With 43 million esports enthusiasts in the Philippines, it is not surprising that Filipino gamers have dominated some international online gaming competition in recent years.
However, despite the recent achievements of Filipino gamers in the online global arena, the maturity of esports in the country is still far from the rest of the world.
Gaming is still not widely accepted as sports and being a professional gamer is not considered a career. There is likewise a lack of inclusivity and diversity due to low discoverability because not everyone has the resources and space to play and be seen.
Last but not least, there is a lack of official and organized spaces to practice or a one stop shop that would advocate an organized movement for the community.
Kalaro is a super app born out of the desire to uplift every gamer, and serves as a single portal to a wide range of virtual features and services.
It aims to gather Filipino esports enthusiasts to come together and nurture gamers to be the best that they can be by providing them opportunities to learn and grow together by leveraging the power of technology.
There are main features every gamer can enjoy when they access the platform:
Tournament management. One can take charge of player registration, team formation, bracketing and promotion of multiple tournaments. Managing and scaling esports competition anytime, anywhere has never been this easy.
Brand integration. Kalaro can be a platform to combine monetization and activation of brand campaigns at the same time.
In-app social media, content browsing. Widen network with real-time interaction with other gamers while honing gaming skills at the same time. There is a bigger chance of discoverability and an in-app currency made up of gems for cashless transactions and better gaming experience.
In-app advocacy. Kalaro aims to see gamers gain discipline needed to be recognized as true athletes in the world of esports. More companies, schools and government, among others, will realize its value when goals are achieved.
A total of five million Kalaro gems will be up for grabs to new user sign-ups until June 15.
Jun Lasco, founder and chief executive officer of Kalaro, said the esports industry is growing globally and a lot of countries, especially those in the west, are investing in schools abroad that are studying how to officially include it as part of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) programs.
Gamers are gaining more support from government, organizations and brands globally which lead to further building of healthy culture for esports, he pointed out.
David Nithyananthan, co-founder of Kalaro, said the country still faces challenges that prevent individuals and communities from seeing its value and fully maximizing its potential.
“We want to address this and it is time for us to catch up with global trends and be on top of it,” he noted.
Bong Paloma, member of Kalaro’s Board of Advisor, said the platform will completely change how friends, families and communities engage and connect to their favorite games — and play as one.
It provides opportunities to Filipino gamers, letting them hone their skills as they engage, fail, get up and become better. “It also serves as a venue to give everyone a chance to become a world champion,” Paloma said.
Rolly Pagaspas, another member of the Board of Advisor, said the platform is committed to empower esports communities, and wants all stakeholders to realize their full potential and be what they dream to become.
“Our mission is to make that journey possible,” he said, by providing tactical, practical, step-by-step assistance.
Besides the exciting features of the platform, it hones the wellbeing, helps realize one’s social relevance for advocacy and lets one acquire new skills.
Renalyn David of Kalaro’s Board of Directors said the platform is a space for everyone to come together and strengthen the local culture for gaming.
Alvin Juban, chairman at Game Developers Association of the Philippines and National Electronic Sports Federation of the Philippines, said the country is beginning to accept esports as a good industry and a true profession for some.
But for it to be a strong industry, “everybody needs a competitive platform and an organized way of breeding competition and proper competitors,” he stressed.
