MANILA, Philippines - You could do a lot worse than a slice of $3 million for sitting in front of a computer and playing video games all day.
For the winners of the recently concluded Manila Major held at the Mall of Asia Arena last June 7-12, European Team OG bested 15 other squads (including our own hometown bid Team Mineski) for a clean shot at the grand prize of $1,110,000. The Valve Corporation-sponsored tournament — the video game developers and software publishers of Dota 2 — fielded top-tier teams from all over the globe; ranging from the digital monoliths of China (LGD Gaming and Newbee, to name a few), to the grassroots-grown squads from North America, the juggernauts of Russia, playing side-by-side the Davids and Goliaths from Southeast Asia and Europe respectively.
The boys in green, Team OG, a truly multinational squad with players hailing from Finland, Denmark, Canada and Jordan, led by captain Tal “Fly” Aizik from Israel, beat crowd favorites Team Liquid in a convincing best-of-five, three games to nil — as champions of the previously held Frankfurt Majors, Team OG go on to become the first Dota 2 team in history to win two Valve-sanctioned events. That’s $1,110,000 (count ‘em) decided by a bunch of pixels and mouse clicks.
All throughout the six-day tournament, the arena was packed to the rafters with a legion of Filipino Dota 2 fanboys the world had yet to experience in full dank capacity. Renowned Romanian production company PGL e-sports brought the #ProductionValue with a four-sided Jumbotron affording a 360-degree view from anywhere inside the arena.
The stage floor was set up as an indoor battleground, dominated by two sound-proof player booths with fully-operational LED screens paneling each wall. With a capacity crowd of 16,000 in a single stadium (with millions more tuned in via Twitch, YouTube, and in-client Dota 2), the deafening roar from the audience was only matched by the hype of different casters and game analysts (serviced by English, Chinese and Russian broadcast desks) shouting out each play-by-play; joining the amped-up cacophony of in-game spells and battle chants were the relentless cheers (and jeers) of devoted Dota 2 fans who’ve been waiting years for a chance to see their idols play their favorite game in the flesh.
In a series of e-sports firsts for the Philippines, preceded only by the staging of the $250,000 tournament ESL One last April, Valve Corporation’s Manila Major breaks higher gaming ground as officially the biggest tournament Southeast Asia has ever seen.
For what could only come close to a basketball grand final or a Serena Williams-headlined tennis match, this isn’t simply the PBA or your beloved IPTL. This is Dota 2, bitch, and the idea of major league professional gaming just came inches closer to becoming the new normal.
All eyes are trained on Valve’s The International 2016 scheduled for August 3 to 13, Dota 2’s banner tournament of the year with a current (but, still growing) prize pool of $14 million. On track to outpace last year’s crowd-funded $18 million pool, the fifth edition of The International is once again set to break records for the biggest cash prize in e-sports history.
For the first time since the inauguration of The International in 2011, an all-Filipino team, TNC Gaming, is set to follow in the footsteps of Team Mineski by competing in Seattle’s KeyArena for a chance at the big prize money. For this year’s edition, we’ve got two shots at keeping the Filipino dream alive — Djardel “DJ” Mampusti, a Filipino playing for the Malaysian squad of Team Fnatic, will also compete during the main event. Without a direct invite from Valve, both teams have fought up the ranks, securing their spots as first and second during the Southeast Asian qualifiers.
With the unprecedented success of the Manila Major and an all-Filipino squad placing their bids for $18 million at The International 2016 in Seattle, all signs lead to a bigger and brighter local e-sports scene.
Where do we expect the Filipino Dota 2 narrative to go? A second iteration of the Manila Major should be in the cards (on the basis of hype and fan reception alone — we deserve big league events for the next ten years), fielding more and more teams for international competitive play, and hopefully, a wider embrace for local gaming culture.
Joining New York, Frankfurt, Cologne and Shanghai, is the Philippines now set to become the world’s next top e-sports destination? 2017 might just need a nerf because we’re definitely in for something game-breaking.
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Art by KOOKIE SANTOS
On the success of the Manila Major, the future of Philippine gaming and local e-sports, Young STAR sits down with Senator and champion of all Filipino nerds everywhere, Bam Aquino, for a brief Q&A.
YOUNG STAR: Hello, Senator Aquino, how would you describe your reaction to the recently concluded Manila Major?
SEN. BAM AQUINO: The Manila Major was awesome. The organizers really worked hard to bring a world-class tournament experience to the international e-sports audience. This is only proof that e-sports is more fun in the Philippines.
Apart from a second or third round of Valve-sanctioned tournament in Manila, where do you see local e-sports going?
Last year, our office convened e-sports players, organizers, promotes, and basically everyone who is involved in the scene to form an e-sports organization. We named it the Philippine E-Sports Association (PeSPA). This body serves as an avenue for the e-sports community to come together. We have worked closely with the group ever since.
Now PeSPA is working hard to assist players in their needs so they can compete in tournaments around the world. In addition, the international e-sports community sees the Philippines as a viable destination for tournaments. This would mean home-court advantage for our players when we host, and an influx of tourists every time.
Give it a year or two, PeSPA will be a stronger institution with its own links to government and international organizations. With the skills of our players, and the determination of the organizers, publishers and promoters, e-sports will come to be a recognized sport in the Philippines.
From your own point of view, why should Filipinos continue to embrace gaming culture?
E-sports is just like any other sport, and it’s growing. I daresay this could be the next billiards, the next boxing for the Philippines. A sport where we excel, where our economic background and physical limitations do not matter. Thanks to Team Rave, Team Mineski, Team TNC, and other Filipino players in other international teams, the Philippines is now on the international e-sports map.
With the recent success of the IP peering agreement (a major understatement), what’s next for Senator Bam Aquino and e-sports?
As a senator, I will continue to help, assist and guide the sector towards its full potential. Honestly, our office is just an instrument for the sector, but it is really them who are working hard to make e-sports a big industry in the country.
We will continue to fight for faster, cheaper and more accessible internet in the country. We have already made progress, but we still have to remain vigilant.