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by Ike Suarez, Tech Times Online correspondent
The Philippines is one of four countries in the world where an online game franchised by the National Basketball Association will be tested for its appeal to the world's Internet gamers; contests engaged in by local afficiniados will be aired regularly over GMA-7 and made available for viewing online on this broadcast giant's Web portal.
The game is NBA Street Online developed by the Redwoods, California-based Electronic Arts, one of the world's biggest video game software vendors. Its Philippine franchisee is I-Play Online Games Inc., a joint venture between GMA New Media Inc. and IP E-Game Ventures Inc.
The former is the online media arm of the broadcasting giant GMA, while the latter is the online games subsidiary of IP Ventures Group, a local conglomerate specializing in IT ventures such as call centers, data centers, and custom-built software programs.
NBA Street Online's Philippine presence was announced recently by EA and E-Games top executives during an evening press launch at the Warehouse Bar in Makati City.
NBA Asia senior manager Carlo Singson told reporters that the game enables players to take on identities of real NBA stars in contests involving up to six participants engaged in three-on-three jousts involving dunk shots, shooting acrobatics, and other forms of hardcourt wizadry. There will be 120 real NBA players whose identities the online game players could take.
Game players could customize their identities by adding accoutrements to their uniforms. Some of these acoutrements could be obtained online for free while others could be purchased with virtual money.
The virtual money would consist of points made available in pre-paid cards sold by I-Play Online Games Inc. in various outlets. The game will be made primarily available through the thousands of cybercafes now dotting Metro Manila and other urban centers.
GMA New Media president Judd Gallares told reporters their broadcast network would take the state of online gaming in the Philippines one step further by airing regularly over their television station selected NBA Street Online tournaments conducted locally.These would be made available to worldwide audiences via its Web portal and accessible anytime due to their being archived.
He added that their station and the portal would sell advergaming spots for the online game. This means that the games would carry commercials.
EA Pacific president John Niermann told reporters that along with the Philippines, other countries chosen for testing the online game are China, Korea, and Taiwan. He said it is in Asia where computer gaming, which made US $ 30 billion in sales worldwide in 2007, is growing the fastest. Within 2010 to 2012,this market is projected to increase to up to US $ 50 billion globally.
Enrique Gonzalez IPVG CEO said that widespread testing of NBA Street Online is expected to start testing in the Philippines late 2008 or early 2009. Gallares added that GMA -7 intends to start airing tournaments of this game sometime within March to April 2009, summer in the Philippines when students take their breaks from school.
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