Can Filipinos Find Success in Video Games?
WRITTEN BY FRANCESA JANA SANTIAGO
Did you know the popular pandemic game Among Us was helped developed by not one, but three Filipinos? That’s right! It isn’t in just the Got Talent franchise and Olympic sports where you’ll find Filipino excellence anymore. From literature, to animation, to even the social media market, Filipinos all over the diaspora have found their way into various forms of visual media and entertainment. Today’s gaming industry also proves that the competitiveness of our community is capable of going global through virtual means! But because this has long been a relatively western-slash-white dominated platform— and let’s face it, a field no Filipino parent would ever want their children to take part in— Filipino representation is still undermined.
Before the pandemic brought on a huge spike in technological consumption, the Philippine gaming market can only be found through mall arcades and internet cafes. But now, you can easily watch streamers like Alodia Gosiengfao play Call of Duty for her 8.2M Facebook followers or eSports teams such as TNC Predator represent the country in professional overseas tournaments! Even local telecommunications companies Globe, PLDT and SMART have consistently been empowering the Filipino gaming industry through numerous initiatives. And Filipinos outside the motherland are putting their best foot forward too: Fil-Ams Pattie Umali released in 2021 The Girl Who Sees, a fantasy roleplaying game set in the Philippines during the Japanese occupation while Gabby Llanillo is known for her work as Quality Assurance Supervisor for popular games such as Valorant.
NEON from Valorant.
LAPU-LAPU from Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
Isabella Reyes from Call of Duty: Warzone.
The first, and widely regarded, Filipino-made video game Anito by Anino Playlab, was released back in November of 2003. Since then, a rise in heritage-themed Filipino games can be seen throughout the years: BAYANI (2019), Good Knight (2021), Balete City and Soup Pot, which are both still in development! And it doesn’t stop there because we’re also seeing progress through game characters like LAPU-LAPU from Mobile Legends: Bang Bang— who was inspired by the real-life Filipino hero, Valorant’s NEON the electricity-based agent from Manila and Isabella Reyes, COD: Warzone’s Filipina freedom fighter. Our community is also an eminent contributor to the development of blockbuster games namely Cyberpunk 2077, Halo Infinite, The Last of Us II and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
Unlike decades ago, gaming is no longer a niche interest nor is it limited to a specific demographic anymore. And it’s most certainly evolved into a spectacle to be taken more seriously. Courses on game development and eSports are being offered at Philippine colleges and universities. The excitement behind the screen is proven to be profitable and what Filipinos are bringing to consoles, PCs and mobile devices everywhere are innovations reflective of our cultural experiences and personal creativities. This can potentially lead to not only the future of mainstream entertainment but pave the way for more generations of Filipino talents and more media visibility for the community.