A virtual awards presentation ceremony honoring digital creators from the fast-growing gaming sector in Southeast Asia and a live streamed eSports championship concluded the inaugural edition of SuperGamerFest 2020. The event completed the second and final leg of its first edition over the weekend.
A new addition to this year’s Singapore Media Festival, the event featured the newly established SuperGamerFest’s awards section honored Akosi Dogie from the Philippines as the SEA Content Creator of the Year.
Dogie, who boasts over 10 million followers across various social media platforms, beat national winners from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Dogie also bagged the SEA Streamer of the Year Award. RRQ from Indonesia and Buriram United Esports from Thailand were jointly named Esports Team of the Year.
The award ceremony dedicated to eSports and digital content creation is the first of its kind in the region. A total of 10 categories were presented. Nine categories were open to nominations from fans from six Southeast Asian countries. Organizer, PVP Esports said a total of 100,000 nominations were received.
Team Bren Esports from the Philippines claimed the champion title of Sunday’s regional finals of PVP Esports open championship for game title “Valorant,” a tactical first-person shooting game that allows multiple players.
Kevin Lin, a co-founder of Twitch, attended one of the live sessions during the weekend’s gaming event. He took issue with common thinking of video games as a waste of time, calling that attitude a “generational disbelief.” “This industry is very real, with real jobs and real money. It’s not just some lame hobby. It is a fun hobby and you can build a career,” he said.
Saturday’s online session was Lin’s first public appearance following his recent departure from the streaming platform that has become a core site for gamers. Lin did not reveal his post-Twitch plans, but he hinted that he would not be leaving the gaming and entertainment industries.
The growth of the gaming industry in Southeast Asia has been strong. The audience for eSports was estimated at around 30 million at the end of 2019, up 22% year-on-year, according to a report from Newzoo. The region generated $4.4 billion in revenue in 2019, 16% year-on-year growth, the report said.