Ragnarok Player and beauty queen Megan Young is the newest Foodpanda endorser

The first Filipina who wins the Miss World title in the pageant's 63-year history and a gamer in Ragnarok M Eternal Love, Megan Young is the newest endorsers of Foodpanda.

But how exactly did Megan Young started playing video games when she's not busy being a beauty queen?

"I'd like to say that I was a gamer first, so, actually, the better question is How did a gamer become a beauty queen?" Young says, laughing. "I started gaming when I was pretty young. My parents introduced me to educational games, then, eventually, it developed into a love for recreational games."

She knows that some people may think she is not into gaming, or the only reason she's playing is because of her husband. But Megan has been playing video games since 90's, classic video games title like Mario Party, and Pokemon Snap on her Nintendo N64.

Since the lockdown started, Megan has been playing a lot of video games specifically Ragnarok M Eternal Love together with her husband and also a fellow gamer/foodpanda endorser, Mikael Daez.

"It's actually surprising because at some point in our relationship, we both realized that we're both into video games and that we've actually played these games even before we met each other," she says. "I remember when we first heard about Ragnarok coming to mobile, I was like 'I loved this game in high school!' and Mikael could not believe it because it was also a game he played back then."

Animal Crossing in Lockdown and FoodPanda

Since lockdown started, Megan also started spending time playing Animal Crossing on her Nintendo Switch. Since this game requires grinding and needs some refreshing foods, a recent favorite order of her from foodpanda is the steak burrito with cheese.

"Having foodpanda makes everything so much easier when you just want to have fun gaming," Young says. "I think it's always fun to have the food you love the most with you while gaming. It just makes the experience more exciting."

Megan also added that she and her husband are happy to be part of the foodpanda family, especially with how food and gaming go hand-in-hand. Saying its the perfect combination to go with their personalities.

How to Redeem Codes on Genshin Impact

The first day release of Genshin Impact was a success, becoming the trending topic on Twitter for almost three days. Genshin Impact is a free-to-play RPG fantasy-adventure game with a strong resemblance with handled game Breath of the Wild, Legend of Zelda. The game is now available on PlayStation 4, PC and mobile devices (iOS and Android).

Since most of you're looking for a rewards to get started with Genshin Impact. The good news is Mihoyo often provide an in-game freebies where player can use to get rewards for their progress.

In this guide, we will list all of the available Redeem Codes that you can use in the game. It will work in any platform either PlayStation 4, PC or mobile devices.

List of Genshin Impact Redeem Codes

Here are the list of available codes that you can redeem in the game. Please select your current server.

Codes Rewards
Genshin0928N

(Only works for North American Server, requires Rank 10 to claim)		 60 x Primogen
10,000 x Mora
Genshin0928E

(Only works for European Server,
requires Rank 10 to claim)		 60 x Primogen
10,000 x Mora
Genshin0928A

(Only works for Asian Server,
requires Rank 10 to claim)		 60 x Primogen
10,000 x Mora

How to Redeem Genshin Impact Codes

To redeem the codes above, you need to visit their official website and look for gift redemption page.

Go to https://genshin.mihoyo.com/en/gift, login your game account.

Select your server, select the character's nickname and enter the Redemption Code.

Once done, click the Redeem button.

The item will be arrived in your in-game mailbox.

(Note: Before redeeming the code, make sure you already created your character in the game and have linked the miHoYo account in the User center menu. Otherwise, you cannot select your characters name in the form.)

Redeeming on PS4

Account for the PS4 players are automatically created once the game is opened, there is no way of binding MiHoYo account or other 3rd party login. Because of this, some players has problem redeeming the code, when accessing the Account Settings in-game, it only displays a blank page.

We will update this part once we've got information how to bind your PS4 account with MiHoYo so you can redeem a code.

Alleged Saudi Prince reaches Lv. 100,109 on Dota 2 Battle Pass, spending more than PHP 2 million

For anyone who can still remember about an alleged Saudi Prince that spends thousands of dollar to get to the top of Dota 2 Battle Pass leaderboard. As reported by Dot Esports, the alleged Saudi Prince reaches lv. 9,000 in just a matter of two days. Today, four months later, he just reached more than level 100,000 making him the biggest spender for this year Battle Pass.

The alleged Saudi Prince a big fan of Dota 2 has been playing the game since 2016 with an IGN (In-game name) on steam of Purrrrrfect Angelic Cake Yuki. Since 2018, he has been participating in every Battle Pass event and topped the Battle Pass leaderboard reaching lv. 101,127 in 2018 and lv. 100,820 in 2019.

For this year, he reaches lv. 100,109, spending him a total amount of $41,676 (PHP 2,020,785) and 25% of that amount will go to the prize pool of the International 10. Considering the Dota 2 The International 2020 was delayed due to the pandemic and reportedly pushed back until 2021, he might further level up his Battle Pass to more than lv. 200,000 by the end of this year. Well, that still depends if there is a new challenger for his current in-game throne.

What's more interesting, all of the Battle Pass you've purchased in the game are not automatically be redeemed all at once, you need to click through all of them to claim each of the rewards. Some comments in our social media post even jokes that the Prince would hire people to just open all of the Battle Pass treasures. "Sinabi din niya somewhere na may taga-bukas siya ng mga treasure. **** pre ganun ka kayaman", Lance Tabilin said.

You can find his Battle Pass rank leaderboard at stratz.com https://stratz.com/leaderboards/battlepass/2020

Aside from this, The Dota 2 International 10 is reaching the $40 million mark, currently the total prize pool is at $39,008,223 (PHP 1.8 billion).

Edited as of 09/29/2020 at 5:52PM: We have to remove the name and photo of the alleged Saudi prince because the information was not confirmed.

Ragnarok Mobile October 2020 Event (Kumamon and Golden Gourmet Festival)

Ragnarok M Eternal Love hasn't yet revealed the event for this month of October 2020, but their Facebook page has started posting pieces of event and this include the coming back of Kumamon.

Table of Contents

  1. Beat the Porings (Event 1)
  2. Bunny's Gratitude (Event 2)
  3. Golden Fried Egg Rice Sign-in (Event 3)
  4. Golden Gourmet Festival Gifts (Event 4)
  5. Gold Card Box (Event 5)
  6. Gem Donation (Event 6)
  7. Mysterious Merchant's Gift (Event 7)
  8. Gift from the Committee (Event 8)
  9. Halloween Event – Strange Guests (Event 9)
  10. Ghostly Celebration (Event 10)
  11. Kumamon's Super Fans Quiz (Event 11)
  12. Fortune Teller Bear Event (Event 12)
  13. Kumamon Special Gacha (Event 13)

Currently, there are 3 event has been posted yet in their page. The list below are still partial, we are awaiting for the official event post.

Event 1: Beat the Porings!

Starting October 1 to November 1, 2020, adventurers will have a chance to craft a Golden Gourmet Fest Card which contains stats that will boost base and job experience for eliminating a monsters.

To start this event, adventurers need to click the new event at the top corner of the screen, and choose Poring Showdown.

You need Small Wooden Hammer to be able to play the game. You can obtain it from participating various events like Event 3 (Golden Fried Egg Event), Event 2 (Bunny's Gratitude) and Event 8 (Gift from the Committee)

Adventurers need to hit the Poring's with Small Wooden Hammer to get a random rewards.

There will be a total of 4 rounds for Beat Poring, you need to clear each of the current round, it consists of 8 poring that you need to smash. The next round will then automatically unlocked when the current round is cleared.

After smashing all of the 8 poring, you'll received the round rewards.

Round Rewards
1
Freyr Coin

30 x Big Cat Voucher I
2
Golden Gourmet Fest Card
3
Glittering Rune Stone – Star
4
Skyfire Shard – Sharp

Here are the complete stats for the Golden Gourmet Fest Card.

Card Description Unlock/Deposit Rewards

Golden Gourmet Fest Card		 All Attributes + 2
Base EXP for eliminating monsters + 2%
Job EXP for eliminating monsters + 2%		 Unlock Rewards:
Def + 1
Max HP + 30

Deposit Rewards:
M.Atk + 3
Max HP + 30

Note: Event is limited to once per account. All the characters in the account will share progress for this event.

Event 2: Bunny's Gratitude

Starting October 1 to 9, 2020, there will be a new quest from the NPC Little Bunny at the Prontera South Gate. You need to talk to the Huge Black Lunatic NPC near the gate entrance to accept the Little Bunny's Gratitude quest.

After completing the task, adventurers will able to obtain a The Gratitude From the Moon to the Earth Reward which contains the following:

  • 5 x Oracle Dust
  • 5 x Oracle Crystal
  • 5 x Mora Coin
  • 5 x Glittering Rune Stone
  • 3 x Small Wooden Hammer

Event 3: Golden Fried Egg Rice Sign-in Event

Starting October 1 to 15, 2020, adventurers will have a chance to receive a daily rewards by signing in to an NPC. You need to find the NPC Tug Hulett at the Prontera Square to receive a series of tasks for Golden Fried Egg Cooking Contest.

There will be a total of 5-daily mission for this event.

Each completed daily mission will allow you to earn a Diary of Top Chef which contains 2 x Mysterious Box 7.0 and 2 x Small Wooden Hammer.

Completing all of the 5-daily mission will allow you to obtain an additional limited Furious Magnolia Headwear blueprint.

Event 4: Golden Gourmet Festival Gifts

Starting October 8 to 15, 2020, there will be a secret treasure that are hidden at the Prontera. You need to find it and open to get a rewards.

Each account can get up to 1 treasure per day and it will be reset every morning.

Event 5: Gold Card Box

Starting October 8 to 15, 2020, there will be a new item in the Recharge Shop (Big Cat Coin Shop) for a limited time.

Adventurers can purchase a Gold Card Box worth 30 BCC and is limited to 60 boxes per account.

  • 1 x Gorgeous Card Album
  • 40 – 60 x Nolan Card
  • One of the following item:
    • Poker Album x1 or Tarot Card Album x1, or Ancient Magic Card Album x1. You'll also have a chance to get Random Oracle Card x1. *Depicts minimum amount. You may receive more than stated amount.

Event 6: Gem Donation Event

Starting October 15 to 22, 2020, adventurers will have a chance to get an additional rewards by donating a gem to an NPC. You need to find the NPC Potter at the Prontera Square and donate a specific gem stone.

Event 7: Mysterious Merchant's Gift

Starting October 22 to 29, 2020, there will be a sale in Mysterious Merchant shop that will allow you to purchase item at 20% off.

All items purchased from Mysterious Merchant are account limited Item Details: 

  • Extract Light Experience Chest: Get it at 180K Zeny, limited to 5 purchase quantities. Obtain Extract Light Crystal x5. Unlock the next tier after 5 purchases
  • Extract Light Materials Supply Chest: Get it at 28 Gold Coins, limited to 50 purchase quantities. Chance to obtain Extract Light Weapon Selection Giftbox. Unlock the next tier after 10 purchases
  • Extract Light Weapon Selection Giftbox: Get it at 1.98M Zeny, limited to 1 purchase per account

Event 8: Gift from the Committee

Starting October 22 to 29, 2020, adventurers will have a gift from the NPC Potter at the Prontera Square. Adventurers who will talk to the NPC will get an Gourment Fest Selection Giftbox.

It contains one of the following items:

  • 1 x Spatula
  • 1 x Magic Bubblegum
  • 1 x Freyr Coin
  • 5 x Small Wooden Hammer

Event 9: Halloween Event – Strange Guests

Starting October 29 to November 2, 2020, adventurer can hunt an monster at the Underground Geffen that are only visible to Ghost Camera. Defeating these monsters will have a chance to receive a Creepy Chest.

Event 10: Ghostly Celebration

Starting October 29 to November 2, 2020, various ghosts and monsters will appear at the Prontera. New quest will be pop up at the quest list, completing these quest will allow adventurers to get Halloween Special Boullabaisse and an additional Creepy Chest when completed all of the daily task.

Event 11: Kumamon's Super Fans Quiz

Starting October 1 to 15, 2020, you need to help Kumamon reach all of his fans around the world. This is by answering the events quiz testing how much you know the popular mascot Kumamon. Answering the quiz will allow adventurers to receive exclusive gifts.

To start the event, you need to find the NPC Kyoto at the Prontera Square and complete the quiz event.

You'll receive Kumamon's Appreciation rewards once you answered the daily questions. It contains the following items:

  • 70 x Kumamon's Present
  • 15 x Kumamon Gashapon Coin
  • 1 x Food Voucher
  • One of the following: 5 x Mora Coin, 4 x Oracle Dust, 2 x Oracle Crystal or 1 x Seed of Mastela

After completing the 5-day quiz event, adventurers will be able to obtain the Kumamon Gratitude Badge which then can be use for exchange for Kumamon Summoning Machine or Kumamon's pet skin Beginner's Mind Kumamon.

Here are some questions and answers that will be asked.

Questions Answers
Whose favorite food is the Happiness Ramen Kumamon

Adventurers will also get a chance to unlock the Kumamon's Super Fan achievement when obtaining the Kumamon Gratitude Badge.

Note: This event is limited to one character per account daily.

Event 12: Daily Fortune Bear Event

Starting October 1 to 15, 2020, the multi-talented Teddy Bear is back, but this time it will give more generous rewards and buffs for all adventurers. In this event, Teddy Bear will read your daily horoscope and each adventurer will receive random buffs and rewards.

To start this event, you need to find the NPC Teddy Bear at the Prontera to accept the daily life of Fortune Teller Bear event.

You'll be choosing 1 out of 3 option cards per day. Each of the cards has different buff result.

Adventurer who take this event and revealed their daily horoscope, they will receive the following:

  • 1 x Kumamon's Appreciation
  • 5 x Kumamon's Token

Aside from that, adventurer will also receives a random buff Kumamon's Shield buff based from their horoscope.

Event 13: Kumamon Special Gacha

Starting October 1 to 15, 2020, Kumamon's costume will be featured in the Special Gacha. Participating the Kumamon events will allow adventurers to obtain an Kumamon Tokens that can be use in the Gacha.

Aside from that, for every 30 tries of Kumamon Special Gacha, adventurer will received a Kumamon's Favor which they can use to trade for headwear exchange voucher.

Item Description Unlock/Deposit Rewards

Kumamon Jumper Costume		 none Unlock Rewards
Atk + 1%
M.Atk + 1%

Deposit Rewards
Max HP + 200

Bear Commander		 none Unlock Rewards
Atk + 6
M.Atk + 6

Heart Warming Kumamon		 Vit +5
Max HP + 500
Healing Bonus + 5%		 Deposit Rewards
M.Def + 2
Max HP + 30

Kumamon Billboard		 All Attributes + 2
Earth Atk + 6%		 Deposit Rewards
Def + 2
Max HP + 30

Kumamon Eyepatch		 M.Dmg Reduc. + 5%
Received Fire DMG – 5%		 Deposit Rewards
M.Atk + 6

Kumamon's Inner Voice		 All Attributes + 1
Wind Atk + 5%		 Deposit Rewards
Atk + 6

Classic Metal Gear Solid is Reportedly getting a Remake and its PS5 Exclusive

90's favorite classic stealth game, Metal Gear Solid is reportedly having a remake and it's a PS5 console exclusive.

This is after a YouTube channel RedGamingTech, a channel for gaming hardware and stuffs. According to RedGamingTech, the classic PS One game Metal Gear Solid will be getting a full remake and not just a typical remastered. And when it releases, it will be PS5 exclusive, as well as available on PC in the future.

Aside from this, it is also reported that the other sequel of Metal Gear Solid 2, 3 and 4 will also be getting an HD remasters. Though it will not get the same treatment as the remake for the first sequel, it will just confirm that you can play these classic games on the next-gen console with much better graphics.

Currently, there are unofficial remake of the Metal Gear Solid that are available for quite some time now, that uses Unreal Engine 4.

Could these rumors possibly be true? For now, we just wait for the official announcement of Konami.

The Labyrinth of Ragnarok is now Open for Pre-Registration

Gravity Co., Ltd releases its newest Ragnarok IP mobile game, The Labyrinth of Ragnarok. It is an idle RPG game where you'll be playing as your favorite Ragnarok classes and battle against other players and monsters like the cute Poring.

The pre-registration is now available on some South East Asia countries including the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia in Google Play and App Store.

Players who pre-registered into the game will receive exciting rewards depending on the milestone reached during the pre-registration. The following are the rewards when number of pre-registration reached.

Milestone Rewards
30,000 Participants Magic Hourglass 16 hours
50,000 Participants Lucky Useable Box
100,000 Participants Beginners Card Box
150,000 Participants Costume Box
200,000 Participants Blessing Equipment Box

To give you some information about the game, The Labyrinth of Ragnarok will have the following features; Auto-play for MVP, miniboss and monster hunting, allowing players not to grind every day that takes too much time; Labyrinth maze where player can explore different maps in the game; Game modes like PVP duels and Raid modes to battle against other players; Guild community to create your own guild in the game and build friendship, upgrade system with your equipment, gears and card; and an auction house to buy, trade and sell your goods with other players.

To learn more about the game, you can check their official website at https://labyrinthragnarok.com/

Netmarble's BTS Universe is now out on iOS and Android Devices

To all BTS fans, the most anticipated mobile game BTS Universe Story is finally available on mobile devices both on iOS and Android. BTS Universe Story is a game with an all-new interactive social game based on the South Korean superstar BTS.

It is a second collaboration between Netmarble and the South Korean superstars, following the great success of its predecessor BTS World mobile game. You'll be playing all of your favorite star in 3D scanned inside the BTS universe, allowing you to explore existing stories by fans, or you may create your own within your group or other players.

The interactive social game will allow players to create and develop their own stories in the game, selecting choices and will lead to different outcomes. It will also features Collection mode, allow players to collect clothes and accessories to customize their character in the BTS Universe, they may also utilize the AR capability of the game allowing players to take pictures together with their own characters.

Aside from this, players who sign in today will have a 7-day daily check-in events with a reward of 30 Jewel. They will also receive various in-game rewards such as T-Shirt with Logo, Story Creation Theme for creating story and more. Player who also pre-registered will also get additional rewards.

You can now get the game at Google Play for Android and App Store for iOS.

Playstation 5 Price Prediction: When is It Expected to Drop?

Last week, after much anticipation, Sony finally unveiled the price and release date for its next-gen console – the PlayStation 5.

Clocking in at Php24,222 for the Standard version and Php19,377 for the Digital version, the PS5 will be officially rolling out worldwide starting on November 19, 2020. Soon enough, consumers in the Philippines will be able to make pre-orders.

First reactions on social media show that these price tags are reasonable for gamers who were immediately on the pre-order list. It is no wonder, though, we have all been dying to put our hands on the console.

However, this is definitely quite pricey as not all of us might be able to purchase a PS5 on its launch date right away. The PlayStation 5 Standard version will be the most expensive PlayStation console to date (the PlayStation 4 was launched in 2016 at Php18.6k), putting it out of reach for some, such as younger folks or people from developing countries.

The good news is if money is tight, you might not have to wait very long for the situation to change, according to a report by e-commerce aggregator, iPrice Group (https://iprice.ph/).

Using data, iPrice Group predicts that by May 2021 or 6 months after the official release, you will be able to get the PlayStation 5 Digital version for Php18.2k or the Standard version for Php22.7k.

That means potentially saving up to Php1.4k, a great boon to many who are keen to witness the price reduction in the Philippines.

Then by November 2021, prices will likely drop even further to Php16.7k for the Digital version and Php20.9k for the Standard version, about Php2.6k and Php3.2k less than Sony's introductory price.

We came to this conclusion by examining the price history of PlayStation 4 Pro. We collected and compared selling prices of the console throughout the years on over 150 online shopping websites.

And we noticed that the average online selling price for Sony consoles tends to drop by 6% six months after release and then by a further 8% one year after release.

These amazing prices often come in the form of seasonal discounts from nationwide online retailers or deals from unofficial sellers in the country. Whichever the case, selling online allows these sellers to offer better prices than traditional retail.

So be on the lookout for those sweet, sweet deals!

In case you want to wait for the official price drop from Sony, that might take a lot longer. The first official price drop for the Playstation 4 happened two years after its initial launch, and the price was slashed by 15%.

There you have it. By simply practicing a little bit of patience and being savvy, you will soon be able to snag that next-gen console for an extremely good price.

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Everything Happens for a Reason: Julius "Banoobs" Mariano's Contributions to Esports and Game Streaming

You probably know Banoobs from our previous articles as the guy who spent an enormous amount of money on a digital in-game item and for being a highly competitive MMORPG player. But did you know that there is more to him than just being a "malakas" in game?

Julius "Banoobs" Mariano is one of the pioneer gaming personalities that helped shape video game streaming and Esports in the Philippines. His positive contributions to the industry is already set in stone and widely recognized by the gaming community.

"Back then, Esports was not even a term yet. I just met a bunch of ordinary gamers with an extraordinary vision. We were just a bunch of kids in search of our passion. We were trying to discover what we wanted to do with our lives." Julius recalled.

Julius describes himself as a typical gamer who likes to trash talk opponents whenever he is in the game. But for him, it was all just part of the fun and never meant to be personal. In fact, he met a lot of people who were initially co-players that eventually became his friends. "You meet what you call 'seasonal friendship' that would contribute something to your life." he shared.

Julius admitted that he did not mind his studies when he was in college. He would rather spend more time on online gaming. His parents were OFWs working in the United States of America. They would regularly send him money for his tuition fees and other school-related expenses but he only spent it on online games.

"I just followed my heart. I was stubborn and did not study well. We were all just playing in LAN cafés. I considered myself a 'competitive player' and we enjoyed playing LAN games, specifically DoTA. My gamer friends always visited me in my apartment to remind me of game battles. My apartment that time was near a computer shop." Julius said.

A lot of friendships were formed during those times spent in LAN cafés. One of those is Ronald Robins, the founder and CEO of Mineski Global, whom he met in a computer shop in Taft, Manila. "My first encounter and conversation with Ronald happened when we were in the smoking area of this computer shop. I was just having my smoke break when I eavesdropped on Ronald and another friend as they talked about me. I approached them and the rest was history." Julius said.

Esports back then had a bad reputation. Most Filipinos, especially parents, have a negative impression and were plainly uninformed about it. Esports was a relatively new concept and tournaments were limited to weekend LAN (Local Area Network) parties. There were no regional and global championships and most especially, no support from sports organizations. Simply put, it was not regarded as a "sport."

"I trusted the vision of Ronald. He acted as a leader and welcomed me to be part of Mineski. I'm always in the background. I'm like the storyteller of the group. I remember moments when we were in the same house just to play DoTA. We occupied their mini-office at night and unofficially made it our turf. We were like a family and our friendship was priceless."

There was a time when gaming tournaments almost ceased to exist. It was very difficult to build credibility because of a few issues of anomalies, as well as the shady actions of some scrupulous organizers who were out to take advantage of legitimate brand sponsors. As a result, the esports industry's reputation as a whole was taking the hit. But Ronald did not falter and just kept on looking for ways to continue organizing tournaments to help uplift the credibility of the industry.

Julius remembered how Ronald was always busy working on something on his laptop. Ronald was planning to launch Mineski 101. It would be the first tournament without the Mineski team competing so it can give way to new teams. "I believe that there should be someone leading a team. That time it was Ronald and we created Mineski Events together with Marlon Marcelo," Julius said.

Hiatus in the Gaming World

"For some time I had my hiatus in the gaming world because I got sick. I had Dengue Fever and was already sleep-deprived due to my gaming habit. To make matters worse, I was diagnosed with depression and Bipolar disorder," Julius said.

He was admitted to a reputable hospital. He spent two months in a facility to treat his condition. "I don't know what really happened to me. It was quick and I experienced a nervous breakdown. The facility was like a PBB house. Fortunately, I met new friends there that helped with my fast recovery," Julius said.

Many people did not understand his situation at that time; some even thought that he was mentally unstable and won't be able to go back to his usual activities. However, that tumultuous stage in his life became an eye-opener for him and made him reflect on a lot of issues he had within himself.

"It takes a lot of action, courage and realization to bounce back from that circumstance. I suffered from a huge downfall, ending up to stop the pain by killing myself. The good thing was that I prayed before I planned to do it. Somehow, God showed a vision, a sort of a preview of what would happen if I die. I saw my own burial. I saw my family and friends mourning for me, then realized that if I died that night, my pain would just be transferred to the one who loves me which is more painful than any kind of pain" Julius recalled.

"Before, I lived by quotes that explains exactly what I've been through. I believe that everything happens for a reason. The trials that I had encountered made me reflect on my life. It made me stronger. God helped me through this battle that I can't go through without him. God really works in mysterious ways."

Bounced back

After his full recovery, he went back to school. He studied computer programming and met a new set of friends. Everything was going well but after some time, he decided to stop because of financial reasons. However, his motivation to pursue what he really wanted in life was what pushed him to keep going. 

"I always look for positive things in a negative situation. For example, I look for ways to lessen the impact of my condition. I search the internet for the things I do not know."

Eventually, he went back to the gaming scene and reconnected with his gamer friends.

While he was on a one-year hiatus from the gaming world, Mineski Team had improved significantly. The gaming industry evolved and became Esports. Many gamers were put into the limelight and have benefitted from the deluge of  opportunities that opened up for the industry.  Big brands finally supported the industry and sponsorship started to come in. Julius saw the true essence of Esports.

Not one to quit, Julius was patient enough to start all over again. He was at the bottom part of the organizational chart but slowly climbed to the top.  "I wanted to contribute again, that's why I returned to Mineski events.  It was an opportunity to continue my passion," Julius said.

Julius and his friends founded Mineski Events in 2009. As years passed, it continued to grow. The team's dedication and passion to help the Esports industry was their driving force. While there were bumpy roads and hurdles along the way, they exerted all their efforts for the industry to thrive.

While working at Mineski events, Julius met with many gamers, gaming executives, and other well-known gaming professionals in the industry. One of those was Matthias Beyer, whom he met in a smoking area in PGF 2012. It seems that smoking areas are proving to be a great spot to build connections for Julius. 

But in 2012, Julius' active participation at the Mineski events took a toll on his health. He decided to resign and move forward to other things.

The Marketing Guy

Aside from health concerns, Julius resigned from Mineski to seek for other career opportunities. He cannot overemphasize how very grateful he was for his experience in Mineski. It has led him to work at MSI Philippines.

Julius considers Tryke Gutierrez as his inspiration in terms of career growth. He is also thankful to Marian Grace Gomez for hiring him as Marketing Assistant in the company.

"I realized that I need to level up, that's why I resigned to look for another opportunity. Fortunately, I learned that there was an opening at MSI so I went through the typical hiring process. I can't believe that someone trusted me despite the fact that I'm an undergraduate and quite unqualified, " he said.

"I just continued the legacy of Tryke. I have a wide knowledge of the gaming industry that helped me conceptualize various marketing strategies for the brand. Marian, Tyrke and I would often brainstorm while working on various marketing projects for the company."

Just like most starters, the work was overwhelming for Julius. On his first day of work, he was tasked to come up with a marketing concept. He did not have an idea how to do it. Instead of wasting time worrying about it, he Googled the key phrase and looked for a template. Luckily, he was able to complete the task and submit it to his boss on time.

"It's my first time to receive a salary and I'm proud of it. Before I just worked for free since I love helping other people. I don't like to take any recognition for what I do. I just want to help other people because it's part of my mission."

Julius worked in the marketing department for SteelSeries, MSI Notebook/Components, Xigmatech, Aerocool, Plextor, and Thecus (2012-2015). He established the Team of MSI Gaming Notebook in the country as the Marketing Manager for four years.

The Twitch Gig

"I believe that you will meet good people in the smoking area," Julius said. "I did not expect that I would meet Matthias Beyer again at the Electronic Sports and Gaming Summit (ESGS) 2015. That time we had a booth in the event and I was busy doing my thing as a marketing person in charge. During my smoke break, he approached me and asked for a lighter. We had a brief conversation, mostly catching up, and then I showed him our booth."

What he didn't know was that Matthias works at Twitch as the Director of Content (Southeast Asia). He only discovered it when he checked Matthias' Facebook profile. That's where he also saw the posted job opening at Twitch for Country Manager in the Philippines.

"I feel that I can contribute more to the company. That time there were thousands of  applicants applying for the job. I applied for it and went through the tedious selection process. I thought I would not get accepted," Julius recalled.

Julius started working at Twitch in February 2016. As the Country Manager, he started to advocate for the streaming community in the Philippines, with the guidance of Matthias. Julius first pitched it to his inner circle of friends who happened to be content creators. It was a success and his friends became the first set of Twitch celebrities in the country. Julius helped many content creators become successful in the streaming platform. Twitch Philippines expanded their operations and it became a profitable endeavor  for the company.

"Matthias saw something in me. He mentored me and shared his vision for the company. I improved a lot under his leadership. He's like a brother to me and I enjoyed working with him. We shared the same passion; we played together; he gave me tasks to work with. He's not the usual boss. I learned a lot from him," Julius shared.

Matthias trusted Julius on many occasions when they were working together. Julius helped Matthias on executing his start-up ideas as they shared a common vision for the gaming industry. 

Julius left Twitch Philippines in 2018 to pursue a career in streaming. "I felt that I was meant to be on this platform. That I was born for this thing," Julius said.

Professionalizing Esports

Julius dreamed that one day, Esports would be recognized as a sport in the Philippines just like basketball. This dream would eventually become a reality when someone from TnC Pro Team and Execration contacted him back in 2016. They asked for his help with regard to securing P1 US Visa for their players. He was thankful that he has Jobe Nkemakolam and Sebastian Duterte who referred him to the Gaming and Amusements Board (GAB).

This meeting with the officials of GAB gave him the opportunity to discuss the booming online gaming industry. During their meeting, he talked about professionalizing Esports and the importance of professional license IDs for the country's players/gamers. It turned out to be a successful meeting because GAB issued the necessary documents to help fast track the players' VISA application. They were also grateful for the support of then Senator Bam Aquino, who is an avid supporter of Esports. Julius vouched for the players and made sure that everything about their travel went on smoothly.

"I knew they would win. Nobody saw it coming," he said. TnC won against the powerhouse European team in DoTA 2, the International 6 tournament. After the game, Julius along with three officials from GAB visited a tournament in Seattle to show them how big Esports actually is. 

"When we came back to the Philippines, there was a 'heroes' welcome' for us. It was also my first time to receive appreciation for the things I've done for the industry."

The Philippines now considers Esports as legitimate sports. In 2017, GAB signed a resolution allowing the professionalization of Esports in the Philippines. The agency believes that Esports tournaments boost tourism promotion (with foreign Esports participants coming into the country). It also increases the revenue shares of the government through issued licenses and permits, as well as GAB shares from the tournament tickets. GAB also imposed regulatory guidelines that protect the players and the industry from illegal activities.

But it remains to be a long road ahead for the majority to accept online gaming as a legitimate career. It may take some time but hopefully, it will be regarded as a legit career choice just as others are.

On Game Streaming

The gaming community in the Philippines is enormous and lucrative. The gamers and streamers have become the new celebrities in platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming. In these platforms, content is king. Professional streamers often combine high-level play and entertaining commentary to get the attention and earn income from sponsors, subscriptions, and donations.

In the study, The State of Online Gaming – 2019, conducted by Limelight Network, research revealed that video game streaming sites such as Twitch and YouTube Gaming are becoming increasingly popular especially among young gamers aged 18-25.  They spend 77 percent more time watching online gaming than traditional sports on television, and gamers 26-35 spending nearly the same amount of time watching online gaming as broadcast sports.

Julius saw its massive potential and he took the opportunity to try streaming to test out his ideas.

"I decided to try streaming because I want to know if I can survive on that kind of platform. I'm good at mentoring other people and I would like to see if my advice would be applicable to myself."

"Before, streamers were mostly doing it for their passion to the craft. I witnessed how the streaming industry started and grew. Most of them are engaged in streaming not solely for the money. The community was very supportive and helping one another," Julius said.

"When I left Twitch in November 2018, I missed the 'Banoobs personality' as a gamer. I missed the trash talking in the computer shop, the fun side of it and being a competitive gamer."

"I just missed the memories of playing online games. Where no one is judging you because you are only expressing your gamer self.  That time I did not mind if I would have viewers. I just want to relish the moment and create memories worth remembering."

Julius just wanted to be true to his roots so he played various games, notably League of Legends (LoL) , DOTA2 and Ragnarok M Eternal Love.

"One of my motivations why I started streaming was for entertainment and to show off my abilities. It's your own show. I believe it gets hard if you are used to reading scripts. The gamers are smart enough to smell if you're faking it or into hard selling. That's why some content creators had short careers. Just believe in your abilities and be true to yourself."

Julius' content creator friends inspired him in so many ways. He started live streaming on his Facebook profile. He was just boss hunting in Ragnarok M Eternal Love because of his boredom and wants to flex his game. "Surprisingly, a lot of my friends saw my stream and encouraged me to create a Facebook page. I created it on November 28, 2018, and that's it. I met new friends that became part of my gaming life."

Julius always rewatched his streamed videos to see whether his content is performing well. He would try to cross post it to other platforms. He also wanted to know the areas that he can improve on for his content. 

Julius shared great nuggets of advice for people who want to venture into streaming. He emphasized the need to know the market first and to understand how viewership works. As he said, online streaming is a competition – a survival-of-the-fittest type of environment. He also reiterated the importance of building a supportive community and knowing how to engage them properly. Most importantly, an aspiring streamer should know how to sell his/herself to that community.

"Don't just judge a streamer based on how he/she expresses his/herself. I've seen streamers working really hard to reach their status now. Instead, learn to appreciate and respect them. Just learn from their experience," he said.

"Always believe in yourself first. People would know if you don't have confidence in yourself. Don't be discouraged if you have a small number of views. Everything starts within yourself. You can't please everybody. But if you focus on your vision and goal, no one can stop you."

References

Moonton Present's Sweet Crossing, Moonton's First Snake.io Casual Game

Tired of having a lose streak in ML's ranked mode? Then try Sweet Crossing now. Moonton's Mobile Legends: Bang Bang was a huge success of being the best MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) on both Android and Ios, making it one of the most competitive Esports in the Philippines. During this quarantine, Moonton unexpectedly released a casual yet relaxing game for android, the Sweet Crossing: Snake io. This game is already released on Play Store.

Sweet Crossing has over a million downloads, the game just released weeks ago (September 4, 2020) and surprisingly it mage a huge hit. If you open Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, you can see the game, and after clicking you will be redirected to Play Store.

Features

Sweet Crossing is only 44mb of size, it only requires android 4.1 and up, and it is totally free of charge. The game will let you play with simple joystick controls and a smooth gaming experience. You can choose from adorable animal characters and a bunch of cute skins.

The game currently has no lag issues, so you can play it smoothly in your phone, you grow by eating sweets that are not hard to find, you might find the game competitive since it is an io game. While playing Sweet Crossing , you should go look for sweet, to buff up and get a higher score. Just like Slither io, you need to get enemies to crash them into you, and then swallowing their remains. The bigger the animal crashing to you, the higher score you get.

Just like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang you can unlock adorable skins that you can use in the game. A game to remove your boredom and tiredness. If you are having troubles with your connections, you can play Sweet Crossing even without network. The game is very friendly to players and has a fair game pace. The graphics is really cool and If find it very friendly for players who have poor eyesight. The game features battery saving and HFR mode, so it won't take much of your battery.

It is now available on Google Play and iOS.