Globe Games and Esports continue to thrive, fuel passion during the pandemic
In every difficult situation, there is an opportunity for one to thrive. While the global health crisis forced people to stay in quarantine, it also opened the doors for the world of digital Esports and the creation of new gaming content that help continue to fuel the passion of gamers and Esports enthusiasts everywhere. With that, Globe aims to grasp the idea that Esports is more than just a game, but is a lifestyle, personality, and a DNA that is redefining the very world we are currently living in.
Nikko Acosta, Globe SVP for Content Business
Nikko Acosta, Globe SVP and Head of Content Business Group, said that from minimal share of content that amounted to around 15% traffic three years ago, Games and Esports went up to more than double in year-on-year traffic growth. This could be attributed to the availability of the proper device, strong connection to internet services, and an impressive portfolio of games to choose from today.
League of Legends: Wildrift alone already reached 90% of its topline monthly target due to the wireless availability of the game, an area of access that was not readily available in the past.
“Enjoying your passion doesn’t mean it will go away with this pandemic. The nice thing about being online is that as long as you have the time, you’ll be able to invest properly. And since you’re at home, you can also connect to your friends and community to be able to play together,” Acosta said.
He added: “The past year-and-a-half has been an opportunity for us. With the right distribution, with the right pricing, with the right infrastructure, we believed the players would come, and they wouldn’t only come, they would stay. And that is something that we’re proud of.”
For Esports, while the core experience of a tournament is being physically present to experience it with other players and supporters, Acosta said Esports remains resilient and easy to migrate online fully. With players playing from home or companies holding bubble boot camps to train their players, the move to a fully online setting has never been much easier for the Esports community.
A global phenomenon even before COVID-19, Esports is currently slowly working its way back into the current environment as well, with platforms directly aimed to serve Esports fans and gamers.
According to him, Globe has created a digital community to allow fans to watch the tournaments right in the comforts of their homes but still be able to engage with other viewers through chat. This digital community called “GGWP”, is Globe Telecom’s official channel that features gaming and Esports content such as the latest game releases, fresh content and streams of Esports tournaments from PPGL and AcadArena.
“We do the same with fervor and tenacity to set Esports up, but we do it online. And we have the promise that someday when things open up with the proper safety protocols, we can go back to including our offline events. Esports is thriving because we can create a community digitally. And someday it will be both digital and offline,” Acosta said.
Of course, with the Esports community growing, Globe has also created their very own responsible gaming program, keeping gamers, netizens, and the youth safe from online harm called the “Globe Digital Thumbprint program”. Globe has partnered with several agencies and organizations such as UNICEF and Bantay Bata to help moderate their “GGWP” platform, most especially to help block illegal platforms, fight the online sexual exploitation of children, and to educate their audience on responsible online behavior.
Globe strongly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 9, which highlights the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development. Globe is committed to upholding the 10 United Nations Global Compact principles.
To learn more, please visit https://www.globe.com.ph/.
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