Thursday, August 21, 2008 Gaming can help Cebu’s IT development
MANY parents may disagree but a fascination for computers, even gaming, will bring benefits not only to the individual but to the country as well.
This was the assertion of the organizers of the Mandaue Business Month’s “first and biggest” LAN Party in Cebu on Aug. 23 to 24, a 24-hour gathering of computer and gadget enthusiasts and gamers at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC). They said that for the Philippines to achieve a higher level of information technology (IT) development, more Filipinos should learn and master computers.
Dan Brian Gerona of web development and design solutions provider Acme Web Solutions, cited South Korea, where even very young children already know how to use computers. “Those who play computer games, (even children) know how to use Microsoft Word (and other applications). If computer gaming can make children dull, South Korea would have been a country of dumb people. But look at (South) Korea now,” he said during a press conference last Tuesday.
Gerona, a gamer and owner of his own business, said that aside from being a fun way to learn about technology, computer gaming—particularly online gaming—can be a money-making activity. He added that Olympic gamers—those who
participate in the World Cyber Gamers, which is considered the Olympics of cyber games—are raking in millions of dollars from sponsorship.
Money making
Ryan Raymond Yu of Fine Upgrades, a provider of information technology (IT) devices, said cyber gaming enthusiasts also make money by designing accessories and games.
Cyber gamers are also able to demand significant sums of money for game characters they have developed while there are those who get paid for playing several rounds of a certain game. Yu compared these opportunities to outsour-cing services.
“There is nothing wrong with using computers. A computer is a tool, it depends on the person to use it for his benefit,” he said. “It is up to parents to teach their children about moderation. Parents have the responsibility to guide (their children) what is right (by instilling values and discipline),” he said.
Wilson Ng, whose family owns a computer distribution chain and software development company, said fascination with computer games is “part of growing up.”
“It’s a learning process. There is a lot that can be learned from gaming…as long as there is moderation,” he said in the same press conference.
The organizers assured that the LAN Party on Saturday and Sunday will be a “child-friendly” event. Yu said there will be a security team that will monitor and ensure that there would be no viewing or sharing of any adult content during the event.
Mike Pato, another organizer of the LAN Party, said the event will provide young Filipinos a “preview” of what opportunities await them in the IT sector.
Anyone can participate in various activities at the LAN Party for a minimum ticket fee of P50. However, those who want to bring their own computers will have to pay P350.
Computers for rent—at P50 per hour—will also be available at the event, which will also include an exhibit area for various computer and gadget distributors.
Organizers said there will be various competitions, as well, with total prizes amounting to more than P100,000. There will also be a booth where gamers can challenge experts and a PSP lounge where owners of such gadgets can play against each other. (LAP)
