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From senior citizens playing DOTA 2 to an all-female tourney, this year’s Pinoy Gaming Festival delivered one surprise after another.
Allister Alambra reports.
Whether it is massively online battle arena games, first–person shooters, or fighting games…
the second edition of the Pinoy Gaming Festival or PGF has something to offer hardcore gamers and casual e-sports aficionados alike.
The sponsors’ booths are crowded with people looking to score some freebies or sample the new gaming tech on display.
Game shoutcasters make sure uninitiated passersby won’t miss any of the action.
But what makes this gaming fiesta different from the ones that came before it – is it caters even to the minority in the e-sports community.
All-female teams, with their avatars armed-to-the-teeth, battle it out in the Point Blank tourney, drawing the loudest cheers from the spectators.
Even 66-year old Tony Matulac, or popularly known as Lolo Cris in the e-sports community, defies the stereotype that video games are just for kids.
Playing video games, particularly DOTA2, has been therapeutic for Lolo Cris while recovering from a heart ailment in 2012.
TONY “LOLO CRIS” MATULAC, GAMER:Pumunta ako sa doctor, sinabi kong naglalaro ako ng DOTA, it’s an online game na four hours, five… sabi niya ano pakiramdam mo? Sabi ko, feeling good, maganda naman. Hindi ako name-mental stress. Sige, sabi niya, ituloy mo.
(When I visited my doctor, I told him I play DOTA for four hours or five hours. He asked me how I’m feeling. I told him I feel good and there was no mental stress. Then, he told me to continue playing.)
With the PGF’s huge success, the organizers are looking forward to making the next gaming festival bigger.
JOEBERT YU, PGF ORGANIZER: I’m hoping that this will continue the trend that e-sports is being accepted more by the public, judging from the people that came to the event and the good reaction that we had.
The local e-sports scene may still have a long way to go in terms of growth, but the huge turnout during the PGF proves it’s alive and well.
Allister Alambra, Rappler, Quezon City. – Rappler.com
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