Smart’s GameX marks a year of ‘changing the game’ for Filipino gamers
Written by: SMART Public Affair
Publication: Smart Press Releases
Date published: March 6, 2015
In 2014, wireless services leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) launched GameX (www.gamex.ph/epins) as the country’s first online portal for purchasing game ePins and since then, it has made great strides in revolutionizing the PC online gaming industry and in promoting eSports in the country.
“We launched GameX, as the go-to portal for buying game ePins for PC online games. It was meant to address a need among the Filipino gaming population, which happens to be one of the most engaged and most passionate in the world,” said Mellissa Limcaoco, head of Smart’s Innovation and Product Development Group.
There is an estimated 10 million PC online gamers in the country. Most of these games are free-to-play, but those who want to level up their game can do so by purchasing characters, weapons or extra lives sold by game publishers in two ways: through prepaid ePin cards available at retail outlets or through online credit card transactions.
GameX as Gamechanger
“This traditional setup presented a lot of difficulty among Filipino gamers, most of whom live far from retail outlets, and do not own credit cards,” said Limcaoco. “Imagine being so immersed in your game when suddenly you run out of credits – you have no choice but to pause your game, get out of the house and head to a store miles away, hoping they have the card you need in stock. It was inconvenient to say the least. But GameX changed all that,” added Limcaoco.
GameX introduced a simple and convenient process that allowed gamers to enjoy their games more. To avail of game ePins, they simply have to visit the web portal (www.gamex.ph/epins), select the game or ePin they want, and pay using their Smart, Talk ‘N Text or Sun Cellular prepaid load or postpaid account.
Aside from the web portal, GameX also made it possible for gamers to buy ePins with just a simple text message, allowing more gamers to transact anytime and anywhere. As added features, GameX has also allowed users to send game credits to friends, or even for gamers to subscribe to daily or weekly transactions using their mobile devices.
Trailblazing Moves
“GameX forms part of Smart’s trailblazing efforts to give our subscribers a rich mobile experience – through fun, fast and worry-free Internet,” said Charles Lim, EVP and head of wireless consumer business for Smart and Sun Cellular.
“The first step to do this is to make digital content accessible, which we have achieved by adding value to mobile load and allowing convenient load transactions in a digital marketplace of sorts, such as GameX for online PC and mobile games; Spinnr and Deezer for music; Viewstream and Blink for videos and movies; and Buqo for books and magazines,” Lim said.
“In the digital goods market, especially in the Philippines, paying with load makes more sense. Most Filipinos do not have credit cards, but majority of the population has a mobile phone that can be loaded in over a million prepaid loading stations all over the country.”
Win for gaming community
Since its roll-out, GameX has been good news not only to individual Filipino gamers but also to partner game publishers, which now have an effective platform to reach even more gaming communities around the country, expanding their user base.
[Picture: Crowd. Text: Thousands of online gaming aficionados flocked to the 1st Asian eSports Festival in Cebu.]
“Garena’s partnership with GameX has been a big win for both sides - with Garena being able to tap on GameX’s nationwide network on Smart, Sun and TNT, while GameX getting access to Garena's large and fast growing gamer community,” said Jan Fredric Chiong, General Manager of Garena Philippines, which is among the industry’s biggest game publishers, and is behind popular hit games like League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth and Point Blank.
“However, the biggest winner here is clearly the gamers. With GameX, every gamer can now easily exchange their mobile load to any game currency they want – anytime, anywhere. GameX has opened up access to literally everyone, specifically benefiting those who could not buy game currency due to the absence of traditional mode of payment.”
Championing eSports
Apart from providing Filipinos with convenient access to games and gaming ePins, GameX has also made a mark in championing eSports by supporting tournaments – from small café-based games, national tourneys and even international competitions – bringing attention to the fact that Filipino gamers are at par with the best players around the world.
“Worldwide, there is a big movement to recognize online gaming as a sport, and in the Philippines, GameX has taken the lead in boosting awareness and growth of local eSports, which harnesses online games in promoting teamwork, cooperation and global interaction,” said Limcaoco. “With eSports, we believe Filipinos may dominate the world stage, and it is in supporting leagues and tournaments that we are able to develop and lead our own top players to represent our country in the global arena.”
In 2014, aside from supporting café-based games, fan meet-ups and gaming conventions around the country, GameX partnered with game publishers to host national tournaments in search of the country’s top eSports players.
Top-caliber skills
In September 2014, GameX partnered with the Philippine eSports Organization (PeSO) and Sun Cellular, to host the 1st Asian eSports Championship in Cebu, gathering top-caliber teams from Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, South Korea and Thailand to slug it out on the game Defense of the Ancients (DotA) 2 for a prize pool worth USD10,000 and a chance to advance to the upcoming World e-Sports Tournament.
[Picture: Players from South Korean Dota 2 team MVP Phoenix holding a giant check. Text: South Korea’s Team MVP Phoenix takes home USD5,000 after winning the
GameX-backed 1st Asian International e-Sports Federation (IeSF) Championship in Cebu.]
In the end, South Korea’s powerhouse team MVP Phoenix bagged the title after beating the Philippines’ Team MSI-Evolution Gaming Team (EVOGT) in a best-of-three final match that kept the mostly Filipino crowd on the edge of their seats.
“The fact that Filipino teams landed within the top three spots of the competition shows our potential to dominate the eSports scene,” said PeSO chairman Brian Lim.
Level-playing field
“Esports allows Filipinos to compete on a level-playing field. With the right direction, greater exposure, as well as active support from the likes of GameX, I’m quite sure that our own eSports players will prove themselves to be among the best around the world,” he added.
“Esports is definitely another field where many Filipinos can excel,” said Rene Parada, product manager at GBPlay, Inc., the publisher of Crossfire in the Philippines. “With the right attitude and mindset, anyone can emerge as an eSports champion and be in a position to bring honor to the country.”
In November 2014, GameX also backed the first ever eSports and Gaming Summit (ESGS), touted to be the biggest gathering of top eSports players, game publishers and game developers in the country.
GameX also backed the 2014 season of eSports League Philippines, gathering top players for games like DotA2, Hearthstone, League of Legends and Heroes of the Storm. GameX is also an active supporter of GameX Wargods, one of the country’s top League of Legends teams.
Aside from supporting events, GameX has also been actively engaging gamers all over the country with its exciting promos and contests – such as free mobile load or a chance to win the latest gaming gears – for every top-up.
Game for Good
GameX also recently wrapped up its months-long search and unveiled the GameX Girls, four faces that best represent female gamers in a male-dominated territory. The group consists of Jillian Ongsip of Pasay City, Tza Gomez of Quezon City, Koleen Mercado of Pampanga, and Alexandra Keuls of Bacolod, who all stood out from a pool of close to 200 aspirants and were handpicked based on their GameX fan votes, personality, gaming skills, and overall impression.
[Picture: 5 female ambassadors for GameX. Text: GameX unveils the GameX Girls, four new faces that best represent female gamers in the country, along with GameX ambassador Alodia Gosiengfiao (middle).]
Through this group of female gamers, GameX hopes to encourage and empower more girls in experiencing a whole new level of fun through video games.
GameX also continues to push its ‘Game for Good’ campaign, encouraging Filipino gamers to sport a healthy and responsible mindset when it comes to gaming, highlighting the importance of teamwork, cooperation and discipline.
Wealth of digital content
“Gamex’s first year has truly been a game changer in the country’s gaming industry, and we look forward to expanding our services and bringing a wealth of digital content offerings to Filipino gamers of all ages, lifestyles and interests,” said Limcaoco.
From introducing simple and convenient ways to buy games and game credits, to supporting eSports events in search of the country’s representatives for international competitions, GameX has not only filled a need among Filipino gamers but has also helped elevate gaming to a much more engaging and rewarding activity as well as a form of competitive sports, gathering the community together and helping advance the industry in the process.
“We launched GameX, as the go-to portal for buying game ePins for PC online games. It was meant to address a need among the Filipino gaming population, which happens to be one of the most engaged and most passionate in the world,” said Mellissa Limcaoco, head of Smart’s Innovation and Product Development Group.
There is an estimated 10 million PC online gamers in the country. Most of these games are free-to-play, but those who want to level up their game can do so by purchasing characters, weapons or extra lives sold by game publishers in two ways: through prepaid ePin cards available at retail outlets or through online credit card transactions.
GameX as Gamechanger
“This traditional setup presented a lot of difficulty among Filipino gamers, most of whom live far from retail outlets, and do not own credit cards,” said Limcaoco. “Imagine being so immersed in your game when suddenly you run out of credits – you have no choice but to pause your game, get out of the house and head to a store miles away, hoping they have the card you need in stock. It was inconvenient to say the least. But GameX changed all that,” added Limcaoco.
GameX introduced a simple and convenient process that allowed gamers to enjoy their games more. To avail of game ePins, they simply have to visit the web portal (www.gamex.ph/epins), select the game or ePin they want, and pay using their Smart, Talk ‘N Text or Sun Cellular prepaid load or postpaid account.
Aside from the web portal, GameX also made it possible for gamers to buy ePins with just a simple text message, allowing more gamers to transact anytime and anywhere. As added features, GameX has also allowed users to send game credits to friends, or even for gamers to subscribe to daily or weekly transactions using their mobile devices.
Trailblazing Moves
“GameX forms part of Smart’s trailblazing efforts to give our subscribers a rich mobile experience – through fun, fast and worry-free Internet,” said Charles Lim, EVP and head of wireless consumer business for Smart and Sun Cellular.
“The first step to do this is to make digital content accessible, which we have achieved by adding value to mobile load and allowing convenient load transactions in a digital marketplace of sorts, such as GameX for online PC and mobile games; Spinnr and Deezer for music; Viewstream and Blink for videos and movies; and Buqo for books and magazines,” Lim said.
“In the digital goods market, especially in the Philippines, paying with load makes more sense. Most Filipinos do not have credit cards, but majority of the population has a mobile phone that can be loaded in over a million prepaid loading stations all over the country.”
Win for gaming community
Since its roll-out, GameX has been good news not only to individual Filipino gamers but also to partner game publishers, which now have an effective platform to reach even more gaming communities around the country, expanding their user base.
[Picture: Crowd. Text: Thousands of online gaming aficionados flocked to the 1st Asian eSports Festival in Cebu.]
“Garena’s partnership with GameX has been a big win for both sides - with Garena being able to tap on GameX’s nationwide network on Smart, Sun and TNT, while GameX getting access to Garena's large and fast growing gamer community,” said Jan Fredric Chiong, General Manager of Garena Philippines, which is among the industry’s biggest game publishers, and is behind popular hit games like League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth and Point Blank.
“However, the biggest winner here is clearly the gamers. With GameX, every gamer can now easily exchange their mobile load to any game currency they want – anytime, anywhere. GameX has opened up access to literally everyone, specifically benefiting those who could not buy game currency due to the absence of traditional mode of payment.”
Championing eSports
Apart from providing Filipinos with convenient access to games and gaming ePins, GameX has also made a mark in championing eSports by supporting tournaments – from small café-based games, national tourneys and even international competitions – bringing attention to the fact that Filipino gamers are at par with the best players around the world.
“Worldwide, there is a big movement to recognize online gaming as a sport, and in the Philippines, GameX has taken the lead in boosting awareness and growth of local eSports, which harnesses online games in promoting teamwork, cooperation and global interaction,” said Limcaoco. “With eSports, we believe Filipinos may dominate the world stage, and it is in supporting leagues and tournaments that we are able to develop and lead our own top players to represent our country in the global arena.”
In 2014, aside from supporting café-based games, fan meet-ups and gaming conventions around the country, GameX partnered with game publishers to host national tournaments in search of the country’s top eSports players.
Top-caliber skills
In September 2014, GameX partnered with the Philippine eSports Organization (PeSO) and Sun Cellular, to host the 1st Asian eSports Championship in Cebu, gathering top-caliber teams from Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, South Korea and Thailand to slug it out on the game Defense of the Ancients (DotA) 2 for a prize pool worth USD10,000 and a chance to advance to the upcoming World e-Sports Tournament.
[Picture: Players from South Korean Dota 2 team MVP Phoenix holding a giant check. Text: South Korea’s Team MVP Phoenix takes home USD5,000 after winning the
GameX-backed 1st Asian International e-Sports Federation (IeSF) Championship in Cebu.]
In the end, South Korea’s powerhouse team MVP Phoenix bagged the title after beating the Philippines’ Team MSI-Evolution Gaming Team (EVOGT) in a best-of-three final match that kept the mostly Filipino crowd on the edge of their seats.
“The fact that Filipino teams landed within the top three spots of the competition shows our potential to dominate the eSports scene,” said PeSO chairman Brian Lim.
Level-playing field
“Esports allows Filipinos to compete on a level-playing field. With the right direction, greater exposure, as well as active support from the likes of GameX, I’m quite sure that our own eSports players will prove themselves to be among the best around the world,” he added.
“Esports is definitely another field where many Filipinos can excel,” said Rene Parada, product manager at GBPlay, Inc., the publisher of Crossfire in the Philippines. “With the right attitude and mindset, anyone can emerge as an eSports champion and be in a position to bring honor to the country.”
In November 2014, GameX also backed the first ever eSports and Gaming Summit (ESGS), touted to be the biggest gathering of top eSports players, game publishers and game developers in the country.
GameX also backed the 2014 season of eSports League Philippines, gathering top players for games like DotA2, Hearthstone, League of Legends and Heroes of the Storm. GameX is also an active supporter of GameX Wargods, one of the country’s top League of Legends teams.
Aside from supporting events, GameX has also been actively engaging gamers all over the country with its exciting promos and contests – such as free mobile load or a chance to win the latest gaming gears – for every top-up.
Game for Good
GameX also recently wrapped up its months-long search and unveiled the GameX Girls, four faces that best represent female gamers in a male-dominated territory. The group consists of Jillian Ongsip of Pasay City, Tza Gomez of Quezon City, Koleen Mercado of Pampanga, and Alexandra Keuls of Bacolod, who all stood out from a pool of close to 200 aspirants and were handpicked based on their GameX fan votes, personality, gaming skills, and overall impression.
[Picture: 5 female ambassadors for GameX. Text: GameX unveils the GameX Girls, four new faces that best represent female gamers in the country, along with GameX ambassador Alodia Gosiengfiao (middle).]
Through this group of female gamers, GameX hopes to encourage and empower more girls in experiencing a whole new level of fun through video games.
GameX also continues to push its ‘Game for Good’ campaign, encouraging Filipino gamers to sport a healthy and responsible mindset when it comes to gaming, highlighting the importance of teamwork, cooperation and discipline.
Wealth of digital content
“Gamex’s first year has truly been a game changer in the country’s gaming industry, and we look forward to expanding our services and bringing a wealth of digital content offerings to Filipino gamers of all ages, lifestyles and interests,” said Limcaoco.
From introducing simple and convenient ways to buy games and game credits, to supporting eSports events in search of the country’s representatives for international competitions, GameX has not only filled a need among Filipino gamers but has also helped elevate gaming to a much more engaging and rewarding activity as well as a form of competitive sports, gathering the community together and helping advance the industry in the process.