AIMED at carving a niche among millenial students engaged in electronic sports (video games), the Philippine Collegiate Champions League has partnered with Mineski Global in forming the National Interschool Cyber League by drawing from the PCCL’s huge nationwide school network.
“This is the future of sports and competition. E-sports is more inclusive than other sports and will help lead even more our new generation to play competitively and responsibility,” PCCL chairman Rey Gamboa said yesterday at the press launch at the Alta by Relic Bistro and Bar in San Juan.
“The continued growth and development of e-sports presents us with another avenue for excellence, sportsmanship and inclusion,” said Mineski Global chief executive officer and founder Ronald Robins.
“We are pleased to have someone as like-minded as PCCL chairman Gamboa in this ambitious endeavor,” added Robins, whose company is one of the leading and pioneer e-sports companies in Southeast Asia.
“E-sports advances not just skills but also values hard work and determination among players.”
“We see a lot of potential in e-sports and so this partnership between PCCL and Mineski Global is a match made in heaven, echoed former cage coach and PCCL e-sports president Chot Reyes.
Under the partnershhip, PCCL and Mineski Global will not only organize and manage the activities of the NICL but also integrate e-sports as part of the sports curriculums of the 200-plus PCCL member schools dubbed the “Youth E-sports program.”
This includes organizing clubs in the schools identified that will eventually participate in local and regional qualifiers leading to the national finals of the NICL.
Robins said that they hope to set up “e-sports labs” in these colleges and universities to help institutionalize the project. “We want to achieve ‘CSR’ for our gamers, which stands for career, sustainability and responsibility. There is a future for our youth here,” he said
Among those proud to be associated with the undertaking is Em “Kaisaya” Dangla, who was named as one of NICL’s goodwill ambassadors.
“I am pleased to be one of NICL’s goodwill ambassadors because of it helps in my advocacy that women can be equal in skill and ability as male gamers,” said Dangla, a web designing developer and holds a masters degree in IT from La Salle.
“I really want to promote e-sports as an inclusive sport and this is one way to achieve that goal,” added the popular shoutcaster of local and regional competitions.