Get To Know The Blockchain Companies Participating in GameFest 2018
October 16, 2018. Brock Pierce, a leading cryptocurrency advocate said before that online gamers the early adopters of crypto and blockchain, and it makes sense. While I do not necessarily identify myself as a โgamerโ, I once scratched prepaid game credits to top up my Ragnarok account. The money from the real world got spent on an online game – a virtual world – either for time to play or to purchase items in-game.
It makes sense that gamers understand immediately what virtual currency or virtual item is. To others, it might seem nonsense, but we know that the virtual item has valueโฆ that the virtual money can be spent just like real fiat currency.
Blockchain has many use-cases. Gaming, an industry that stands with $108 billion revenue in 2017, is poised to get disrupted
How blockchain will impact gaming will be discussed at GameFest 2018 on October 25, 2018 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia. Today, let’s check out the companies and personalities who are set to appear at the event:
Blockchain Companies and Speakers at GameFest 2018
Maarten Noyons of the International Mobile Gaming Awards
Maarten Noyons is the founder of International Mobile Gaming Awards and has headed it since 2004 as one of the first, and now, the largest mobile game competition in the world.
The International Mobile Gaming Awards recognize creators, developers, producers, and companies engaged in mobile game publishing and developing. GameFest 2018 will be the venue for the first blockchain game awards in the Philippines.
Mr. Noyons will discuss how blockchain games could look 20 years from now and will also head a panel about “trends, categories, and do’s and don’ts in blockchain games.”
Luna Javier, Gabby Dizon, and Paul Gadi from Altitude / Alto.io
Gabby Dizon, Luna Javier, and Paul Gadi are co-founders of Altitude Games, which is engaged in theย development of mobile games and a pioneer mobile gaming company in the Philippines. They also head Alto.io, a pioneer blockchain gaming company and a member of the Blockchain Game Alliance. The three are cited as key pioneers in game development in the Philippines. Mr. Dizon was also the president of Game Developers Association of the Philippines from 2007 – 2009.
Ms. Javier will talk about Cryptogames 101 while Mr. Dizon and Mr. Gadi will be at the panel entitled “Blockchain Games – Sorting Hyper from Reality”.
Ronnie Tan from Gumi Asia
Ronnie Tan held multiple positions at Gumi Asia before becoming its Managing Director in 2018. Gumi is a mobile gaming company with hit titles like Brave Frontier and Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius.
Mr. Tan will be speaking about “mobile game publishing” and “blockchain in mobile gaming” in GameFest 2018.
Marc Coupal of Enjin
Marc Coupal is the Business Development Manager for Enjin, responsible for bringing in partners to the company. Enjin is a social gaming website platform with a reported 18 million registered gamers and 250,000 gaming communities under its belt. The company, also a member of the Blockchain Game Alliance, has introduced Enjin Coin and the Enjin Platform where developers can create blockchain-based games.
Mr. Coupal will be in the panel for “Blockchain Games – Sorting Hype from Reality”.
Phil Tossel of Blockplay Limited
Phil Tossel is the founder of Blockplay, which aims to create games on top of Ethereum and EOS blockchains. Mr. Tossel had a 13-year experience at Rare, a premier video game company responsible for games likeย Banjo-Kazooie, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, and Vivaย Piรฑata.
At GameFest 2018, Mr. Tossel, who is currently building “CryptoPioneers”, will be in the panel for “Blockchain Games – Sorting Hype from Reality”.
Jeff Zirlin of Axie Infinity
Jeff Zirlin is currently the growth lead at Axie Infinity, a game built on top of the Ethereum blockchain about collecting, raising, and collecting fantasy creatures called Axies. Mr. Zirlin is responsible for partnership and user acquisitions as well as community engagement.
Mr. Zirlin will speak about “How to Build a Strong Community Around Your Blockchain Game” at GameFest 2018.
Hal Bame of Magnachain
Hal Bame serves as CEO of Magnachain, a public blockchain that can be used for distributed application development, with game engine partners that include Unreal Engine and Egretia. According to its website, Magnachain believes that gaming is the industry that will bring blockchain technology to the mainstream.
Magnachain is also a sponsor of GameFest 2018.
Michael Chung of BitMatrix
Michael Chung is the founder of BitMatrix and has 20 years of game development experience under his belt after working with companies like LG.
BitMatrix has released a game called BitPet. Built on top of Ethereum, it allows anyone to raise their own digital pets, with information intact and immutable on the blockchain.
Event Details
GameFest 2018 is a 2-day conference that acts as a pre-event to Electronic Sports and Gaming Summit (ESGS) 2018. It is more developer-focused compared to the main ESGS event and seeks to showcase creative works from gaming developers, designers, and creatives from the Philippines and abroad. Day 2 of the event will focus on blockchain game development.
Partners and Sponsors
- Animation Vertigo
- Alto
- ESGS
- International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA) Southeast Asia
- Magnachain
Date and Location
October 24 โ 25, 2018
SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia
Mall of Asia Complex, Seashell Lane, Pasay, 1300 Metro Manila
(Google Maps)