Redulfin: “Gaming can become a career.”
In an exclusive interview at the sidelines of the TheNet.com’s (TNC) TNC Cup titled: The Grand Finale, TNC Gaming owner Eric Redulfin bared future plans for the eSports industry in the country.
Responsible gaming, among other values, was identified as the driving force behind TNC’s continued support of competitive gaming in the country.
Moving forward, Redulfin said that steps have now been taken to encourage and enforce good decorum among players in their events.
“Before, some players would attend our events wearing sandos and slippers,” Redulfin said. “We have to start with ourselves; be responsible with our image and the way we present ourselves.
“We want to uplift the status of eSports in the country,” he added. “I often hear from parents that gaming is a hassle; a simple detriment to the studies of their children. I don’t think that’s true. Above all, we want to promote responsible gaming, not just to the players who go to our shops and events, but also to their parents as well.”
According to Redulfin, he envisions the the eSports industry in the country taking a huge leap in the coming years.
Future plans
In 2015, TNC plans to come out with a professional team sponsored by the company.
“We are looking to give scholarships to players who will be applying to our TNC professional team,” Redulfin said. “We want to support the out-of-school youth and offer scholastic benefits. We want our gamers to be role models of responsible gaming.”
TNC said that they will initially create professional teams for League of Legends (LoL) and Dota 2 but will also expand to StarCraft 2, Hearthstone, Counterstrike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and other games.
But Redulfin emphasized that gaming as a career is only for the short-term.
“Being a ‘gamer’ for a job is not for life,” Redulfin said. “We have spoken with players who have contacted us, wanting to apply for our professional teams. We want to create a contract with them, most likely for a year.”
“Gaming can become a career. There is nothing anyone can do to stop it. This is a trend now, it is only a matter of time.”
Asked for possible criticisms if and when gaming would take off as a future career track, Redulfin said that educating the public and their viewers will do wonders to fix the image of gamers in the country.
“We have been gathering information,” Redulfin said. “We might as well educate our viewers and the gamers themselves so that they will be role models and not embarrass the industry.”
Secret to a successful event
Redulfin told eSports Inquirer that TNC will be organizing more and more events in 2015, featuring larger venues and increased prize pools.
“The secret to a successful event is that you shouldn’t just organize it for the money,” the TNC owner shared. “You really need to put in all your effort and heart to it.”
“But above all, you must pray,” he added.
Asked where the next TNC cup will be held, Redulfin gave a sly smile and in a knowing tone said that the next cup will be bigger and better.
“Basta stadium (For sure it will be in a stadium),” he said.
TNC Cup 2014 “The Grand Finale”. The players are desperately catching free ballers thrown by the organizers.
At the finals of the TNC Cup held at the Cyberzone area of SM City North, attendance on the two-day event surpassed their expectations and the capacity allotted for their play area.
“In truth, we only expected around 300 people to show up on the first day,” Redulfin said. “In fact, I, along with our head organizer for the event, could only hope for about 2,000 people to attend so we printed 2,000 tickets knowing full well we wouldn’t be able to sell all of them. We were shocked to find that the tickets were sold out within an hour of opening the first day. We couldn’t even account for the people who watched with us without buying tickets.”
Niko Partners, a video game market research firm that focuses on Asia, anticipates that the Southeast Asian games market will reach $1.2 billion by 2017. Subsequently, the firm forecasts that the number of gamers in the region will balloon to over 130 million gamers from 85 million gamers in 2013 in six countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
“Now, more than ever, we need to bring eSports to the next level but at the same time maintain a responsible approach to playing games,” Redulfin said. “In our events, we try to offer and feature many different game genres to make sure everyone has a place to enjoy.”
Plans for a future league
Asked if TNC will create an ongoing league for eSports titles, Redulfin said that there are plans to create a weekly league that will cover four games: Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) 1, Dota 2, LoL and a yet to be announced First-Person Shooter (FPS).
“Most probably, we will also include Dragon Nest,” he added.
Redulfin, in a follow-up interview, said that TNC will be organizing “Unity Games”, a competition that will include teams from high-profile internet cafes from around Metro Manila such as Wargods, Mineski, Pacific, Imperium and more.
Going mainstream
“We plan on broadcasting our events on mainstream TV,” Redulfin said. “We have been negotiating this 2014.”
Redulfin did not divulge which media outlet they were currently in talks with. He described the channel as “non-IT and mainstream.”
“In order for all of this to materialize, everyone must work together — from the gamer to the sponsors and the media. As organizers, we cannot uplift the industry alone,” he added.
TheNet.com began as an internet cafe in 2007. Eric Redulfin, its owner, was an ex-janitor and ex-grocery bagger before founding the company. In 2014, TNC now has 61 branches across the metro and is one of the largest internet cafe chains in the country. — with a report from John Paolo “Brightroar” Bago
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