IN PHOTOS: ESGS makes in-person return in 2022

MANILA, Philippines – The Esports and Gaming Summit (ESGS), one of the largest gaming conventions in the Philippines, makes its in-person return after two years of being online only. 

The event, organized by Gariath Concepts, had thousands of passionate gamers converge at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City for a three-day celebration – October 28 to 30 – of everything games. 

This year’s event was touted as the biggest yet, and it’s apparent from the almost overwhelming sights and sounds that attendees are treated to the moment they enter the convention doors. There are in-event tournaments, demo stations for the latest games and hardware, merch booths, famous gaming personalities, exclusive freebies, and so much more. 

Here are some photos from the first day of the event:

The top gaming hardware makers such as Acer, MSI, ROG, and Razer all had booths showcasing their latest products. 

Japanese publisher Sega was at the event to let attendees try Persona 5 Royal, which recently released on PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, and Sonic Frontiers, which releases on November 8. Local gaming entertainment firm Tier One was also present at the gamer gathering.

Indie developers were given a platform to showcase their own games. 

Popular mobile games like Genshin Impact, Ragnarok Arena, and Call of Duty Mobile also had their own booths. 

League of Legends (LoL), VALORANT, and LoL: Wild Rift developer Riot Games made their ESGS debut, hosting tournaments and cosplay competitions. 

Globe, the ESGS’s main presenter, co-hosted Astra Arena, the event’s own esports stage. The telco also had a booth filled with various activities, including an LED photo studio from partner MetaverseGo.

Tournaments were being held in almost every corner of the convention. One of which was the Fighting Game Arena, where attendees could test their mettle against each other in games like Tekken or King of Fighters. 

There’s also plenty to shop, from cosplay items to art prints to retro games to exclusive event merch. 

And what would a gaming convention be without cosplayers? 

ESGS’s face-to-face return proves that even for a hobby that can mostly be done at home, nothing beats getting together with like-minded people sharing a similar passion. Here’s to 2023! – Rappler.com