Maiden Philippine GameDev Expo leaves lasting impact on gaming community
Written by: Michelle Lojo
Publication: Philstar.com
Date published: August 22, 2023, at 10:52 AM (PHT)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine GameDev Expo (PGDX) held over the weekend at the SMX Convention Center made not only made waves as the first event of its kind; it also played a huge role in bridging the gap between local players and game developers and their international counterparts.
Representatives from game development software firm Unity Technologies were surprised and humbled that the majority of the local independent game developers present at the event were using their software.
"There was a great turnout for the PGDX's inaugural event. Developers were able to connect with various parts of the ecosystem as well as attend professional and educational conference tracks. There is a very passionate and engaged community here. We were pleased about being able to connect with some of the local studios and creative talent who are bringing their ideas to fruition using Unity," Unity Technologies senior communications manager Christine Lee told Philstar.com in an email.
Launched in 2005, Unity is a game engine developed by Unity Technologies and is one of the most used software for game development worldwide. It is user-friendly and provides learning resources for anyone who wishes to try their hand at game development. This was showcased during the event with 43 of 50 independent game developers using Unity.
Other foreign representatives from the Taipei Computer Association, the organizers of the annual Taipei Game Show, were also impressed by the passion exhibited by both players and developers in the Philippines.
"This is our first time to visit the Philippines and the gamers are very passionate with regards to the different games here. They're really happy to try out different demos of games," Taipei Computer Association digital content senior specialist Sunny Chen told Philstar.com.
Similar to PGDX, the Taipei Game Show is an annual event that provides a platform for game developers, both local and international, to showcase their games to players and interested investors and build meaningful relations.
Speaking to the media, game developers from Taipei shared how much they enjoyed their first event in the Philippines and how they hoped they could come back and interact with more players and developers.
"Coming here for the very first time, it was quite successful for this event. I like the people here. They're very friendly. They have a pretty positive attitude and they love trying our games. I can see quite a lot of talented gamers and developers. I was surprised [by the number of local independent games booths] and the games are quite impressive. I can see that the industry is going to continue to grow and that's nice because it means we can have more games in the future," said Wei Ken, CEO of Digital Crafter, a Taipei-based game developer behind the title Fight of Steel.
Fellow Taipei game developer Ting, commercial manager of Beacon of Games (the studio behind Crossing Frontier), agreed as they experienced the enthusiasm showcased by Filipino players.
He added: "Philippine players are very diverse. It's very exciting, they are not limited to just FPS and MOBA type games. They've given us very positive feedback and are very friendly. It's been a wonderful experience and we hope we can come back."
Representatives from game development software firm Unity Technologies were surprised and humbled that the majority of the local independent game developers present at the event were using their software.
"There was a great turnout for the PGDX's inaugural event. Developers were able to connect with various parts of the ecosystem as well as attend professional and educational conference tracks. There is a very passionate and engaged community here. We were pleased about being able to connect with some of the local studios and creative talent who are bringing their ideas to fruition using Unity," Unity Technologies senior communications manager Christine Lee told Philstar.com in an email.
Launched in 2005, Unity is a game engine developed by Unity Technologies and is one of the most used software for game development worldwide. It is user-friendly and provides learning resources for anyone who wishes to try their hand at game development. This was showcased during the event with 43 of 50 independent game developers using Unity.
Other foreign representatives from the Taipei Computer Association, the organizers of the annual Taipei Game Show, were also impressed by the passion exhibited by both players and developers in the Philippines.
"This is our first time to visit the Philippines and the gamers are very passionate with regards to the different games here. They're really happy to try out different demos of games," Taipei Computer Association digital content senior specialist Sunny Chen told Philstar.com.
Similar to PGDX, the Taipei Game Show is an annual event that provides a platform for game developers, both local and international, to showcase their games to players and interested investors and build meaningful relations.
Speaking to the media, game developers from Taipei shared how much they enjoyed their first event in the Philippines and how they hoped they could come back and interact with more players and developers.
"Coming here for the very first time, it was quite successful for this event. I like the people here. They're very friendly. They have a pretty positive attitude and they love trying our games. I can see quite a lot of talented gamers and developers. I was surprised [by the number of local independent games booths] and the games are quite impressive. I can see that the industry is going to continue to grow and that's nice because it means we can have more games in the future," said Wei Ken, CEO of Digital Crafter, a Taipei-based game developer behind the title Fight of Steel.
Fellow Taipei game developer Ting, commercial manager of Beacon of Games (the studio behind Crossing Frontier), agreed as they experienced the enthusiasm showcased by Filipino players.
He added: "Philippine players are very diverse. It's very exciting, they are not limited to just FPS and MOBA type games. They've given us very positive feedback and are very friendly. It's been a wonderful experience and we hope we can come back."