THE Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) vows to grow the eSports scene in Cebu for the island to capture a good share of the lucrative online game industry.
“We, in the business sector, the CCCI shall look into ways to proactively cultivate and leverage the esports talents in Cebu. Yet, we also have to seek initiatives on how precisely we can materialize our vision for the industry for it to also become a sustainable entrepreneurial investment opportunity,” said CCCI president Felix Taguiam, during the virtual video game summit on Monday, Oct. 4, 2021.
The one-day video game conference is part of the weeklong Creative Entertainment Week of the Cebu Business Month, a flagship business activity of the CCCI.
The video game industry, according to Taguiam, is a beneficial force for our economy.
“In the past year alone, the Philippines has gathered exponential growth from online gaming, and according to various forecasts, this will continue to rise up to US$1.25 billion worldwide,” he said.
Even during the pandemic, Taguiam said, the industry has accelerated its operations in digital platforms and continues to thrive today.
“It is actually one of the advantages of video gaming from other creative industry as it is something that can be accomplished beyond borders,” he added.
Partnership
CCCI inked partnership with Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP) to show support to the video game community.
“Along with the GDAP, CCCI will nurture the growth and development of the creative entertainment industry in Cebu in general and video games in particular covering the areas of game development, eSports competition, video game service work, video games IP development thus making Cebu a major hub for the video game industry and its allied fields,” said Mike Cubos, CCCI vice president for business mobilization.
The country currently has more than 40 million active online gamers. Last year, the industry earnings was placed at $947.1 million.
“Despite these numbers, the industry has yet to receive the support it deserves,” said Cubos.
He stressed that business organizations, such as CCCI, have a crucial role to play to grow the industry and help local talents earn the spot they deserve in the online gaming space.
“There is a need for us, those who are in the business, to provide a holistic approach to the development of esports,” he said. (KOC)