Building the next generation of pro gamers
In the time before the international-level esports players and teams like DJ and TNC Pro Team, Filipino players had one iconic esports tournament in which to hone their skills: the Mineski Pro Gaming League was one of the first leagues to cater to the budding gamers hoping to make it to the international level of play.
MPGL’s last season came to a close in 2016, putting a cap on eight years of a truly Filipino esports league (including, of course, the SEA-wide legs). 2017 instead saw the the rise of the international tournament, The Manila Masters 2017 and the promise of a 2018 Dota 2 PH Major, but there were no MPGL-like leagues to take the place of the MPGL. Yes, there were a few nation-wide tournaments by various sponsors and even the Manila Masters Pinoy Tour was MPGL in spirit, but without the MPGL the local competitive scene had lost the clsoest thing they had to a Pro Circuit of their own.
That is, until 2018, this year. The Globe Philippine Pro Gaming League 2018 started earlier this year and MET seems to want to rekindle its roots as the hosts of the one and only MPGL. The PPGL doesn’t quite have the same history of the MPGL just yet but the branding is all-Filipino, the format is reminiscent of the MPGL (especially the multiple game titles), and so far it’s looking to be the best place for pro player hopefuls to fight the rest of the best in the country.
The New Generation League
The Globe PPGL 2018 may only be partway through its first season but it’s already making waves in the gaming scene in the same streets and gaming communities the MPGL used to support.
Globe PPGL 2018 competitor testing out strategies from the tournament © Harambearl PH
HarambEarl PH, one competitor from the Tekken 7 division of the Globe PPGL 2018, posted this video stating that he was trying out combos that he picked up from an opponent he faced off against in the league. This is otherwise a style of play he might not have encountered if not through the PPGL, and already gamers from several corners of the Philippines are getting to experience other regions’ playstyles. This is what a national league has always been about.
Several more competitors in the Tekken 7 division of the tournament show off how they prepare their fight sticks together just before diving into competitive matches. This just goes to show that players don’t only congregate in teams for the team-based games like Dota 2 and Arena of Valor, Dong Rosello and his friends band together to compete in an individual battle tournament.
One staunch supporter of the Dota 2 veteran Heinrich Heinrich Abad, proclaimed his support by sharing the post which featured the match involving Heinrich’s new team, Station 751. The Globe PPGL 2018 provides an avenue for former Dota 2 stars find their time in the limelight to compete for themselves and their fans. Not every Filipino player can make it into the same international stages as the ones graced by the likes of TNC Pro Team, Mineski-Dota, Execration, and HappyFeet, but the PPGl brings the spotlight back onto the hundreds of hometown heroes that make up the backbone of the PH esports scene.
Heinrich himself posted a photo of his old MPGL championship ring, during the night of their game in the league. The former captain of Arcanys Gaming shared the photo in a comment on a Globe PPGL 2018 post that called back to his championship win in the sixth season of the Mineski Pro Gaming League.
The PPGL is shaping up to be every bit the amateur esports gathering that the MPGL established throughout its eight seasons. It’s far too early to say if the Globe PPGL 2018 has fully taken the place of such an established league as the Mineski Pro Gaming League.
The Father of PH Esports weighs in on the Globe PPGL 2018 © PPGL 2018
There is still a lack of new local esports tournaments that has the potential to rise up to take the place of the MPGL. Ronald Robins, the CEO of Mineski Franchise Corporation, believes that the PPGL serves as the new local MPGL to breed the future generation of professional gamers. The PH esports scene, after all, isn’t just the glitz and glamour of the country’s top teams, but also all the esports that happens on the streets, in cyber cafes, and around local gaming legends.
