The Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP) and the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) are partnering for collaborative research and joint project development.
GDAP is the country’s premier digital game development trade association which aims to represent the Philippines, while promoting awareness of the industry and building academic linkages.
This venture covers student internships, exposure and immersion trips for the faculty and associates. It also plans to endorse as micro-credentials the Benilde courses relevant to GDAP and the industry as a whole.
Tapping GDAP’s expertise, the cooperation will provide cooperative workshops, seminars, and conferences for the Benildean community and the public.
Aside from mentorship in classes, project development programs could give students practical experiences that would eventually support the initiatives of GDAP in the industry.
Game Developers Association of the Philippines president James Lo and DLS-CSB chancellor Benhur Ong sign the Memorandum of Understanding.
DLS-CSB chancellor Benhur Ong, MBA, and GDAP president James Lo signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU).
At the signing, Benilde Center for External Linkages director Oscar Sherlo Reyes and School of Management and Information Technology (SMIT) dean Joana Diñoso served as witnesses. Members of the International Game Developers Association-Gamers’ Union for Innovation and Leadership Development (IGDA-GUILD) were present.
“Ultimately, this partnership is not just about Benilde or GDAP. It is really about building the future of game development in the country,” said Ong.
“We incorporated on a business journey to create the very first full game development education curriculum in the country,” Ong continued. “We started in 2009 under the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with specialization in Game Design and Development.”
Benilde’s game design and development program took 15 years to be finalized.
“We continued this journey in 2015 with the introduction of the Bachelor of Science in Interactive Entertainment and Multimedia Computing,” Ong said.
Lo noted that it was the first MOU the association has established with a school.
“I’m very happy that this organization is very serious about servicing the industry,” Lo said. Your target is to bring new people. It will bring in students na kaunting training na lang, ready to go na.”
Lo underscored how the Philippine gaming industry grew through the years.
“There was even the time when I would get internships from different colleges, and parents will call the office and ask me, ‘Sir, gumagawa po ba talaga ng games ‘yung anak ko diyan? Because it was so weird, strange, and new at that time.”
“We’re not only equipping our students with the skills they need. It’s also about helping them engage with real-world challenges,” Ong remarked. “We hope that the aim is clear—to bring academia into the industry so that our students can be game changers.”
