At a recent press conference in Manila, attendees got an exclusive preview of what to expect from the upcoming YGG Play Summit, a five-day event set for November that will highlight the latest trends in web3 gaming and feature some of the most popular titles from around the globe.

The summit will focus on the future of gaming, with discussions on how web3 is reshaping digital ownership, enhancing player engagement, and powering more sophisticated in-game economies. One standout trend emphasized during the press conference was the transformation of traditional strategy games like chess and trading card games (TCGs). Through blockchain integration and innovative gameplay mechanics, these classic games are evolving to teach players not only traditional strategic thinking but also valuable digital skills for the future.

In a panel discussion featuring Brian Chan, Head of Anichess, and Carlo Ople, Founder and CEO of Unbox Digital Media Group, the two engaged with moderator Jayvee Fernandez—Technology Editor at The Philippine Star and Editor of Multiverse.ph, Philstar’s web3 and gaming platform—on the evolution of traditional games through web3 innovations.

Chan explained how Anichess retains the core elements of the classic board game while introducing fantasy features like “spells,” with plans to incorporate NFT assets that players can trade on open markets. Ople highlighted how web3 trading card games (TCGs) like Parallel allow players to own their digital assets, giving them the flexibility to trade, sell, or upgrade their collections just like physical cards. Additionally, web3 infrastructure enables more transparent on-demand esports tournaments, creating new opportunities for competitive TCG players.

“Early on, a lot of people were just in web3 gaming for the financial incentives. But today, you can see that the quality of games has improved dramatically and web3 games can be fun on their own, even without the tokens,” said Brian Chan, Head of Anichess.

Chan further explained the broader vision behind building on-chain. “The idea of building onchain goes further than this; we want to empower our community to contribute to the game. By using a decentralized governance model, players who are deeply invested in the game can contribute directly. This brings a new layer of engagement and ownership to the players, and that’s a big part of why we’re building on web3.”

In the “Play, Learn, and Work” panel, YGG co-founder Beryl Li outlined the vision behind YGG’s newly launched Future of Work program, which aims to provide its community with skill-building opportunities to prepare for the evolving digital economy. The initiative goes beyond web3 gaming by addressing the rising demand for human input in areas such as AI data labeling and decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN). It offers decentralized, flexible, and accessible avenues for personal and economic growth, empowering individuals with the right skills, regardless of their background.

Fellow panelist Wei Zhou, CEO of Coins.ph, emphasized the role of locally licensed cryptocurrency exchanges in supporting these workers. He explained that these platforms enable gig workers to easily convert their cryptocurrency earnings into Philippine pesos, providing essential financial infrastructure.

“We’re excited about how the future of play connects with the future of work because digital skills learned in web3 games are becoming relevant across industries. The convergence of web3 and AI is going to redefine the way we work and play together, and we’re seeing the early signs of this today. At YGG, we remain committed to our mission of bridging economic opportunities for Filipinos, no matter where they are in the world. Together, we’ve onboarded the world into this new era of digital play, simply by playing and working together as a community.” - Mench Dizon, Country Head, YGG Pilipinas

Exclusive Report on Web3 Gaming Trends Set for Early 2025 Release

The YGG Play Summit will spotlight the latest trends and advancements in web3 gaming with its flagship event, Industry Day, featuring over 50 web3 builders and thought leaders. Prominent speakers include YGG co-founders Gabby Dizon and Beryl Li, Head of Base Jesse Pollak, Wildcard and Words With Friends co-founder Paul Bettner, and Pixels co-founder Luke Barwikowski alongside CMO Heidi Christine.

The summit will also host exclusive, invite-only Leaders Roundtables, where industry experts will share insights to shape a report on web3 gaming consumer trends for 2025. This report is scheduled for release in the first quarter of next year.

The YGG Play Summit is backed by Title Sponsors HyperPlay and Mantle, with additional support from major sponsors including Aptos, B3, Ubisoft, OpenSea, Coins.ph, Ronin, SKYGG, and the Echelon Prime Foundation. Key opinion leaders (KOLs) Sam Steffanina and Een Mercado will also take part, alongside the summit's official ambassador, YellowPanther.

As part of the event, a side gathering organized with Southeast Asian game marketing agency MADEVIRAL will bring together over 100 gaming creators to connect with curated game companies and explore collaborations for 2025.

The summit will also feature a Gamer Expo, offering demos and show matches from over 40 titles. Attendees will get hands-on experiences with some of the biggest names in web3 gaming, including Star Atlas, Blade of God X, Sparkball, Spot Zero, Immortal Rising 2, and Captain Laserhawk: The GAME.

Game Jam Finalists Showcase Innovative Ideas in Digital Gaming

Esports tournaments will be a highlight of the YGG Play Summit, featuring a Parallel TCG tournament with a prize pool of $100,000, showcasing the top 16 players from prior online qualifiers. Additional competitive events will be held for games like Arena of Faith (AOF), Anichess, and Indus, each offering $10,000 in prizes.

Moreover, finalists from a Game Jam hosted by Web3 Metaversity will present their ideas centered on themes such as modding, social games, digital assets, and on-chain game logic. This follows a recent hackathon that included two divisions: one for students and another for experienced developers, with a combined prize pool of PHP 500,000 awarded to winners. The summit will also feature a cosplay competition with a prize pool of PHP 130,000, along with numerous other side events taking place throughout the week.

Red Carpet Events Set to Showcase Industry Excellence at YGG Play Summit

Throughout the week, a series of red carpet events will celebrate the best in the industry, including the inaugural in-person GAM3 Awards ceremony, featuring performances by the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra, which will play nostalgic video game theme songs. An exclusive red carpet event will also debut the Metaverse Filipino Worker, a five-part video series, at the SM Aura Premier Cinema. The trailer for this series was previewed for the first time during the recent press conference.

The YGG Play Summit is scheduled for November 19-23, 2024, at the SMX Convention Center in SM Aura, BGC Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines. Tickets for the event are available on the YGG Play Summit website, with an early bird discount available until November 1, 2024.

ABOUT YGG PLAY SUMMIT

The YGG Play Summit explores the intersection of gaming and the emerging web3 ecosystem, featuring a hackathon, a conference, a game expo, and esports tournaments. It features opportunities for attendees to connect and provide valuable insights into the future of gaming, digital ownership, and the top projects of web3 globally.

The conference focuses on the business of web3 gaming and the future of the gaming industry. Speakers include founders and C-level executives from venture funds, crypto exchanges, protocols, and web3 wallets, alongside gaming studios, esports teams, guilds, and the gaming community.

ABOUT YIELD GUILD GAMES

Yield Guild Games (YGG) is a web3 guild protocol that enables players and gaming guilds to find their community, discover games and level up together. As a network of gaming guilds focused on web3 games, YGG provides an equal-opportunity support system so that its members can become power players in games and in life.

YGG empowers its guild community to organize onchain, providing guilds access to its infrastructure for them to scale and receive opportunities based on their specializations. Through YGG’s questing initiatives, such as Superquests and the Guild Advancement Program (GAP), members of YGG can benefit from its achievement-based reputation system and build their onchain identity.

From its roots in the Philippines to its global network of regional guilds and partnerships with over 100 web3 games and infrastructure projects, YGG caters to an ever-expanding community of gamers and blockchain enthusiasts.