Philippine game development industry working with government to create opportunities and raise awareness

The Philippine game development industry may be young, but it is promising enough to catch the eye of government officials. In an interview with Interaksyon during the Philippine Game Festival (PGF) 2014, Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aguirre Aquino IV recognized the industry’s real potential to create high-quality, high-paying jobs for Filipinos.

One can see that we’re not lagging behind. We can actually compete and with a little more support, this can be an industry we can be proud of here in the Philippines that can really make a dent in our economy.

(See: 8 tips to becoming a great game developer)

According to Chairman of the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP) Alvin Juban, there are currently around 60 studios in the Philippines with a total of approximately 3,500 employees. These numbers haven’t changed from last year’s report. The GDAP has a target of 15,000 game professionals nationwide by 2016. According to Juban, the challenge is to raise awareness among the international community of the Philippine’s game development capabilities.

To help promote the industry locally and internationally, Aquino said that they are working closely the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Board of Investments. This will help create opportunities for many Filipinos with skills that can be used in the field of game development.

This is not the first time that the government has shown interest in the games industry. Last year, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) had sponsored the first Game Development Project that provided free game development training to students, teachers, and enthusiasts in Zamboanga City. The first project had 20 graduates and has since been continuously granting opportunities for free game development training.

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(via Interaksyon)