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Video games and gaming have come a long way from just being a mere hobby.

The gaming industry today is a billion-dollar industry and is projected to level up even more in the coming years.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated its growth as people all over the world stayed home and looked for ways to entertain themselves.

Gaming - thanks to its accessibility because of the internet and mobile devices - offered a much-needed escape from the fear and uncertainty happening outside.

Then there's esports or electronic sports, which is an organized competition that involves actual players playing video games for cash prizes and prestige.

Given the broad influence gaming now has in our daily lives, it's not surprising that some are vouching for esports to be incorporated in schools to help enhance learning.

“Esports has come a long way with over 43 million gamers recorded in the Philippines last year,” Manuel Wong, Acer Predator Philippines managing director, told GMANetwork.com.

Acer, through its gaming division dubbed Predator, has been promoting and championing esports as a form of competitive sport.

Aside from their company, there are several computer brands that offer gaming products making the hobby more accessible. Alienware and Razer are two brands that sell mostly gaming laptop and accessories. Other, more commercial brands, like Asus and Dell have produced gaming computers as well.

“Education continues to evolve especially now and esports can be a fun and creative way of learning. Examples are 'gamification' of learning like using Minecraft to teach about historical battles and creating stories, using points, leaderboards, competition and rewards systems like badges and stickers, among many others," Wong said.

With that said, is there a chance for esports to penetrate established collegiate leagues such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association or NCAA? Can esports become a fixture among the featured sports in the NCAA like basketball, volleyball, and swimming?

“This is part of our vision, as it is also now a medal sport in the recently concluded SEA Games supported by the government and esports pioneer organizations,” he said.

“We have been at the forefront of this endeavor forging strategic partnerships with stakeholders to educate the community on how to implement esports in education including organizing tournaments for amateurs and universities.”

That exciting possibility would have to wait, though.

In the meantime, all eyes will be on some of our local gamers as they compete for the Asia-Pacific Predator League 2020/21 Grand Final happening virtually from April 6 to April 11, 2021.

The tournament will feature four sub-tournaments, two for Dota 2 and two for PUBG.

Representing the Philippines are six esports teams, namely, ArkAngel Predator, TroubleMaku, Gamers Lounge for PUBG, and TNC Predator, Neon Esports, Reckoning Esports for Dota 2.

All six teams are confident about their chances to win the competition despite questions of internet stability here at home.

“For us, there's no specific or special adjustments when it comes to our preparations. We're just maintaining our discipline and do what we think is best for us,” said the TNC Predator squad.

“Since we are playing online, as much as possible, we want to have back up lines, we prepare for the worst in case internet problems come up.”

Reckoning Sports, on the other hand, said that they have been playing online as a team for a month already, making them very much prepared and in tune with each other.

“We want to prepare at the highest level at any tournament,” said the Neon Esports team in a statement.

“We eat healthy, sleep well, and train well. Having an online competition, you'll need a backup internet to prevent disconnections,” they added.

Speaking of Pinoy and gaming, take a look at some of the Filipino characters and their gaming counterparts: