[25 September 2014] Thousands of gaming aficionados came together at the recent SUN Cellular-GameX eSports Festival, a three-day event at the SM City Cebu Trade Hall that featured adrenaline-charged games and activities, such as a Cosplay competition, fan meet-ups, exhibits, and a raffle of gaming gears, among others.
Thousands of online gaming aficionados flocked to the SUN Cellular-GameX eSports Festival in SM City Cebu to support the Philippines’ Team Mineski at the 1st Asian eSports Championship. The team placed second in the tournament, securing a slot to the IeSF 2014 World Championships in Azerbaijan in November.
As the highlight of the festival, top-caliber teams from Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, South Korea and Thailand competed for the 1st Asian eSports Championship, where they all slugged 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 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
South Korea’s Team MVP Phoenix takes home USD5,000 after winning the 1st Asian International e-Sports Federation (IeSF) Championship at the SUN Cellular-GameX eSports Festival in SM City Cebu. IN THE PHOTO (from left): MVP Phoenix’s Taewon Park, Sangdon Lee, Seung Gon Lee, Sun Yeob Kim, and Jun Yeong Lee with Philippine eSports Organization board member Marvis Sanchez.
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.
“It was really awesome competing with the best players around the region,” said Tae Won Park, the leader of Team MVP Phoenix, who were considered a force to be reckoned with right from the start because of their experience in several international tournaments. “We also enjoyed the passionate Filipino gamers who showed support for all the teams out of love for the game.”
“Our team actually trained hard to reach the finals, and we’re glad to make it happen, even giving our opponent quite a challenge as we fought until the very end,” said Paty Pascua, leader of Team MSI-EVOGT.
MVP Phoenix and MSI-EVOGT took home USD5,000 and USD3,000, respectively, and earned slots to the World e-Sports Tournament where a total prize pool of USD50,000 is at stake.
Philippines’ Team Mineski took home USD3,000 after placing second at the 1st Asian eSports Championship during the SUN Cellular-GameX eSports Festival in SM City Cebu. The team, which secured a slot in the upcoming IeSF 2014 World Championships in Azerbaijan, is composed of Jo Tan, Mark Gavin, Paty Pascua, Carlo Rivera and Denver Miranda. South Korea’s Team MVP Phoenix bagged the championship with a total prize of USD5,000
Meanwhile, another Filipino team, Cebu-based Team Arcanys, placed third and took home a total of USD2,000 from the competition.
Level-playing field
The strong finish of Filipino teams at the SUN Cellular-GameX eSports Festival augurs well for eSports in the country, said Brian Lim, the chairman of the Philippine eSports Organization (PeSO), the main organizer of the event.
“The fact that Filipino teams landed within the top three spots in the competition shows our potential to dominate the eSports scene,” said Lim. “Esports allows Filipinos to compete on a level-playing field. With the right direction and more exposure to events like this, I’m quite sure that our own eSports players will prove themselves to be among the best around the world.”
Die-hard DOTA 2 fans from all over the country flocked to the event to root for their favorite eSports athletes, meet with their online peers and catch a glimpse of the latest products in the gaming industry.
Among them was Jeffrey Kintanar, 22, who stood elbow-to-elbow with the rest of the jubilant crowd at the final match between MVP Phoenix and MSI-EVOGT.
“How can it become more exciting? To see gamers from other parts of the world convene in this venue, I’m very much willing to pay the price,” said the certified online game aficionado since high school.
“Seeing the Philippines represented in the finals gave me goosebumps,” said eighteen-year old Eliezer Quinto, who came to the festival with his friends. “You just can’t help but be proud of them and aspire to be as good as they are!”
The SUN Cellular-GameX eSports Festival also became a venue for tens of Cosplayers to live up their fantasies, showing up at the event as their favorite character. Meanwhile, seasoned gamers also brought their souped-up customized gaming rigs for everyone to see.
Grand experience for SUN Cellular subscribers
Sun Prepaid and Postpaid subscribers also had a grand experience as they enjoyed exclusive perks such as free tickets for load and postpaid line subscriptions. Lucky subscribers also took home premium items for their SUN load and GameX purchases at the venue.
Throughout the event, gaming aficionados learned more about GameX, a one-stop shop that allows gamers to buy credits for popular mobile and PC games using their SUN Prepaid load or SUN Postpaid account.
With GameX’s innovative platform, SUN Cellular subscribers, along with Smart and Talk ‘N Text users, are able to level up their gaming lifestyle without having to rely on a credit card for in-game purchases, or leave their homes just to buy additional credits for upgrading their characters and weapons.
To purchase game credits, SUN Prepaid and Postpaid subscribers may simply access the GameX portal (www.gamex.ph/epins) on their phone, tablet or PC, select the ePIN for their chosen game, and pay with their mobile load or charge to their Postpaid bill – all from the comfort of their own homes.
For more information about the latest offers from SUN Cellular and GameX, visit www.suncellular.com.ph and www.gamex.ph/epins, respectively.