Why do we need a national league?
Dexter “Zendex” Ancheta was 16 years old when he first entered esports. He led countless tournaments as MET’s League Operations Head, but the first ever competition he administered was for their Computer Club back in high school at the San Beda College Rizal. It was a simple Warcraft III DotA competition with an unorthodox set of rules: in an All Random game mode, both teams have to kill each other for 30 minutes, and whichever team gets the most kills wins.
The competition turned out to be fairly successful especially when their batch shaped the tournament meta. At the start of the game, or even before the horns blew, one team, grouped together in five, would hunt down an enemy for a kill then return immediately to base until the time runs out. It was a flawless plan that equated to an effortless win. It was also the tournament that sparked his passion for esports.
“Minsan parang maghi-hit na lang sayo bigla eh, ‘ano kaya kung magpa-tournament ako, ano kaya mangyayari?’ Or ‘sino kaya yung pinakamagaling dito?’ ‘Pag natanong mo na ‘yun sa sarili mo parang ang pinaka-traditional way [para malaman yung sagot ay] magpa-tournament ka,” Zendex elaborated when asked about the steps in organizing a tournament.
(Sometimes, it will just hit you, ‘what if I organize a tournament, what could possibly happen?’ Or ‘who among these teams is the greatest?’ If you ended up asking yourself those questions, the most traditional way [to answer it is to] throw a tournament.)
Once done with the first question, try to put together your answers to these questions: what kind of competition will you manage? Which tournament format will you use? How many days will your tournament run? How will it be held, online or offline? If offline, where will the venue be? How many PCs are there in the venue? How will you schedule the matches? How many games do you need?
For Zendex, however, the most important factor in hosting a tournament lies in the community’s interest. It answers the significance of the tournament, as well as its contribution to the game’s community. The presence of interest denotes a demand of the tournament, and this likely happens when a problem in a local gaming community is begging to be addressed.
“May responsibilities ‘yung mga organizers and community managers to put together something like the Globe PPGL 2018. Right now, ‘yung Dota 2 may Dota Pro Circuit. Out of all the teams in the Philippines, isang team lang nakakapasok doon which is TNC Pro Team. So, paano ‘yung iba?” Zendex explained.
(Organizers and community managers have responsibilities to put together something like the Globe PPGL 2018. Right now, Dota 2 has its Dota Pro Circuit. Out of all teams in the Philippines, there is only one team that can join it which is TNC Pro Team. So, how about the other teams?)
The Globe PPGL 2018, a multi-title nationwide esport league, served as a venue for aspiring Filipino esports players to exhibit their talents. The prestigious competition was made possible thanks to the cooperation of the Philippines biggest esports organizations in MET, Playbook Esports, and Mobile Esports Arena.
While the national league was primarily built for the next Filipino esports stars, the organizers also admitted that the Globe PPGL 2018 was a one of a kind experience, “The Globe PPGL 2018 is very exciting compared to the other tournaments we’ve handled, because we’re talking about the whole Philippines. We are familiar with some of the top players from [other] regions but not with the community. I wanted to see how the Visayas and Mindanao players would do if they are matched against players from Luzon,” Ron “Hot-E” Muyot, Playbook Esports’ Head of Tournaments, said.
Mobile Esports Arena’s co-league operator, Princess Miguela, also shares the same sentiment, “it was really nice working with the people behind the Globe PPGL 2018, especially organizing the offline events. It was a tough journey for us, for the players and organizers, but all in all the experience was all worth it.”
Just like the players’ journey, managing a national league can also be a long and grueling experience. For Playbook Esports, Hot-E shared how the lack of equipments, specifically fightsticks, hindered a smooth regional qualifier experience for them and the players.
“There are some players who are used to playing with fightsticks but don’t have their own. So we ended up waiting for their friends’ matches to end so they can borrow it,” Hot-E narrated.
More than being able to deal with tournament conflicts, Ishan Adolfo, Mobile Esports Arena’s league operator, noted that organizers need to have a sense of responsibility, dedication, and commitment in order to successfully pull off a national league.
Zendex had the same in mind when it comes to responsibility, “part ‘yun sa mga kailangan matutunan ng mga marshals tulad ko, kung paano mag-decide sa mga super controversial moments. Kami ‘yung naga-apply ng law eh, kami ‘yung naga-apply ng rules, pero kapag may gray area, doon nagkakalabuan, kailangan mo malaman kung paano i-settle ‘yun.”
(It’s a part of what marshals like me should learn, how to decide in super controversial moments. We apply the laws, we apply the rules, but if there’s a gray area, that’s when disputes arise, and you should know how to settle it.)
As much as it is physically and mentally taxing, tournament organizing also has its perks, especially when people starts to recognize that what you’re doing is for the betterment of the gaming community as a whole. Zendex recalled some instances wherein players would message him after a successful tournament to thank him for his efforts, “kaunti lang kasi ‘yung nakaka-recognize sa reality ng behind-the-scenes ng esports, so thankful ako sa mga nakaka-recognize noon.”
(There are only few people that can recognize the reality of esports’ behind-the-scenes, so I’m really thankful to those who recognize it.)
For Ishan, what she won’t forget is the lesson she picked up from the young Arena of Valor teams that vie through thick and thin, “winning or losing is part of life, and when you get the chance to make up for the loss, grab it.”
Although local tournament organizing came through a long way since Zendex’s Warcraft III DotA tournament for their Computer Club, he still admitted that there are still a lot more that need to be improved.
“Kasi ngayon may mga iilang gray areas pa sa esports eh, na eventually magiging black and white kapag meron nang na-reach na certain standard. I think kailangan na ng effort ng more than one organizer. ‘Yung NBA tsaka FIFA nagsimula ‘yan multiple organizations na nag-fuse, kaya meron tayong mga kilalang leagues sa traditional sports. So, yun ‘yung kulang, the moment na maging isa lahat,” Zendex stated.
(Right now, there are still some gray areas in esports, which eventually should turn into black and white once they reach a certain standard. I think the efforts of more than one organizer is needed. The NBA and FIFA started as multiple organizations which fused together, giving us the leagues we know in traditional sports. So, that’s what we need, the moment where all can come together as one.)
Amidst the rise of multi-million international esports tournaments, the Globe PPGL 2018 was able to prove its significance as a humble national league. When asked if they wanted to organize once more a Globe PPGL 2018, if given the chance, Hot-E and Ishan never turned it down, especially when the ever-evolving Philippine esports scene is on the line.
