MANILA, Philippines – In the end, there could be only one.

Several Filipino gaming journalists (including this writer) spent an afternoon to compete in the first Intel Asia PC Gaming Showdown here. This competition aims to draw out the best gamers among those who write games and the industry it has created.

Gaming and technology journalist John Nieves defeated other gaming journalists and was declared this year’s winner. He will be entered into an Asian draw.

Intel said the overall top-scoring three competitors in the tally will be flown to the “EA Experience,” an Electronic Arts branded venue that is located at The Peak Tower in Hong Kong, this October to compete for the championship.

This gaming competition is part of a regional event that includes other players from India, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam competing to qualify for the finals in Hong Kong, Intel Philippines Marketing Manager Jerome Matti said.

“As part of Intel’s ongoing commitment to the gaming industry, the Intel Asia PC Gaming Showdown will give those passionate about gaming — gaming media and gamers alike — the chance to experience today’s most exhilarating games in amazing detail, made possible by Intel Core 2 Extreme processors,” added Rupal Shah, Intel Marketing Director for Asia Pacific, in a statement.

Matti said the competition involves gaming journalists playing three popular PC games, namely Need for Speed Pro Street, Crysis and FIFA 2008.

“We are extremely excited about being a part of this event. As a leading games publisher and developer, this is the perfect platform to show off our best titles to the gaming media who review games on a daily basis,” added Jon Niermann, President of EA Asia Pacific, in a statement.

The Filipino gaming journalists played several games on the latest Intel Core 2 Extreme processor-based PCs provided by Villman Computer Systems.