Globe PPGL 2018 aims to be a truly Filipino event
The Globe PPGL 2018 is MET’s latest iteration of the cross-platform national leagues they established in the Philippines (anyone miss the MPGL?) but this new league comes with a fresh take on esports. With bright and colorful branding as opposed to the classic “maangas” black-and-red of esports, the Globe PPGL 2018 comes off as a festive celebration of esports rather than an overly serious one.
Is this perhaps the fun-loving Pinoy esports as it’s meant to be?
What Is The Filipino Fiesta?
The tradition of the fiesta is handed down from old religious practices during the Spanish colonization era. and are usually celebrated to honor patron saints or major religious events.
Many other catholic-dominant countries also celebrate festivals but the Filipino fiesta is unique in its colors, communal feasts, fanfare, and spectacle. Filipinos see fiestas as some sort of block party more than mere rituals.
Compare this to how Filipino audiences are in esports events versus esports fans from other countries. We’re already known the world over for our intense passion at Dota 2 events. Even local cybercafe opening tournaments and promo events are an occasion for gamers to flock as a community to their favorite nearby comshop in rowdy droves.
If you’ve ever been in those more local events, you would know that there are giveaways, eating contests, hosts on overly loud microphones, shouting, laughing, and even singing on occasion. Serious tournaments are for the first-world countries; here in the Philippines, it’s a hell of a lot more fun.
Like how Cebuanos eagerly await the Sinulog-Santo Niño Festival, gamers in barangays around the Philippines look forward to mini-tournaments with the same kind of zeal.
These local events don’t get the same amount of coverage as the international big leagues, but for the communities of gamers that get to experience them, these comshop events are fiestas in their own right.
Globe PPGL 2018 Celebrates Pinoy Esports
The new Globe Philippine Pro Gaming League 2018 started out in various cities across the Philippines to find the absolute best budding players for Dota 2, Arena of Valor, and Tekken 7. In the concluded regional qualifiers, the Globe PPGL 2018 brought a festive spirit into every local event even as the staunchest competitive gamers in the country duked it out for a spot in the upcoming nationwide playoffs.
As a nationwide league, a role previously occupied by the MPGL, the Globe PPGL 2018 seeks to more than ever respect that festive culture of mini tournaments populated by barkadas and gamers that all already know each other from everyday play.
We’ve also heard word from the league organizers themselves that they plan on making the LAN grand finals later this year even more overtly in the spirit of the Filipino fiesta. From what we’ve been told, you can expect banderitas, Filipino food, and programs in the unique spirit of Pinoy celebrations.
Though it’s only the debut of the PPGL league brand, it’s a breath of fresh air to see an esports league that isn’t just trying to copy the aesthetic and feel of the more “polished” international leagues. This one is true to the Pinoy feel, and we’re excited to see what becomes of the Globe PPGL 2018 this year, and also in future years when an onsite regional qualifier becomes as much of a tradition as the Filipino fiesta.
