In a three-day event, the 2019 Taiwan Excellence eSports Cup kicked off on a high note at the SM City North EDSA The Block Atrium in Quezon City, which bannered top gaming products from Taiwan PC brands, buzzed about Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and League of Legends (LoL) tournaments, and a cosplay competition that drew droves of eSports fans and gaming enthusiasts.
Hosted by athlete, TV personality, and avid gamer Eric “Eruption” Tai, the event opened its first day with an energetic dance number from UPeepz Dance Crew followed by opening remarks from Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) Director Mr. Wen Chun-Chang and Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) Director Mr. Clement Chen, emphasizing the value of the Taiwan ICT industry’s support for the local eSports community.
As is made evident in recent years, the Philippines continues to grow into a viable gaming and eSports market, the onslaught of the most advanced technologies and powerful gaming devices from Taiwan are set to boost the gameplay of aspiring Filipino eSports athletes.
Among the devices on display were Asus Republic of Gamers’ ROG Zephyrus S (the world’s lightest and thinnest gaming laptop), the Gigabyte Z390 Aorus WaterForce Xtreme motherboard, Aorus memory cards and video cards, AVerMedia’s plug-and-play AM310 USB microphone and the Live Streamer Cam 313, InWin’s WINBOT Limited Edition Transparent Spherical case, Kingmax Semiconductor, memory cards and external portable SSDs from Transcend and T Force, Zyxel’s tri-band Wi-Fi system, and peripherals from XPG, Zadak, and G.Skill.
The product experience zone also included gaming desktops that were made available for guests to use in playing games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and League of Legends. Cosplayers dressed as their favorite game characters are also an event highlight,with pop rock band GraceNote, which added excitement to the three-day festivities.
The intense CS:GO battle and the LoL games followed suit in the succeeding games, witnessed by eSports fanatics globally via live streaming on the Taiwan Excellence Facebook page. Day 1 was hosted by shoutcasters Nomadph and Ilustrado, and Day 2 by G10 and Een Mercado. Celebrity cosplayer and gamer Ashley Gosiengfiao also made an appearance.
Winners’ circle
Bren Esports dominated the CS:GO tournament and won the grand prize of P56,000 in cash. Each team member also took home an Asus ROG Delta Headset, ROG Collection Shirt, ROG Armor Suite Backpack, and P2,000 worth of Sodexo Gift Certificates.
Aside from these prizes, Bren Esports is also set to represent the country in an upcoming CS:GO friendly match against Taiwan Excellence eSports Cup winners from Malaysia, Thailand, India, and Taiwan.
Meanwhile, CX Blanc took home the grand prize of P56,000 for the LoL tournament. Each team member also received an Asus ROG Delta Headset, ROG Collection Shirt, ROG Armor Suite Backpack, and P2,000 worth for Sodexo Gift Certificates from Taiwan Excellence.
Taking the second, third, and fourth places for the CS:GO tournament are Fallen5, WIMAX, and Station 751, respectively. For LoL, the runner up positions were nabbed by PlayLoud, Ruyal, and Archeous accordingly.
The cosplay competition was then judged by representatives from TAITRA and cosplayer, game streamer, and video content creator Kang Dupet, with 30 contestants taking the stage in their best CS:GO- and LoL-inspired costumes. Izaiah Luke Buelos took home the grand prize of P40,000, while runners up Sergio Sta. Ana and Nicholai Dizon won P20,000 and P10,000 in cash, respectively.
The 2019 Taiwan Excellence eSports Cup is organized by the Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT), Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), and Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), with partners Asus Republic of Gamers, Aorus, AVerMedia, In-Win, Kingmax, Transcend, XPG, T Force, Zadak, G.Skill, and Zyxel.
For more information, like and follow the Taiwan Excellence Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TaiwanExcellence.ph/.