Gaming gadgets sales spike amid lockdowns

CEBU, Philippines —  Demand for eSports gadgets continue to soar in the Philippines as families are spending most of their time at home.

Euromonitor Digest, a monthly online publication of the Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB), revealed that in 2020, sales of video games are projected to grow by 23 percent in constant 2019 value sales amid the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Video games surge is seen to continue not just this year, but at least in the four years.

The report said such products are a major source of entertainment for children while many adults are also spending more time at home and want to be entertained during the lockdown.

In the Philippines, consoles have been one of the indoor games promoted by toy retailers, especially as families can play these games together, or become involved in e- sports events with others.

“As most sports have been halted, e-sports is in a unique position to fill the gap and boost interest in both playing and watching,” it said.

According to the report, e-sports served as marketing campaigns for some developers.

The report added that the popularity of e-sports is contributing to the strong growth of video games in the Philippines.

“Today, over 30 million Filipinos are gamers, while around 17 million watch e-sports tournaments online,” it added.

The report said people who were encouraged to purchase a new console during the lockdown are now likely to keep buying new games for these devices.

But those who turned to mobile games for the first time due to spending more time at home are likely to be hooked, and interested in trying different games in the forecast period.

“However, video games were already on a strong rising trend before Covid-19, and growth is mainly expected to be due to the long-standing digitalization of play and education,” it added.              

“Therefore, mobile games are expected to remain the biggest and one of the fastest growing categories within video games in the forecast period.”

Euromonitor expects that more developers are expected to recognize this trend and continue to introduce mobile versions of existing games, as well as remaining innovative and launching completely new products to maintain the interest of new gamers.

“The industry remains optimistic that the strengthening of mobile games can also benefit other platforms, as more and more Filipinos will become aware of gaming through the mobile platform and may eventually transition to computer and console gaming,” it said.

Meanwhile, according Cebu-based technology and gadgets solutions provider, Thinking Tools Inc., (TTI), the gaming market is one of the primarily sales drivers in its business, although this is still consider as niche market, said the company’s president Wilson Tan.

Enthusiasts, spend as much as P200 thousand for a single upgrade of a PC, along with accessories that make the gaming more advantageous. An specialty mouse for gaming for instance could cost P5,000 or more.

For an ordinary PC or laptop user, whether for household use or office, the buying cycle is three to five years, for tech-savvy on the other hand, they change their gadget or upgrade their laptop after 18 months.