by Competition,
Destruction, Challenge, Design and Discovery
● Stricter social bias towards gaming = limited
hours to play at home = internet cafes (or PC
bangs) flourished = communication,
coordination and cooperation takes priority
● Mobile-first culture – could be attributed to
lowering costs of smartphones and mobile data
● Tend to be more driven by 4Cs: Competition,
Completion, Community and Challenge
Sources: Niko Partners - GSEA (Greater Southeast Asia) Gamers Segmentation Analysis
History of PH
Esports
Great Strides – PH Esports Milestones
Ragnarok Online
was launched in
the Philippines
Dota 1 was
released
The first Mineski
Pro-Gaming
League (MPGL)
was held
Southeast Asia’s
first fully
professional
league (GPL) was
established
Garena Philippines
was established
Manila Eagles
represented PH
2004
2011
2010
2003
Mineski was founded
The first
ESGS was
held
2013
The first PH LoL team
competed in Worlds
2011 (Pacific)
The first PH Dota 2
team competed in The
Dota 2 International
(Mineski)
2015
Dota 2 was
released
Mineski.LoL
qualified for
Worlds
Globe
Conquerors
Manila was
held in the
Philippines
The first esports
tournament
broadcasted on
Philippine free TV
(LoL Worlds 2015
on AksyonTV)
LoL Collegiate
League started
PeSO was
recognized
as the NSA
for esports
2019
2017
2018
2016
2014
2012
League of Legends
was launched in the
Philippines
ESL One
Manila
and
Manila
Major was
held
TNC won
WESG, taking
home a US$
800,000 prize
The Games and
Amusements
Board (GAB)
became the
regulating body
for esports
2020
The Nationals
started, the
country’s first
franchisebased esports
league
Esports was
included in the
30th SEA
Games
Great Strides
We’ve got a
national sports
association (NSA)
There’s
government
recognition
We have a lot of
options in terms of
games
There are more
events and leagues
being created
We have booming
communities on
the grassroots
level
Non-endemic
brands are starting
to notice the
industry
Growing Pains
There’s politics
involved and we
need to get pass
that
Unclear
government
involvement in
esports
We lack a unified
voice for esports
industry
stakeholders
We need more
people with fresh
ideas and creative
minds
Cultivate more
grassroot
communities
We need more
people equipped
with the right skills
and the right
mindset
Public Perception
How does the public perceive esports?
•
Unproductive pastime for children and teens
•
Addicting and unnecessary distraction
•
Not a real sport
•
Made only for men and teens/young adults
•
Not a viable career
• But everything
changed when the Fire Nation attacked is
changing
Anatomy of
Philippine Video
Games and Esports
The Pinoy Gamer
PH gamers by age bracket
36.70%
40.00%
43 million gamers
35.00%
30.00%
27.10%
In the Philippines
22.40%
25.00%
20.00%
11.80%
15.00%
10.00%
2%
5.00%
0.00%
18-24 years
25-34 years
35-44 years
37%
63%
45-54 years
55-64 years
Female
Male
63%
33%
10%
36%
watches gaming video content
is part of the of the esports audience
(watches esports-related content)
watches gaming content but plays less
than once a month
are cross-platform gamers
Popular Game Genres and Platforms
Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA)
✅ Accessibility
✅ Competition & Community
Share per gaming platform
First person shooter (FPS)
✅ Accessibility
✅ Easier learning curve
Role-playing game (RPG)
✅ Accessibility
✅ Collection
Fighting Games (FGC)
✅ Easier learning curve
✅ Easy to watch
CONSOLE
PC
MOBILE
45%
65%
74%
Career and
Employment in the
Esports Industry
There is no one way to get
into the industry
Identify your passion point
Learn new knowledge and essential skills
Acquire experience
Create connections
Be a catalyst for change
Career Pathways and Progression
Pro Team Unit
●
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Player
Team Analyst / Statistician
Coach
Manager
General Manager
Broadcast Unit
●
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Cameraman
Audio Engineer
Graphics Artist
Equipment Specialist (Grip)
Observer
Shoutcaster/Host
Production Director
Esports Producer
●
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●
●
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Content Unit
Operations Unit
Streamer
Writer
Video Editor
Graphics Artist
Social Media Manager
Marketing Manager
Content Manager
●
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Account Manager
Project Manager
Community Manager
League Operations
Logistics
IT
Human Resources
Finance
In Demand Characteristics and Skills
Preferred degrees and
extracurriculars
● No particular degree required but the
more equipped you are, the better (e.g.
Psychology graduates for HR, Marketing
/ Advertising graduates for Marketing
and Content, etc.)
● Exposure to esports and gaming events
and how they are run. If you are capable
and have the time, volunteer for events
Software competencies
● In today’s digital world, everything can
be learned!
● But it would still be best if you have
basic proficiency with the following:
● Office software programs (Docs,
Spreadsheets, Slides, etc.)
● Image and video editing applications
● Email and email etiquette
● Social media
● Games!
Characteristics and skills
●
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Ability to work under pressure
Multi-tasking capability
Time management
Oral and written communication
Problem analysis and solving
Data-driven
Reliable and dependable
Team player
Self-disciplined & self-aware
Knows how to pace work
Street smart
References
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7.
Statista (2020, May). Share of gaming platforms in the games market in the Philippines as of April 2020, by type. Retrieved
from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1133451/philippines-popular-gaming-platforms-games-market/
Statista (2020). Philippines video game market. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/outlook/203/123/videogames/philippines
Finck, Bryan (2020, August 15). The State of Gaming in Asia in 2020. Retrieved from https://medium.com/super-jump/thestate-of-gaming-in-asia-in-2020-f0b2c359ca09
Niko Partners (2020, July). Esports In Asia Report. Retrieved from https://nikopartners.com/esports-in-asia/
Elliott, Rhys (2020, May 4). The Philippines’ Games Market: Data and Insights. Retrieved from
https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/data-and-insights-on-the-philippines-games-market/
Newzoo (2017, June 1). The Filipino Gamer | 2017. Retrieved from https://newzoo.com/insights/infographics/the-filipinogamer/
Niko Partners (2019, April). Greater Southeast Asia Gamer Segmentation Study. Retrieved from
https://nikopartners.com/greater-southeast-asia-gamer-segmentation-study/
Thanks