HOW IS CEBU’S ESPORTS SCENE DOING?

The virtual world is no exception to competition. Enter eSports (also known as electronic sports or competitive video gaming), a modern phenomenon that captivated the eyes (and hearts) of millions all over the world. What was once deemed impossible in the past has finally come to a reality, weaving the threads of the digital age.

The Queen City of the South had its fair share of promising local talents capable of acclaim. A few years back, Cebu came to a point where her players were revered as worthy adversaries to the eyes of many—on a national scale, even. For some reason that progress stopped—talents slowly left the local scene to find better opportunities or moved on with their lives.

The truth is, Cebu has it hard nowadays when it comes to the scene. Behind each successful eSports career was a dark and desperate struggle; the longing for acceptance and lack of support. Ideally, a talented player should have it better in terms of opportunity—getting that sponsorship deal and achieving the impossible, but that beautiful picture is slowly turning into a mirage of broken dreams.

Where did it go wrong? For starters, the lack of genuine support and unruly behavior from the community’s majority established a roadblock of sorts which reminds the general public of the old wild west—raw and unpredictable. The current state of Cebu’s eSports scene undermines what is supposed to be the ideal situation towards progress; united and painting a bigger picture.

To be fair though, everyone has his own ideals and it’s likely impossible for everyone to get along at this point. That is somewhat the awful truth.

But what if these new generation of talented players will? What if they did get along and stand by the concept of unity? What if they all, at some point, defy what’s currently on the plate and get a taste of what it truly feels to evolve, to make a breakthrough? The idea might sound ambitious if you think about it, but with the right infrastructure, support and competitive discipline, the possibilities are exciting.

Every day, Cebu’s eSports community is blessed with a fair gift: to educate instead of discriminate, to converge instead of diverge, to respect rather than ridicule; it’s just a matter of perspective, really. The decision is always up to them.

The local scene is at a point where it’s make or break; to reach the apex or continue to fall into the abyss. However, the situation is not that dire—yet. To avoid such a dark fate, they need to accept the fact that the competition should be left inside the arena. After all, the final frontier is not within our local ranks, but in the major leagues; a dream shared by eSports enthusiasts despite their differences in ideals.

In the end, many still believe that there is still hope. They look forward to the day when, just like in other countries, universities offer scholarships for eSports and players can make feasible careers out of it. It’s happening now and there is no reason for us to get left behind.

Time to step up, Cebu.