SENATOR Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV said the government should provide assistance and exposure to the local game development industry, noting the competence and skills of Filipino gamers.
"We have to make the world know that the Philippines has game developers who are skilled, talented, and have the right mix of art and technology," said Aquino during the Philippine Game Festival at SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
"We can actually compete and with a little more support, this can be an industry that can make a big dent in our economy," he added.
Aquino also believed that if the local game development industry would be prioritized, it could duplicate and even surpass the success of the country's business process outsourcing (BPO).
"The local game development industry is where the BPO industry was, maybe 10 to 15 ago," he said.
Currently, the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP) said there are around 60 studios in the Philippines with a total of approximately 3,500 employees.
By 2016, the GDAP is targeting some 15,000 game professionals nationwide.
Aquino is currently working with the Board of Investments of the Department of Trade and Industry to help promote the game development industry in other countries and attract possible investors.
He hoped that in the next few years, there would be more investors to come in the country.
"There is a big potential to create high quality, high-paying jobs for creative and innovative Filipinos," Aquino said. (Sunnex)