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7,107 islands. 14 million gamers. 2.8 million fans of competitive play.

That’s the Philippine picture of eSports in a snapshot.

In the annals of gaming history, 2014 will be remembered as a year of many firsts. In late 2013, the video game industry’s stellar performance attracted global attention. By 2014, revenues from sales of game titles, including micro-transactions for in-game baubles and trinkets, amounted to $20 billion higher than the music industry in the same time frame — the first time in history.

2014 also saw one of the largest eSports event with the biggest prize pool — a whopping $10.9 million for Valve Software’s Defense of the Ancients 2 — come to fruition to a sold out crowd at the Keys Arena in Seattle, while millions more around the world watched on from the comfort of their desks over the net.

Now, more than ever, video games and its more extreme counterpart, eSports, are rapidly gaining ground in the mainstream. Its global revenues, large multinational fan-bases and massive popular appeal have made the industry difficult to pass off as childish pastime. It is already difficult to name a person in your social group that does not play some form of game on their mobile device or home computer. Similarly, more competitive gamers are also increasing in number as more and more people find a release for their competitive urges through gaming titles.

With the rise of video streaming platforms such as the newly Amazon.com acquired Twitch.tv (acquired for a $970 million, in cash), video games have turned from a solo activity, into a legitimate spectator experience with a participatory vibe.

It’s a great year to be a gamer, but what does that mean for us here in the Philippines? What does “eSports” even mean?

Simply put, eSports stands for Electronic Sports: a sub-genre of video games that focuses on competitive aspects, either through team play or solo prowess. The aforementioned $10.9 million tournament for Dota 2 — The International 4 — saw it’s champions, Team NewBee from China, win a little over $5 million split among it’s five players. Starcraft 2, the wildly popular sci-fiction real-time strategy game, is its own industry in South Korea, with professional teams routinely handing out six-figure salaries to their top players while simultaneously supporting an economic infrastructure that provides jobs to organizers, coaches, managers and support staff.

Globally, games are becoming a viable part of the economic and cultural fabric, yet here in our own shores, gaming has struggled to find legitimacy. While the negative effects of the industry are well covered in the country, much of games and eSports remains a mystery to the public at large.

With any luck, 2014 can change all of that.

Welcome, gamers and non-gamers alike, to the Philippine eSports Organization Website! Launched in partnership with Inquirer.net, this page is committed to bringing you, our reader, unbiased articles and coverage relating to your favorite games and competitions. We will strive to give you timely updates on tournaments and in-depth reviews on the industry we all dearly love.

And if you are a non-gamer, fret not. In these pages, you will find feature stories on the gaming industry to give outsiders a more balanced peek at the culture that has captivated millions in our own nation and many more abroad.

Together, we will bring about a new age of gaming in the country. This is our promise.

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