Interview: YGG Pilipinas on Play Summit 2025, GAM3 Awards, and Growing Web3 Gaming in PH

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Yield Guild Games (YGG) and its local web3 community initiative, YGG Pilipinas, highlighted how it has grown alongside the rapid expansion of web3 gaming.

In an interview with BitPinas, YGG Pilipinas Country Manager Mench Dizon said the guild shared how it is expanding its offerings while maintaining its core focus on community building.

YGG Play Summit 2025

This year, YGG will host the YGG Play Summit from November 18 to 22 at SMX Aura and Samsung Hall in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. The event will turn the venue into a cyberpunk-inspired “City of Play,” as per YGG Pilipinas.

“Every year there is always an upgrade. We try to do a much better job at providing our community with YGG Play Summit. It is in its fourth year. It started off as a smaller conference and then evolved into a conference with Expo and evolved further into an expo, a conference, plus a game stage, and a tournament stage.” 

Mench Dizon, Country Manager, YGG Pilipinas

In the interview, Dizon highlighted that the summit has expanded from a small conference into a major expo and tournament showcase.

“This year, we call it ‘City of Play’ because play is really at the center of everything for YGG. We are all about games; we bring people via play, via games, but we let them linger and stay for the learning.”

Mench Dizon, Country Manager, YGG Pilipinas

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In addition, she shared this year’s summit’s four key districts:

• Player District, which will feature game showcases, show matches, partner booths, and community activities.
• Skills District, which is anchored by Metaversity, which will expand YGG’s education programs on game testing, development, community moderation, and upskilling.
• Degen District, which will spotlight web3-native culture including NFTs, memes, and casual blockchain games.
• Arena District, which will host multi-genre esports tournaments with confirmed titles such as Parallel and VIBES, with prize pools expected to match or surpass last year’s $130,000.

Beyond the districts, Dizon said the summit will also serve as a platform to welcome 200 to 300 international founders, developers, and industry leaders.

Moreover, the event will also run the second GAM3 Awards alongside an industry-focused conference day covering topics such as web3 gaming, publishing, and artificial intelligence. The summit will also feature VIP-centered programs and a creator-focused track, where global and local content creators will collaborate to produce content around the City of Play.

“If you notice, these are components that we put in place over the last four years. Kind of improving year-to-year and honing based on also the feedback that we’ve been getting from our community as well as from the guests who we bring in from all over the world.”

Mench Dizon, Country Manager, YGG Pilipinas

Second IRL GAM3 Awards: What It Means for PH?

According to Dizon, it is the only global awards show dedicated to web3 gaming, and it is expected to attract significant attention from the international gaming community.

She noted that the awards had previously been held online, with their first on-site staging taking place in 2024. Dizon stressed the in-person format created a unique atmosphere for developers, founders, and community members.

“There is nothing like cheering for your friends as they go up on stage. It is different from doing it behind a computer screen.” 

Mench Dizon, Country Manager, YGG Pilipinas

Moreover, Dizon added that hosting the GAM3 Awards in Manila also highlights the Philippines’ role as a test bed for web3 games and a hub for global talent. 

“It is also a way for us to showcase the Philippines. These types of game awards draw a global audience. And we want to show them that the Philippines is a good test bed for these games. We are a strong community, and if they would like to really get to know how a community works and how the game fares, they could read how the particular game would fare with their audience, then this is a great place to do that.”

Mench Dizon, Country Manager, YGG Pilipinas

She also emphasized that the event highlights the Philippines as a source of talent for the industry.

“These founders are in town, and they will see that okay, it is a community of skilled individuals who are social, who are engaged, who know how to play games, and who are very active online. So, that’s also a way for us to show them that we have the talent here for some roles and jobs that they might need as they grow their games and businesses.”

Mench Dizon, Country Manager, YGG Pilipinas

YGG Through the Years

YGG grew beyond its origins as a gaming guild and is now emphasizing skills development while continuing to build its community, according to Dizon, sharing that YGG just started in 2020 as a guild but with a strong focus on community building. 

While the web3 gaming industry has since evolved, both locally and globally, from play-to-earn models to a broader range of games, she said community engagement has remained central to YGG’s mission.

“The community has evolved, the games have evolved, and even the company as a whole has also evolved… But what remains to be true is the focus on our community in terms of engagement, in terms of upskilling, and education that has still remained to be a core focus of the business here in the Philippines.”

Mench Dizon, Country Manager, YGG Pilipinas

Locally, she shared that YGG Pilipinas continues to anchor its programs on education and upskilling through initiatives such as Metaversity, which offers training in game testing, community moderation, and development.

This article is published on BitPinas: Interview: YGG Pilipinas on Play Summit 2025, GAM3 Awards, and Growing Web3 Gaming in PH

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