I just shared a pizza dinner with Cerulean Software's Chai Azurin and SyCip Salazar's Neil Silva. I've known Neil since I was twelve, and Chai since I was sixteen; keeping tabs on each other's personal and professional growth has always yielded fun surprises.
As college kids, we were among the intellectual mavericks who often exchanged ideas on a foliage-secluded hill at the University of the Philippines. Also among these so-called "Hillfolk" was veteran gamemaster Dino Tansioco, my guest in a recent podcast.
Last night marked my introduction as COO of ThinkSmart Marketing. Being young Filipino leaders in their respective fields, Chai and Neil had a lot of timely (and entertaining) advice to share. Thanks, guys!
Friday, June 03, 2005
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Kiss and... Post?
(Via Steve Rubel) The Washington Post reports that new dating web sites are allowing users to review their dates.
This could have potential in the Philippines. Half of all Friendster users are Filipino, and their testimonials can scroll through serveral pages.
As for openness about reporting dates, I've been moderating interesting date reports on ManilaTonight.com for years.
This could have potential in the Philippines. Half of all Friendster users are Filipino, and their testimonials can scroll through serveral pages.
As for openness about reporting dates, I've been moderating interesting date reports on ManilaTonight.com for years.
Blog, You Must!
Tris Hussey proposes what Yoda would say about business blogging:
- Blog you must for your business.
- Truth, passion, authenticity a blogger must have.
- Comment and trackback spam paths to the Dark Side are
- Prideful blogging, a dangerous thing it is. A way to the Dark Side it is.
- The Blog-i Masters train you in the way of the Blog, they can.
- Blog-i Masters guardians of the Blogosphere they are.
- May the Blog be with you.
- Blog you must for your business.
- Truth, passion, authenticity a blogger must have.
- Comment and trackback spam paths to the Dark Side are
- Prideful blogging, a dangerous thing it is. A way to the Dark Side it is.
- The Blog-i Masters train you in the way of the Blog, they can.
- Blog-i Masters guardians of the Blogosphere they are.
- May the Blog be with you.
Upping the Ante
Philippine game publisher Level-Up is levelling up to bigger licenses.
Translated from the May 2005 issue of Korean magazine PC Player via PhilGaming:
Let's hope this becomes a trend. Exposure to excellent titles will do much to help the local market mature.
Translated from the May 2005 issue of Korean magazine PC Player via PhilGaming:
CCR Inc. announced that they have signed a license agreement with Level Up, the game service company in the Philippines. Under the terms of the licensing agreement, CCR will receive a licensing fee of 750,000 USD in addition to royalty payment of 22% of total sales.
CCR mentioned that this is the highest licensing fee for the Korean game in the Philippines. The licensing fee of the Korean games in the Philippines is usually less than 300,000 USD.
Level Up is the major game service company in the Philippines and the publisher of Ragnarok. CCR will be responsible for the localization, update of RF Online and overall technical issues while Level Up will be taking charge for the marketing, service, operation.
Seok-Ho Kim, the CEO of CCR mentioned that he is expecting a stable local service since Level Up has more than 90% of market share in online game market in the Philippines. He also said that CCR has established a bridgehead for South East Asian market by launching their game in the Philippines.
Currently RF Online is under the final closed beta test in Taiwan and will be on a closed beta test in Japan soon.
Let's hope this becomes a trend. Exposure to excellent titles will do much to help the local market mature.
Crazy Frog Trounces Pop Stars
Conventional entertainment productions are, like, so twentieth-century.
Mobiletracker reports that a mobile ringtone has beaten conventional pop tunes to become the #1 single in the UK.
Mobiletracker reports that a mobile ringtone has beaten conventional pop tunes to become the #1 single in the UK.
Google Finds Carmen Sandiego!
A classic educational PC game asks, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Google knows the answer. Look just above first result on this page.
Google knows the answer. Look just above first result on this page.
Golfers Versus Pornstars
We all know gaming encourages cultural convergence, but this TV ad takes the idea to a Discovery Channel level.
Monday, May 30, 2005
NYT Gets Game Item Trade
The New York Times gets wise to the in-game item industry.
It took them long enough. Prof. Edward Castranova studied it in 1999. IGE's been making money off it since 2001. Sony is about to open its own in-game item shop (NYT missed that, by the way).
Prof. JJ Disini opines that the monetary value of in-game characters could be used as a basis for restitution in the Ragnarok virtual murders. If the value of the lost characters is computed to be high enough, perhaps that case will introduce the concept of in-game item value to the Filipino public.
My recent podcast on gaming discusses the possibility of such an in-game item industry rising in the Philippines as the local gaming market matures. Let's see how this scenario plays out.
It took them long enough. Prof. Edward Castranova studied it in 1999. IGE's been making money off it since 2001. Sony is about to open its own in-game item shop (NYT missed that, by the way).
Prof. JJ Disini opines that the monetary value of in-game characters could be used as a basis for restitution in the Ragnarok virtual murders. If the value of the lost characters is computed to be high enough, perhaps that case will introduce the concept of in-game item value to the Filipino public.
My recent podcast on gaming discusses the possibility of such an in-game item industry rising in the Philippines as the local gaming market matures. Let's see how this scenario plays out.
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Debate Debacle
(Via JJ Disini) No sooner do Filipino Netizens expose possible plagiarism in the designs of local clothing label Bayo do they expose possible plagiarism in the OBB of local television show Debate.
How fitting, that a show featuring media-controlled offline discourse should have its folly exposed by citizen-controlled online discourse. Expect more exposés as Filipinos embrace the latter.
How fitting, that a show featuring media-controlled offline discourse should have its folly exposed by citizen-controlled online discourse. Expect more exposés as Filipinos embrace the latter.
