To say esports is big in the Philippines is a gross understatement. With esports teams, like TNC Predator, a team best known for topping international Dota 2 tournaments, and Blacklist International, who recently reclaimed the top spot at the MPL PH S10 Grand Finals, the industry is booming.
Philippine esports has become a legitimate and lucrative creative sector and sport. The numbers don’t lie (we’re seeing a whopping USD$1.5Bn in estimated revenues by 2025 per Statista). It’s also not that hard to see the qualitative value.
Whether you’re a newbie or an esports pro, games can help develop skills, like creative and critical thinking, problem solving, new media literacy and more. And come on, it’s fun. So if you’re just getting started, here’s a list of the some of the best games to try:
Dota 2
Valve Corporation’s Dota 2 is a five-on-five PC game that plays on a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) map. It’s similar to League of Legends but appeals more to some players because of its graphics and more tactical gameplay. Players can also choose from over 110 different heroes and five different playable roles.
You can learn more about the most popular esports game today from the country’s top streamers, Biancake and Alodia Gosiengfiao.
League of Legends
League of Legends, developed and published by Riot in 2009, is a PC game where two teams of five battle each other to defend their half of the map. Players control a champion that grows more powerful by collecting experience points, earning gold for purchasing items. Its popularity and success have led to several spin-offs, like the animated series Arcane and its mobile version Wild Rift.
Daevara and Rikki Quiapon are just some of the names to follow should you want to give LoL a go.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Moonton’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is another five-on-five MOBA game that has taken the country by storm. It features traditional battle arena gameplay where players need to fight over three lanes to take the enemy’s tower. Here, there’s no hero training to level up. You also can’t pay your way to the top. Winners are determined based on ability, skill and strategy.
Who plays MLBB? Akosi Dogie, ChooxTV and Onepipti are among the biggest names across the internet that can help you get started.
League of Legends: Wild Rift
Riot Games’ League of Legends: Wild Rift is the modified version of the PC game LoL and was published before its direct competitor, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
Similar to its predecessor, players control a champion that battles against a team of players with the goal of destroying the opponent’s Nexus. In the game, champions increase strength by accumulating experience and items. But compared to its PC version, Wild Rift takes less time to play.
Popular Wild Rift players include Elie Gaming and The Gaming House’s Hypebeks and Pao Islaw.
PUBG: Battlegrounds
PUBG: Battlegrounds, a battle royale game by PUBG Studios and Krafton, is inspired by the Japanese film, Battle Royale (2000). The game is played from either a third-person or first-person point of view with one objective: to survive.
In PUBG, players parachute onto an island where they scavenge for weapons and kill other players to survive. Over time, the available safe area in the game decreases in size and forces surviving players to face one another. The last player (or team) standing wins.
PUBG can be played across different platforms—console, mobile and PC. Ready to play? Check out YuriGaming, Yalu_ok and H2r Gaming to help you get your game on.
So which game are you playing this year?
