Tag: Game Development

Dalawang linggo na since naganap yung PGDX sa SMX. Andami kong nagawa doon sa loob ng isa’t kalahating araw:

• I took the time at the Expo’s industry area and met with the representative of the Taipei Game Show (meron sila next year), Xsolla, International Esports Federation (IESF). Later on, I’ll get back to them for NewsDrop.
• At the media area, I am introduced to the head of Malaysia’s GamerBraves and the head of Todak Studios, Neo Todak.
• Kachi of PC Worth — the one and only — was present at the Expo floor… and so are the several Dolias at the Honor of Kings booth.
• I caught up with my good friends from Capriccioso Studio in Cebu at the Indie Game hall AND the Networking Night.
• I also met the game director of Until Then, whom I secured a quick interview for NewsDrop.
• Speaking of Networking Night, I took rounds talking to people at the latter hours of the night (over great food and bottomless iced tea).
• Last but not the least, I get to meet again my friends in the community – some got selfies with me.

Another major activity is the announcement of ATLUS’ Metaphor: ReFantazio at the main stage on Day 2. Too Much Gaming has a good description of what has transpired there.

For the most part, I was able to take photos of the event and its activities:

I can point out three things about this year’s event:

• Malaysia. It’s not just Todak who’s the only Malaysian brand coming to PGDX – I did mention GamerBraves earlier, but I found out late that The Magic Rain was also there. Both brands enjoy a market share in Malaysia.
• Industry Relations. Having several international brands at the industry lounge is great, because for someone like me who’s keen to know more about statistics in related industries (like VTubing, of course it would be VTubing, my 100% bias).
• Satisfaction. The second PGDX is the next best thing in the country’s pop culture event circuit after its supposed major competitor. It’s the only major gaming event that has happened this year.

  • You got tournaments, the big game and tech showcases, the cosplays, the free hydration, on top of the workshops anchored by local and international speakers (I dropped by the workshop areas, one of them is clearly jam-packed).

This is my second time being invited to the PGDX — you can check my entry from last year — and I would definitely look forward again to next year’s activities.

Philippine GameDev Expo or PGDX concluded its first successful run at SMX Manila last August 19-20, 2023. On this post I am going to tell you why I decided to attend this event as part of the media—plus share the stories behind the photos I captured from my stay there.

Normally you won’t see me dabble my feet into this scene, but given the following reasons below, I felt motivated to share with you this event organized by the Game Developers Association of the Philippines and CBZN Perspective:

• Game Development is an export industry. BusinessWorld reports that the Department of Trade and Industry is confident that the country can position itself as a major player in the game dev sector globally.
• Filipinos make great games nowadays. Even a non-player like me would get interested in playing local games nowadays, compared to my observation in the past decade. After looking at the list of games featured in the Indie Game Stars area, I’d say that there are hidden gems that hide their power levels, waiting for someone to review them in full.

  • I’ve seen San Fernando in person and felt impressed by how welcoming the Fernando Amorsolo Art Foundation is when they allowed Amorsolo’s paintings to be used in this game.
  • Buko Studios’ HypurrX has a catchy name and impressive aesthetics
  • Window Garden is perhaps the only game I played among all of them, and after speed-running the tutorial and looking at the contributions the game’s community has done (which by the way was on display), it’s safe to say that it stands to its promise of bringing a cozy vibe.

• Now is a great time to make games. The way game development has improved, the way games are distributed have also improved (thanks, Steam), and if Malaysia was able to come up with No Straight Roads, and Indonesia with Coffee Talk, I’m sure we can make something great as well. We already have Good Knight, how about a Good Knight 2?
• Content Creators. As the editor for VTuber NewsDrop, I’ve seen several VTubers play games. Even in the past, there’s always that challenge of playing the same game over and over again. As a variety streamer, you need to serve a different variety of content—games included. Indie Games are a good option for your content plan.

  • You’re not a VTuber from a bigshot agency; you can’t rely on simply playing Minecraft or Apex Legends alone—people get bored, and you have to bring something new to the table. This goes to all content creators out there. This is me speaking from an audience perspective.
  • When Elle and Booster (NecroNews) was with NewsDrop, they showed me that publishers give keys to content creators who want to try their first dibs in a game that’s being developed or is about to be released. Platforms that connect game publishers to content creators exist, and I am just unaware (or ignorant) of it.
  • I am sure that indie game devs have to invest in the marketing mix to spread the word that they exist, so my objective at Philippine GameDev Expo is to showcase the games which I felt can resonate with VTubers—and I did not came back home empty-handed, as I have 10 games listed.
  • I was not alone in the objective I had in mind. You remember Good Knight? One of its developers Alex Valdez is a good friend of mine—he is also a good friend of the country’s VTubing scene, as he was instrumental in marketing the butt-clenching game to VTubers. He’s hands on introducing me to fellow game devs, and I am all happy to meet everyone there.
  • Of course you may want to tap to the popular VTubers in the scene, just like HoloCure. This game (heavily inspired by Vampire Survivors) made by one person who just love VTubers so much. What Asmongold said about this game hit me: “Oh my God, 35,000 people playing this game. Wow. More people than New World. More people than Overwatch 2, actually.”—he had to check on SteamDB if what he said was right—“Oh my God, it actually is.”

    • We are talking about an independent game built by one guy who one guy’ed the ever-funking Blizzard (I checked NecroNews how many funk-ups they have, and it’s at 102).

tl;dr—Here’s my ideal scenario:

• Indie game devs make games to build their audience.
• VTubers and content creators in general constantly need new games for their audience.
• Indie game is seen by VTubers, likes it, and decides they want to play it on stream with chat.
• The audience gets into the action, backseating the VTuber or just gets stunned.
• Audience decides that the game is a banger, and wants to play it themselves.

Setting aside the bigger games showcased at the Philippine GameDev Expo, I got lucky when I saw Rumble Royale’s new VTuber Ran-kun. I’ve already had my first meet with the mascot VTuber posted on NewsDrop’s socials (the one on X/Twitter is the better version).

Lastly, I was invited to a media hangout with Wizmax Philippines, While everyone was asking how the products can compete with the existing market players in the PC peripherals and accessories market, I asked the distributor AM4x4 if they already have ambassadors lined up to endorse their brand. AM4x4 head Alfonso Martinez happily answered that, and you can watch his reply on Facebook.

Philippine GameDev Expo in Photos

Capping off the post, have some photos from the scene. Thanks for reading this post about the Philippine GameDev Expo all the way till the end, and I hope you learned a thing or two. Meet you around soon!

Walk-Through Video

Here’s a bonus walk-through video from the event, which you can watch in your widescreen monitor. Enjoy!