GAMERS and computer enthusiasts in Davao City came together once more for the annual 3-day Mindanao Cyber Expo (MCE) that started last Friday, July 20 and ended up last Sunday, July 22.
As had been the custom every year, the activity area of SM City Davao was filled with different gaming units and consoles with technologies that are not yet publicly released. Some of the technologies and the features were only being demonstrated to the attendees for the first time.
“Every year, we make sure that the Mindanao Cyber Expo will have something new. This time we invited Ms. Ann B. Mateo. She’s an online brand ambassador of Asus Republic of Gamers (ROG) and she’s also an online influencer. She’s a gamer so she’s really the perfect guest for this year,” said MCE organizer Lester Avila.
It was indeed a very one-of-a-kind experience for the gamers when Ann Mateo came onstage entertaining them. Few gamers were invited up the stage for some ice breaker games prepared by the organizers with Mateo as the game master. Mateo’s appearance on the third day of the expo did not only make gaming enthusiasts gather near the stage but also made random mall goers, especially on the second floor, gather on areas overlooking the stage to witness the fun.
If last year, they reached total foot traffic of 15,000 people, Avila said they are hoping to reach 20,000 especially because of their special guest and of the new features they are showcasing.
Aside from inviting the famous Asus ROG brand ambassador, the unique feature of this year’s MCE are the incorporation of mobile games which they are doing for the first time in the history of MCE.
“We have PC show, we have exhibits. We also have gaming. We have gaming for Lan, CSGO. We also have online games like PUBG. We have console such as the PS4, Xbox. We have three titles for that: Dragonball Fighter Z, Tekken 7, and Street Fighter 5. For the mobile, we have Mobile Legends,” Avila said.
MCE over the years had been organized again and again as a means to celebrate the IT culture here in Davao City and in Mindanao. It had brought together enthusiasts of different technologies. Although gaming may be thought of as something that male teenagers are the fondest of, Avila said their expo attendees range from 8 years old to 35 years old, proving that gaming really are kids and kids at heart.
For events like these, cosplay competition will always be something to look forward to. A shortcut name for costume playing, cosplay is being done both by non-gamers and gamers alike over the years. Cosplayers choose a character from an anime or a game which they are to dress up exactly like and for the whole duration of the MCE will stay in character.
About 60 cosplayers registered for this year’s MCE showing off their own creativity and artistic skills both in creating their costumes and staying true to their character. With how good the cosplayers were, they seemed to have just climbed off one’s computer or TV screen to sashay their incredible costumes and headdresses, not to mention the make-up that were done spot-on.
Of course, they worked hard for the cosplay competition because, aside from the shirt, caps, and other freebies from the sponsoring companies, cosplay ultimate winner was also promised a brand-new laptop!
The other brands present during MCE 2018 were the Asus ROG, Gigabyte Aorus, Red Dragon, MSi Gaming, and Acer Predator among others.