Ragna Blogging Competition

I was going through the fansite entrees just a few minutes ago when a great idea hit me. A lot of people were complaining that it took too much effort and time to build a fansite for Hugel. I agree with them 100%, since you'll have to learn how to do HTML and even get creative people to lay-out your site and make original art. It is simply too overwhelming for your average pinoy gamer.

Well, I'm not a web developer or creative genius but I'm maintaining a fansite of sorts using this blog. And that's when it suddenly dawned on me.

It's so friggin easy to make a blog. All you have to do is to sign-up at blogger, ro-diary, wordpress, and God knows what else. For content - you can easily pick out RO videos in YOUTUBE and comment. You can tell what happened during siege and even make pot shots at Level-up for not doing a good job (I pray that this doesn't happen as much though LOL). You can be vocal about issues like botting, hack-delete, and other censored topics in the message boards.

I'm happy to say that the RO Team is currently working on the mechanics for the first ever Ragna Blogger Competition! We're going to ask everyone to start their own online journals about their RO life and we will give prizes to those who make excellent work! All valid entries will also be posted at the Level-up community website section.

Mechanics and other details will be posted in the official RO site soon.

Cheers!

P.S.

To non-bloggers out there, you might want to start learning how. You can start by making an account at http://www.blogger.com. Just let me know via YM or leave a comment on this post if you've made one and I'll gladly add you to my link list. Be sure to include the URL.

Pinoy Game Development

BAKBAKAN ONLINE.
BASAGULERO ONLINE.

These are some of the names that come to mind when I think of a Pinoy Online Game. Wouldn't it be cool if someday a Filipino was able to make an online game that would eventually become a huge hit here and in other countries? It's not really that far off... what we lack is organization and funding.

One of my good friends is studying 3D Animation and he made a trailer for a movie that he wanted to make later on. It's still rough but you have to give it up to him because he literally went beyond the call of duty by learning various applications and software to make this happen. Other Creative Arts graduates usually just make cheesy documentaries for their thesis.

SAGASET TRAILER


It's only a matter of time before we see Pinoy games out there. Especially with the recent formation of Game Development Association of the Philippines (GDAP). Btw, the person who made the video above is Rio Ortiz. Rok On Rio XD

Bring it on :)

Thanks to everyone who voted on the poll! It looks like this post will be about Level-up's competitors (^^;). Anyway, for the sake of keeping my job and protecting myself from libel, I won't bother giving away names. Hopefully you guys will be able to figure out which one is which. Lastly, this is my personal take on it, and this is not the official stand of Level-up Games or ePLDT.

In all honesty, we should all welcome competition. This forces Level-up and other companies to provide better services and promotions. This is definitely a good thing for the Philippine community because they will get a better gaming experience than what they got before. Companies will have to innovate and re-invent themselves in order to keep a good share of the market. Not only does this benefit the existing community, it also grows the industry itself. New titles means new marketing budgets - more money to burn on raising awareness and converting people into gamers.

However, what bugs me is the audacity of some companies to claim that they are the leading local publisher and that they have the leading games in the country. The sad thing about the online gaming industry is that there is no third party entity that monitors the progress and growth of each company. With this in mind, no one can actually claim the mantle of leadership. Unfortunately we have to rely on PR - something that these companies feed the media. It all boils down to how loud each company is shouting that they are number 1 (which is kinda funny).

What is the basis for saying that you're number one? Concurrent users? Revenue? Unique Users? Registered Users? Number of cafes covered? Screen shares in cafes?

There are a lot of factors and definitely a lot of views and arguements. However, it is with firm conviction that I say that Level-up Games remains to be the King of the Hill. Obviously I can't disclose exact numbers but I've managed games that are subscription and free-to-play. Right now I'm even handling a Hybrid (Ragnarok). From all the experience I have... I can pretty much say that you will always get a lot of players with a free-to-play business model but you will never make as much as subscription or hybrid models. If the day comes that a third party entity steps in and allows us to disclose numbers, you will know what I mean.

I know there will always be people who hold different views - and I respect all of your opinons. It is a challenge for myself and Level-up to assure and prove without a shadow of a doubt that we are still the market leader. That's why I keep saying 2007 will be a big year. Because this year everyone will bring out the big guns.

I've been at both ends - being the player who hated the company and being the company trying to reach out to the player. I feel like I've been put in a position that I have to heal old wounds and keep on reaching out. You know what's comforting? I look around now at Level-up and I see people just like me. People who share a passion for gaming, for improving service and protecting the community. A lot of managers that I worked with in netGames are here now because of the merger. These people have the same vision and conviction as I have.

People ask me a lot these days what I think about the new games and companies coming in. How will this affect Level-up? How will this affect Ragnarok Online? How will this affect the gaming community at-large? What will happen this 2007? I just have three words - BRING IT ON.

Before I end this post, let me thank you the Philippine gaming community for making the industry grow. Cheers to a wonderful 2007!

:)

Ragnarok versus ROSE

Watch Level Up! daily on Cube iTV Channel 25 Home and Sky Cable, starting this February at 7:00pm on Channel 25! Get an exclusive sneak preview of the latest and hottest Level Up! games, news, and updates. Join Level Up! forums in Cube iTV Ch25 where you can be part of closed beta-testings of the newest online games from Level Up! Plus, you may also get a chance to win instant prizes by joining the Level Up! and Cube iTV Ch25 promo. Register to Cube iTV Ch25 via Cube Channel 25 on Sky and Home Cable (if you are already a Level Up! member) or register at the Level Up! website (if you are already a Cube iTV member).

Source

This is one of the good things that happen when your company being backed up by a corporate giant like PLDT. Fortunately for Level-up, the thrust of PLDT is convergence. They want all of their companies to start working together so that they can grow their own respective industries. This is a good thing for both the consumer and the corporation because the level of service is taken to a whole new level. At the same time, the market of the company grows because they are able to tap into the customers of their sister companies. Since the merger, Level-up has been working with SMART (GAME ON promo), PLDT DSL, and now even CUBE iTV. Like what I keep saying in my previous posts... 2007 is going to be a big year for the industry!

Anyway, there will be alot of segments in CUBE iTV. There's the usual GM Chat and we also have cross-game promotions like the Versus segment. Check the video below and watch Ragnarok duke it out with ROSE Online! By the way, thanks to ryvrdrgn14 for uploading and working on this video for Level-up. If you guys don't know him, he's the player who made the RF Video - Black MAU Down and the RO Item Mall video.

pRO GUNSLINGER vs pROSE Magician



That's it for now! Ciao :)

MMOSITE Reader's Choice Awards

I was surfing the GAME! Magazine website when I discovered some very interesting news. MMOSITE.com, one of the international online gaming portals, recently conducted a votation on what games are the best for 2006. Ladies and gentlemen, the results are in and I am very happy to say that most of the games that took top honors are all under the portfolio of Level-up Games. This just goes to prove that the company is committed to deliver the best content for the gaming community in the Philippines.

MMOSITE 2006 READER'S CHOICE AWARDS

GAMES OF THE YEAR

1st Place: RAGNAROK ONLINE
2nd Place: SILKROAD ONLINE
3rd Place: RF ONLINE

Ragnarok Online also bagged "Best Gameplay", closely followed by Fly for Fun and Silkroad. You can view the complete results here.

MMOSITE was on the mark when it described the award:

Maybe it does not have the best graphics; maybe its storyline is not perfect.But you love it best cause’ it fits you well and you find happiness in it.

I agree with them 100%. The most compelling reason why gamers stay in RO is because of the community. They are among friends who share the same culture and habits. In all MMORPGs, there will always be bugs and RO is not an exception. But at the end of the day, gamers will decide to stay because the game is very condusive to community building, especially if they are happy.

In a way, that's the reply I use when I talk to media who ask me how RO will fare in light of new games coming this 2007. I reply by saying that we welcome competition, because it grows the industry. More games mean more happy gamers. However we are confident that RO and the rest of our games will stabilize and continue because of the communities behind them.

To end this post, let me share with you a video of one of the die-hard guilds in RO Chaos Server did. They compiled pictures and in-game footage to come up with a history of their guild. This is the true essence of online gaming - camaraderie and competition.

Welcome!

Hi!

Welcome to my first ever public blog. I'll be talking about bits and pieces of my life especially everything pertaining to online games. I've been a gamer since as far as I can remember and I think I'll still be one even if my hair starts turning gray. This addiction of mine eventually led me to pursue a career in marketing for online gaming, and that's where I am now.

Since I'm still in the process of fixing this... let's start with a shameless plug for the Philippine Ragnarok Online Item Mall (hehe). See the video below for what items are available.