Phl, South Korea tie up for animation, game dev’t

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines and South Korea have joined hands to compete head-on with India in the global animation and gaming market that is expected to double over the next three years.

This after the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) established a partnership with the government of Korea to train Filipino animators and game developers.

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica) and the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) under the International Cooperation Program of the government of Korea sponsored the training program.

Alvin Juban, president of the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), said in a statement that the partnership would allow the animation and game development sectors to market to potential clients here and abroad.

“We hope to have our game developers and animators penetrate the global market and take a bigger slice of the global market. Immersing them in a successful and technologically-adept country such as Korea has surely given them the skills and training that they needed,” Juban said.

Global research firm MarketsandMarkets reports that the global animation and gaming market is expected to double to $242.93 billion in 2016 from $122.20 billion in 2010.

India still dominates the industry with 40 percent of the estimated $1.5-billion global animation and game development market, followed by Korea with a 15 percent share and the Philippines with 10 percent.

Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. (ACPI) president Grace Dimaranan said the country’s animation and gaming sectors carry a large potential for the Philippine information technology and business process management industry.

“By training our future leaders, they can strive to lead the next generation in building up the Philippines as the next prime destination for animation and gaming-related services,” Dimaranan said.

Animators Nelson Udaundo and Cynthia Javier as well as game developers Joie Sales and Joyce Macaspac trained in Gyeonggi-do, Paju, South Korea for almost two months.

The participants took design and construction courses and skills in software program education. They also completed workshops on industry-specific skills such as graphics modeling, texturing and lighting, game art as well as programs such as 3D Max, Unity 3D, Java, and other e-learning packages.

Udaundo, Javier, Sales and Macaspac were chosen from a group of recommended and certified assessors and trainers of TESDA.

“Our industry is similar to Korea’s in many respects. Both industries practice Western-style animation having had decades of experience in Western production projects as well as setbacks,” Udaundo said.

He said Filipinos could learn how the Koreans brought back their industry to life through the creation of original content, allowing them to carve out a respectable niche in the global animation suppliers market.

With public-private partnership initiatives being pursued in several locations to drive the growth of the Philippine animation and gaming sectors, ACPI and GDAP are working closely with IBPAP to lead their respective sectors in conquering the global market.