Philippine Gaming Organization Director Responds: “Banning DotA is not the answer.”
Following reports that a barangay (village) in Dasmariñas City, Cavite issued a resolution banning the multi-player online game Defense of the Ancients (Dota) in computer shops within its jurisdiction, Philippine eSports Organization (PeSO) Executive Director Irymarc Gutierrez responded that responsible gaming and eSports regulation is the answer to problems of hooliganism and truancy associated to computer gaming.
In an open letter posted on his personal website, Gutierrez said that any competitive activity can breed gambling habits, spur violence and corrupt the young if not properly regulated.
“Any competitive activity can turn into something violent and bad without regulation. For example, two people punching each other in the street is something bad but with proper regulations: a ring, a huge crowd, a pair of gloves, a referee and an arena it is called boxing,” Gutierrez posted. “Boxing is celebrated by millions of people here in the Philippines and on the other hand two people fighting in a public bar is considered violent and bad.”
Gutierrez, himself a former professional DotA 1 player, explained that simply banning a game is futile as many other similar games can simply take its place without addressing the real, underlying problems.
“Banning the game such as DotA is not the answer to the never ending gaming related problems of the past generation. Banning one game won’t have any effect because kids will just jump into another similar game like League of Legends (LoL), HoN or whatever it maybe. Gaming has always been attached to negative things like addiction, violence and that it destroys the student’s studies but there is more to it than what meets the eye.”
Gutierrez further added that instead of banning games, real focus should be placed on creating a sustainable and well-regulated eSports industry to properly address concerns of hooliganisms, gambling and truancy among the youth.
With the global gaming industry and in particular eSports (of which games such as DotA, LoL and other competitive multiplayer games fall under) rising to unprecedented heights in 2014, Gutierrez believes that these games have become modern spectator sports and as such, must be treated this way.
“Its world championship (Dota 2) which features top teams from different countries boasts a USD 10,000,000 in prize pool which is equivalent to around 430,000,000 pesos. This can compete against prizes of traditional sports and is not just a simple game anymore,” he writes.
eSports Prize Pools in 2014 (Photo from BanterChat.com)
“Banning the game is not the answer, violence can happen in basketball, soccer or any other sports for that matter without proper guidance but you never hear anyone banning basketball when players punch each other in the court of your village or subdivision,” he added. “DOTA is not bad, but without control and guidance it can become bad. We have been pushing for traditional sports as a tool to avoid worse things like drugs, crime and such and I believe that this is also possible with eSports.”
In a short interview with eSports Inquirer, Gutierrez said that the main goal of PeSO in the coming years is to create the necessary support infrastructure that includes events as well as educational training to would-be professional gamers on how to conduct themselves both in-game and in the real world.
“It has always been the focus of PeSO to create a self-sustaining environment for players and other people who want to be a part of the growing eSports industry,” Gutierrez said. “That’s why our advocacy is to show players how to be responsible in carrying themselves both in their games and out. We provide support networks and education to up and coming players, as well as try and educate people unfamiliar with the industry.”
PeSO is the representing body for the Philippines to the International eSports Federation (IeSF). It is an organization made up of 42 member nations, recognized by the Sport Accord, that pushes for the inclusion of eSports as an Olympic event. As part of its mission goals, PeSO and IeSF recognizes competitive video games as a “true sport beyond language, race and cultural barriers”.
eSports by Inquirer.net is a joint project by the Inquirer.net group and the Philippine eSports Organization.
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