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| (Image Source: ABS-CBN News) |
Six
exciting eSports tournaments in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games held last
December 5-10, 2019 at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City signifies a
new dawn for the billion-dollar professional gaming industry considering that
it is the first major sporting event in the world to include eSports as a medal
sport and two intriguing brands were able to celebrate its monumental conclusion
in their own way - the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers Razer and the
Philippine national eSports team SIBOL.
Prior
to its appointment as the official eSports partner of the 30th SEA Games, Razer
has been on a decade-long mission to legitimize eSports as an official sport. With
the success of these events, the renouned brand is putting its focus on the
Olympics. On the other hand, the 27-member strong Philippine national eSports
team looks to prove to the world that the country's pro gaming athletes are ones
to be reckoned with across Southeast Asia. After the SEA Games, its mission was
definitely worth the wait and it is only the beginning of what's to come in the
foreseeable future.
An Overwhelming Support And
A Well-Deserved Recognition
While
fans from all walks of live visited the San Juan Arena or tuned it remotely on their
television sets to watch the competitions live, approximately 70,000 viewers
prefer watching these games via live streaming on Razer's multiple streaming
platforms on the event's first day alone which has recorded over one million
views. At its peak, the arena was filled to maximum capacity while Razer's
streaming platforms registered 20 million impressions and 90,000 concurrent
viewers. The 2019 SEA Games eSports tournaments is among the top trending
gaming videos worldwide on YouTube with audiences spending more than 20,000
hours watching the games or catching up to them.
For
its efforts in helping eSports receive the same recognition and coverage as
traditional sports such as basketball and volleyball, Razer has been given an
honorary recognition from the Philippine SEA Games Organizational Committee
(PHISGOC). The announcement of the recognition was eventually shared on
PHISGOC's social media channels. Philippine SEA Games eSports Union co-president
and national team manager Alvin Juban thanked Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan and
PHISGOC Chairman/House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano for making the event
possible which proves the union's vision. Juban also stated that he is looking
forward to celebrate it all over again in the next SEA Games which will happen
in Vietnam in 2021.
SIBOL Strikes And Conquers
Throughout
all that happened in the eSports competition, Filipino viewers and even those
inside the San Juan Arena were able to witness exciting gameplay and superb level
of competition from all the members of SIBOL who have competed against the best
and toughest from other participating Southeast Asian countries in DOTA 2,
Tekken 7, Mobile Legends Bang Bang, Arena of Valor, Hearthstone and Starcraft
II.
After
showcasing grit and resilience in the competition against their foes, several
members of the Philippine national eSports team have reaped their rewards with
three gold medals, one silver and one bronze overall. The gold medals were won
by members of SIBOL in DOTA 2 and Mobile Legends Bang Bang as well as Liyab's
Caviar "Enderr" Acampado in Starcraft II while the lone silver and
bronze medals go to top Tekken 7 players AK and Doujin, respectively, after
their gold medal hopes were foiled by Thailand.
Although
not making it to the medal rounds, I'm certain that the Filipino gaming
community is also proud of their Arena of Valor and Hearthstone players,
especially the team's lone female member Jacintha "Jia" Dee. Anyway,
as eSports made history in the 2019 SEA Games and was seen around the world,
SIBOL came out to prove that the Philippines can become a potential powerhouse
in the foreseeable future and Filipino gamers are formidable forces in the
world of professional gamers and they happened to prove that point at the 2019
Southeast Asian Games. Congratulations, SIBOL eSports, and keep walking strong
and proud for Philippine eSports!!
