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| The participating players of the Philippines' premiere franchise-based professional gaming league The Nationals (Image Source: PhilStar.com) |
The Nationals commissioner Ren Vitug believes that competition and sports can bring joy and hope to people in these trying times and eSports is the most equipped among all sports to thrive during the pandemic as an essential advocate of strict health protocols with regards to physical and social distancing. "We think that there is an opportunity to inspire," said Vitug in a virtual press briefing for The Nationals' second season held last August 19. "Not just in giving joy to the people, but also by using the platforms that we and the teams have to spread awareness. Of course, the league also generates jobs for a lot of players, their support staff, and in many other interfaces.
eSports is a non-contact sport to begin with even before it was acknowledged around the globe, and moving the games online allows the league to run completely smooth sans physical human contact. The Nationals is a very unique one considering that last year's series of tournaments were played in a studio setting inside the Gariath Concepts eSports Studio in Quezon City which is now powered by Smart 5G. Such an atmosphere has provided opportunities for production like live audiences, captured player reactions and on-the-spot interviews which are rarely seen in other local and international professional gaming leagues and events.
For the second season, The Nationals is slated to feature the same three games from its maiden season namely Tekken 7, DOTA 2 and Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB). Upon approval, these games will be played for one conference since The Nationals plans to shorten the season due to the current health situation in the country. At the same time, the league is working closely with the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) to ensure that it will not be at the expense of the health and safety of its stakeholders when the new season gets underway. The recently released Joint Administrative Order of GAB, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Department of Health (DOH) is the primary benchmark on which the guidelines are tailored from.
For more updates on the Philippines' first franchise-based eSports league and its highly-anticipated second season, follow The Nationals on Facebook and Twitter. You can binge-watch the inaugural season of The Nationals on the Videos tab of the league's official Facebook page.
