Looks like the 4th time is quite the charm for the Electronic Sports and Gaming Summit.

2017 marks the 4th installment of what is described to be one of South East Asia’s biggest gaming events, the Electronic Sports and Gaming Summit also known as ESGS. Continuing to setting and raising the bar when it comes to local video game events, ESGS became another long weekend of fun-filled activities involving video game demos, announcements and releases, and of course Esports spectacles as different highlights pepper the crowd all throughout the convention.

From booths by major brands like PlayStation and Ubisoft to the homegrown development companies of Secret6 and Synergy88, the Electronic Sports and Gaming Summit was more Gaming rather than Electronic Sports, and we mean that in a very positive way, as attendees are treated to different activities, some that give out rewards, most that bring new experiences, with each gaming brand showcasing their new and upcoming lineup of games through different platforms, whether on console, PC, mobile or VR.

PlayStation continues to be very generous when it comes to offering gaming experiences with a mega-sized booth that offered not just 1 but 3 major areas for their upcoming gaming titles and as well as spots for VR and other popular games.

Speaking of booths, ESGS offered more in terms of the audience’s gaming experience with multiple brands putting up sizeable areas where fans can demo not just game titles but also the latest in gaming hardware. Brands like MSI, Sennheiser and HyperX for instance allowed people to thoroughly check out their products by letting them demo peripherals and laptops using the latest video game titles released in the market and of course the ones that are locally popular.

HyperX was one of the tech brands present at ESGS to setup gaming areas for fans to test out their products instead of the usual visual showcases which we have grown accustomed of.

But it’s not just the big brands as, as what I’ve already mentioned, homegrown developers have stepped up their game in a very major way, as they put up exhibitor areas that can rival the likes of what PlayStation and HyperX has done. For instance, Secret6, a development company that was first made known to the ESGS crowd last year, came back with a bang after having word of their current project the multiplayer FPS Project Xandata spread like wildfire, and put up a demo area that can fit at least 4 pro gaming teams of 5 members, and even had a broadcast screen setup to signal their interest in promoting the game to become the country’s next big Esport.

Secret6 has definitely stepped up their game this year with a massive area for attendees to test out their upcoming game, Project Xandata

Still, even with brands stepping up their game in terms of booth size and offered gaming experiences, a section still feels left out despite being a regular highlight of ESGS and that is the Indie Arena. Despite looking to have more in terms of exhibitors, the Indie Arena still feels very left out when compared to the other areas of the event. This has notably been a long-time problem of Indie exhibitors for ESGS, and perhaps more effort in terms of pushing the Indie Arena content forward, not just from the organizers but also from the exhibitors can be done in the convention’s future iterations should we want to keep the highlight for the attendees delight because honestly, some of the very best parts of ESGS can be found at Indie Arena

Speaking of attendees, ESGS had a better, more organized air in terms of attendee or crowd control as despite the large number of people flocking to try out what the exhibitors had to offer, there was less to zero hassle in navigating or in finding which line you should be in whether you’re buying a ticket, entering the event or wanting to try out Monster Hunter World. Marshalls, assist the crowd, and security isn’t too restrictive, keeping everything organized without compromising the overall attendee experience.

Still, just like every event that took place this year, and perhaps 2017 is a bit of a bad year for events somehow, ESGS will not be without its own mishaps especially during Day 1 when technical issues delayed the program, forcing the event to start later than it wanted to be and even had the first day wrap up at midnight due to the delayed schedule. In addition to the tech issues, another gripe that one might voice out is that how the booths seemingly overpower one another, both in good and bad ways, given that the event venue was smaller than how it used to be during its previous iterations. Although navigation is still easy, choke points are easily created as booths are built closer to each other, and with everyone blasting their sound systems, noise pollution is easily created which might annoy some of the attendees. Still, given that the crowd’s attention is mostly diverted towards the activities offered by the exhibitors, these mishaps are easily overlooked if not by a criticizing eye, but still is something that could be considered getting looked at by the organizers next year.

All in all, the Electronic Sports and Gaming Summit has perhaps finally found its identity as an event, one that it was trying to pinpoint and establish during its previous installments, and is building up towards an event that everyone can truly look forward to, not just on local but perhaps even on an international scale. Given that it is still in its 4th year, ESGS is still young albeit it has been rapidly maturing, and with just a few minor tweaks, it will finally be the event that, not only, do we all deserve, but the gaming event that we need.