Images and Words

Being at the forefront of online gaming has always been the driving force behind the establishment of ABS-CBN Multimedia Inc. With the local release of Tantra, a Full 3D Online Role Playing Game from South Korea’s Hanbitsoft, the company has set the benchmark for unsurpassed excellence in delivering high-end online gaming content and services.

Tantra is an Asian-inspired epic of love, revenge, survival and the quest for power. Boasting a full 3D graphics engine, the game allows for multiple camera views, spectacular 3D environment and outstanding character and map renditions. Gamers can choose from among the eight customizable tribes/characters, and set off on a journey to battle evil and save mankind from total annihilation as they embark on various quests, find a plethora of items and weapons or they can also form guilds or parties to fight as one collective force of destruction. With dazzling graphics, user-friendly controls and edge-of-your-seat action, Tantra is the newest and hottest online game of choice for the newbie or hardcore gamer alike.

The game is hosted through the facilities of Bayantel Communications and is powered by 21 game servers, 2 database servers and 4 web servers allowing for seamless game connection and interconnectivity. This dynamic union of servers and Bayantel’s massive technical expertise provides the backbone for Tantra’s enhanced and immersive gaming experience.

Tantra and similar online games (more popularly known as MMORPGs or Massively Multiplaying Online Role Playing Game) are definitely the hottest tickets in digital entertainment as evidenced by an International Data Corporation (IDC) study stating that the number of Philippine-based online gamers will climb to 6.3 million in 2008 (compared to 350, 000 gamers in 2004) as the number of internet users reaches 21.5 million. According to another study made

While many view online games as an addictive and anti-social form of entertainment, it can also be argued that it also helps promote PC literacy, enabling the youth to be more tech-savvy. Children can now easily grasp the rudiments of the web, email usage and other computer basics as they develop a liking for online games. According to another study, “online gaming serves as a venue for community building and self-expression by immersing thousands of gamers into socially interactive virtual gaming adventure worlds.” As such, MMORPGs reinforces certain behaviors and sociological patterns as long as its use is properly supervised and taken in moderation.

Plans are also afoot for the establishment of game development courses in several colleges and universities. This move augurs will for the future of the local gaming industry as it is widely-acknowledged that Filipino IT practitioners are one of the most skilled in Asia. At present, the local gaming industry is saturated by Korean-made games. It is only a matter of time before a purely Filipino-made MMORPG will eventually become the next big thing in the local gaming industry. The resources, the market, and the expertise are currently in place to meet that promise.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 19th, 2005 at 12:54 am and is filed under Games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.