To help young learners appreciate the value of technology and motivate them to pursue careers in information technology (IT), Mapúa University organized its first-ever Cardinal Esports, a three-day Valorant tournament for senior high school students in Luzon.
Thirty-two (32) teams representing senior high schools from Greater Manila Area, Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal, and Pampanga participated in the intense two-day qualifiers. Eight teams moved on to the finals which was held in its Makati campus last March 25. Team Sussy Amogus from Mapúa University was declared the champion. Team San Beda Red Lions bagged first runner-up, while Team Tambay Eastwood from the De La Salle University placed second runner-up.
Aside from giving promising esports players a platform to showcase their skills, the event also helped establish a supportive community where participants can connect, thrive, and receive the encouragement they need to pursue their IT-related interests and careers.
The competition gave participants an opportunity to experience the university’s state-of-the-art facilities. It also enabled them to gain a perspective of the potential and rewards of a career in game development, which is attainable through Mapúa’s BS in Entertainment and Multimedia Computing program.
Mapúa’s BS in Entertainment and Multimedia Computing program is a course that equips students to be adept at the entire game development pipeline – from creative to technical processes. After completing the course, graduates will be competent enough to tackle various roles such as lead game programmer, game designer, game quality assurance specialist, producer, and business development.
“Mapúa is an academic member of the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), the trade association that represents and promotes the country’s game development industry. One can be sure that our curriculum is industry-aligned and industry-supported, more so our graduates,” said Alodia Hernaez, Mapúa assistant vice president for Marketing and Admissions. “Through our BS in Entertainment and Multimedia Computing program, Filipino learners who are passionate about this area can have the chance to go pro not only in gaming but in the whole pipeline of game development.”
The game development industry has become one of the most lucrative IT segments. Now that games are accessible on various platforms and utilized in different sectors aside from entertainment, game development can open doors to numerous career options.
Dean Kelly Balan of Mapúa School of Information Technology (SOIT) explained that the game development industry significantly contributes to the global economy, generating billions of dollars in revenue each year. As such, it offers career options for developers, designers, writers, artists, and many other professionals.
“Game development requires a high degree of creativity, as developers must constantly come up with new and innovative ideas to keep players engaged. This creativity extends beyond the development process and can inspire players to create their own games, mods, and other content,” said Dean Balan.
This type of unbounded creativity is what Mapúa hopes to awaken in each Cardinal Esport player, supporter, and their peers so that gamers can reach their true potential.
SOIT houses ABET-accredited computing programs: Computer Science, Information Systems, and Information Technology. The University is a Center of Excellence for IT education in the Philippines as recognized by the Commission on Higher Education.
For more details on BS in Entertainment and Multimedia Computing and other SOIT programs, visit https://www.mapua.edu.ph/.
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