It looks like the UAAP is embracing the spirit of esports.
UAAP Season 87 Esports just concluded its first official year and between all the excitement and reactions, boy was it a big step up from last year. This second attempt at incorporating esports into their lineup shows that the UAAP were paying attention to feedback and made an event that can stand together with other esports events in the country.
The UAAP Season 87 Esports featured the same three games from last year: Valorant, MLBB, and NBA2K. Spread across nine days at the Quantum Skyview Deck, Gateway Mall 2, in Araneta City, everyone from fans to curious bystanders could get a full view of the action. They even streamed matches on the UAAP Varsity Channel and Pilipinas Live app, ensuring that no epic moments were missed.
That brings us to the biggest improvement for this year which is the venue. Last year, UAAP Esports was held in Ateneo de Manila’s Arete theater. A bizarre choice, especially since it’s not an easily accessible location for those who wanted to watch live.
Holding UAAP Season 87 Esports in a mainstream mall was an immediate improvement just by way of garnering foot traffic and interest. Curious people get a firsthand experience of what esports is all about and it’s only a train ride away. Plus, there’s also just something about it being held right next to the storied Smart Araneta Coliseum, where UAAP legends are born.
A Good Sign Moving Forward
Entrance to the enclosed event area required a paid ticket, which was curious. Of course, there were seats available inside for those with tickets and ticket holders got access to a couple of booths including the official UAAP apparel store. Still, those don’t seem like good enough attractions to enter, especially when standing outside to watch was free.
The nature of the event area also meant that simultaneous tournaments ended up overlapping with one another. A double-edged sword, especially when two grand finals were happening right next to each other.
But those gripes aside, there’s no doubt that UAAP Season 87 Esports really leveled up this year. Aside from the NBA2K tournament getting rescheduled to a later date, everything else practically went off without a hitch. Matches ran on schedule and technical difficulties were minor and solved quickly. If anything, my only complaint is that we still don’t have fighting games featured in the UAAP.
UAAP Season 87 Esports was a triumph and a great showcase of the hype and energy that esports can bring. Hopefully this will give them the confidence to invest more into esports and maybe bring more games into the fold.
Banner photo from The UAAP.