Last April 23 and 24, the Electronic Sports League (ESL) had given us a great event, featuring some intense DOTA 2 matches from the eight participating teams that the crowd absolutely loved. Hosted at the Mall of Asia Arena, tickets were immediately sold out on the same day it was put on sale and the local eSports crowd couldn’t be more excited knowing they’ll soon be able to watch their favorite eSports teams play against each other live. And here are the reasons why this event matters to the local competitive gaming scene.

The event in Summary

Needless to say, the production for the event was top notch, while there was some delay for the scheduled matches, it hardly felt like there were any crippling difficulties in the show. Some would complain about lengthy panel talks before matches and seldom issues with the video output but most of these are but small matters in the bigger sense of the event. There were many side events happening between games and the host facilitated the stage spectacularly. Games went on and the plays within them definitely amazed the crowd. The tournament finally concluded as the ‘Cinderella Story’ for a lesser known team from China named Wings. With a lively audience from beginning to end, it’s an everyone will delightfully recount over time.

While the event was a huge success, there may be a few details we missed that could give us more reasons to be happy about the whole thing.

Someone in government is helping us out

During the opening ceremony of the event, Senator Bam Aquino made a brief appearance at ESL One Manila, who is also the head of the Philippine eSports Association (PeSPA). Bam has been involved in helping out our professional gamers with passport issues. Seeing that he’s still quite active in the scene, we can say that we have some level of government support for future events and ventures, which is still a big boost for aspiring players who want to expand on professional gaming.

The organizers and guests felt appreciated

Organizers and participants of ESL Manila were astounded with how active and lively the crowd was and how well they were received. Fans won’t let a single moment or person go without at least a cheer out for their arrival. And based on their social network posts, it looks like their visit to the Philippines will be a memorable one, whether or not they won the tournament. Though there was a particular incident where things may have gotten a little out of hand, let’s take this opportunity to remember that there are some things we shouldn’t be doing when our favorite people are in close quarters, guys!

The world thinks we’re a great crowd

The best thing that ESL did for the local eSports fans is showing how great an audience they can really be. People viewing the stream were convinced on how passionate Filipino players are about DOTA 2 and looked at them in a much better spotlight. It has led people to believe that eSports has a strong potential in the country and we are already looking forward to the Manila Major coming this June.

So in the end, while we are all thankful for ESL’s decision to feature their tournament here in Manila, it should also be noted that the guests who came to watch and cheer at the event made it a huge success that it is.

As the curtains closed for ESL One Manila, everyone is now looking forward to the Manila Major. While it is held to great expectations, it should be fair to assume that the crowd will be there to meet it.