The real winner in online gaming

Internet cafes and the producers of massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG) are the real winners in the battle for online gaming networks.

Internet cafes first became popular because of the disc-based games played by many players attached to the LAN (local area network) but when the excitement of such games–dominated by CounterStrike–wore thin, most of the Internet cafes almost collapsed were it not for Level Up’s Oz World, the very first to introduce MMORPG in the country.

Of the more popular ones, only GunBound is not a role playing game. It is a massive multiplayer shooting game and is believed to be the number one in the country right now. Most of the themes of MMORPG are ancient civilizations in the west or eastern worlds.

But among the MMORPG, Ragnarok (a Korean game) remains on top, made popular here by the Level Up Group (which introduced the very first online game, Oz). 

Studies of the International Data Corp. (IDC) on the online gaming industry said that the  Philippine market is growing at a rapid pace, with sales reaching $10 million with 350,000 subscribers as of 2004 (up from $3 million and 60,000 subscribers the previous year).

At an estimated 40 percent growth, online gaming has ceased to be just a pastime or amusement but has become the most dynamic segment of entertainment software industry in the country.

As a result, opportunities abound for US online game content developers, broadband service providers and suppliers of servers, switches, new and refurbished PCs and gaming and PC accessories.

This despite the ratio of 1.53 million units of personal computers to 84 million population, according to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

Of this, only five million have Internet access through PCs at schools, offices, homes and Internet cafes.

In 2004, there were 300 Internet Service Providers and ISP value added resellers (VARs) registered with the NTC with only 10 or 15 of them major players.

From 60,000 subscribers in 2003, the number of gamers is projected to hit 700,000 by 2006 with real growth driven by MMORPGs. "These games enable multiple individuals to interact in dynamic, virtual communities in a socially interactive gaming adventure world," Rufino said.

GunBound has virtually captured three times the account of Ragnarok, another popular game which peaked in 2004, with 300 percent more active subscribers than all the online games combined, said Gregory Kittelson, director of Digital Media Exchange (DME) Inc., which publishes and distributes MU and GunBound.

Behind DME are Scott Countryman, its CEO; Kittelson, DME Director and Carlos Rufino, DME games director in charge of MU.

Rufino’s family owns the company’s office in Net One Center, Fort Bonifacio. The company’s website is  www.mobius.ph where both games can be played for one week free trials (after which players have to buy pre- paid card in denominations they can readily afford).

Countryman founded PeopleSupport, one of the world’s biggest call centers and brought it into the Philippines along with five other call center operators. Then he pioneered network gaming by commercially launching MU (a role playing game) in January 2005 while GunBound was commercially launched in December 2004.

GunBound is now reportedly the largest online game while MU is a third favorite among the youth.

Even with the high cost of doing business in the Philippines (with VAT and other taxes every step of the way), Countryman is optimistic that the Philippines is still one of the best locations for game operators.

Rufino said that MU has a loyal active subscriber base of 20,000 a day.

DME is also currently localizing the avatars for GunBound so that Filipino images, weapons and costumes or flags can be bought by the players to empower them so they can move up to another level.

Popular online games are: Oz World (commercially released January 2003); Khan: the Absolute Power (commercially released February 2005 by ePLDT); MU online (February 2005); GunBound (December open beta trial or open and closed period of 3 to 6 months prior to commercial release); Tantra (December 2004 open beta trial by Bayantel); Priston Tale (January 2005 open beta trial) and Skyblade.