PHL Game Dev't Festival tracks rise of Pinoy geeks, gamers, and developers
Written by: Kim Luces
Publication: GMA News under SciTech
Date published: October 26, 2013 at 7:40 PM
“The Philippines has the ideal environment for game development entrepreneurship,” said Paul Gadi co-founder of the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP) during the 2013 Philippine Game Development Festival, Friday.
Gadi is also the co-founder of Philippine third-party game developing company Anino Games and unified storage platform for digital enterprise Acaleph.
The local game development industry has matured since 2002, he said during his presentation.
With the advancement of game developing programs and the availability of free open source devices, making games require lower business costs than it did years ago.
Codes for game systems like physics and networking are also available online as open-source, he said.
“Our economic environment and culture are more apt for video game development compared to other countries.”
Gamers in the academe
Aside from having a population that is readily exposed to modern games and pop culture, the academe has also taken interest in developing and offering game development curriculum.
De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde first offered the course Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with specialization in Game Design and Development (BSIT-GDD) in 2009. It was the first BS-IT course specializing in game design and development in the Philippines.
GDAP member schools include Mapua Institute of Techonology, UP Information Techonology Training Center, and Far Eastern University – East Asia College.
Gadi himself lectures in Mapua and Ateneo de Manila University.
He noted during his talk that it is much easier to learn and make games today than it was years ago when game developers had to code every single detail.
“Most of what you need are online,” he said. Using programming language Javascript and game rendering engine Unity 3D, for instance, can be learned online.
Open source engines that can be used for free are also available online, making game development cheaper than it was before.
“Just start making games,” he advised the students in the audience. “Put your game online, join groups so people will see your games.”
Pinoy AppShop
Gadi also said that there is a new wealth of platforms that allow developers to distribute games. These include mobile devices, desktops, and social media networks, which allow for easier monetization through their app stores.
A local apps marketplace called the Pinoy AppShop will also be launched by Cherry Mobile this December. It will act as a “superhighway” catering only to apps made by Filipinos.
“It's hard to look for Pinoy apps in the Play Store. It's also hard to create payment gateways. Majority [of the population] do not have credit cards” said Richard Francisco, Cherry Mobile business developer.
“The good thing is we are the fastest growing market for smartphones and applications. Telcos are developing their services [for the] mobile platform.”
The Philippines, being the fastest-growing market for smartphones in Southeast Asia, is a huge potential market for developers and entrepreneurs alike. – KDM, GMA News
Gadi is also the co-founder of Philippine third-party game developing company Anino Games and unified storage platform for digital enterprise Acaleph.
The local game development industry has matured since 2002, he said during his presentation.
With the advancement of game developing programs and the availability of free open source devices, making games require lower business costs than it did years ago.
Codes for game systems like physics and networking are also available online as open-source, he said.
“Our economic environment and culture are more apt for video game development compared to other countries.”
Gamers in the academe
Aside from having a population that is readily exposed to modern games and pop culture, the academe has also taken interest in developing and offering game development curriculum.
De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde first offered the course Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with specialization in Game Design and Development (BSIT-GDD) in 2009. It was the first BS-IT course specializing in game design and development in the Philippines.
GDAP member schools include Mapua Institute of Techonology, UP Information Techonology Training Center, and Far Eastern University – East Asia College.
Gadi himself lectures in Mapua and Ateneo de Manila University.
He noted during his talk that it is much easier to learn and make games today than it was years ago when game developers had to code every single detail.
“Most of what you need are online,” he said. Using programming language Javascript and game rendering engine Unity 3D, for instance, can be learned online.
Open source engines that can be used for free are also available online, making game development cheaper than it was before.
“Just start making games,” he advised the students in the audience. “Put your game online, join groups so people will see your games.”
Pinoy AppShop
Gadi also said that there is a new wealth of platforms that allow developers to distribute games. These include mobile devices, desktops, and social media networks, which allow for easier monetization through their app stores.
A local apps marketplace called the Pinoy AppShop will also be launched by Cherry Mobile this December. It will act as a “superhighway” catering only to apps made by Filipinos.
“It's hard to look for Pinoy apps in the Play Store. It's also hard to create payment gateways. Majority [of the population] do not have credit cards” said Richard Francisco, Cherry Mobile business developer.
“The good thing is we are the fastest growing market for smartphones and applications. Telcos are developing their services [for the] mobile platform.”
The Philippines, being the fastest-growing market for smartphones in Southeast Asia, is a huge potential market for developers and entrepreneurs alike. – KDM, GMA News