Level Up! introduces multi-player online games

Level Up! (www.level-up-games.com) has introduced the next generation of online games called Massively Multi-Player Online Games or MMOGs to the Philippine market, the first local company to do so.

Level Up!, which conducted months of market research and focus groups before launching a new online gaming business model, expects to lure the large community of gamers with the arrival of MMOGs locally.

Developed in different parts of the world, MMOGs allow thousands of users to play at the same time, from any PC with an Internet connection.

Ben Colayco, game boss of Level Up!, says they intend to market and distribute MMOGs exclusively in the country, eventually building local online gaming communities nationwide.

"The key to any successful MMOG is the community that is built around it. It’s the community that determines the game’s life span," he says.

Although the market is used to first-person shooter (FPS) games, Level Up! is set to release Oz World, a non-violent, community-building game. The company feels that its first title will add a fresh, new experience to the gaming landscape.

"This game is about fantasy and friendship. You can meet up to thousands of people online, chat, develop new relationships and express yourself through an avatar (character) that you personally create and customize. The game applies to both males and females," Colayco says.

"People can explore towns, parks and recreational areas together, own an apartment and their own wardrobe or go shopping, in addition to joining our live online contests and events," he adds.

Colayco says Level Up! would be localizing other MMOGs to suit Filipino culture and taste. He adds that they chose Oz World as the first title for the Philippines because it is easy to learn and works on a dial-up Internet connection, making it more accessible to the local market.

In addressing the local piracy problem, "Oz World is played on servers exclusively owned and operated by Level Up! So even if you pass around our CDs or download it for free, which we encourage, we still control the access," Colayco says.

To get the rights for Oz World, Level Up! partnered with Oz Intermedia, a Korea-based game developer. Netopia, one of the country’s major Internet franchises, was also tapped as distribution partner.

Level Up!, he says, is also set to hold a number of unique activities that will strengthen its online gaming business. Although currently in its testing stage, one of the company’s notable plans is to set up an MMOG television show on Home Cable’s Link TV.

Other activities include an on-the-job training program for college students, a film festival, inter-collegiate competitions and promotional events and parties to lay down the groundwork for this pioneering community.