By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — “Dayo” literally means foreigner or stranger in Filipino.

Dayo is also the title of a first full-length animated film entry in the 2008 Metro Manila Film Festival. It is Filipino-made.

Dayo is story about a boy named Bubuy who goes on a quest to save his grandparents kidnapped by enchanted beings and held captive in mystical land called Elementalia.

Robert Quilao, the director of Dayo, said the characters in the story were inspired by Filipino legend and culture.

Filipino mythological creatures like the Manananggal (a half-bodied vampire-like creature), Tikbalang (half-man, half horse creature), Kapre (giant hairy creature who smokes a giant tobacco pipe) are characters that have been added in the animated film.

But to add twist to the film, the infamous Manananggal becomes a Manananggol (Savior) and helps Bubuy save his grandparents.

“People that I know from other countries say we have a rich culture so why not make use of it,” Quilao said.

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By Agence France-Presse

TOKYO–Nintendo Co. said Thursday it will start offering videos through its blockbuster Wii game console, the latest new feature for the Japanese entertainment giant.

Nintendo said it would develop original programming which Wii users could access via the Internet and watch on their television. It is considering videos for both free and fees.

The game giant teamed up with Japan’s leading advertising firm Dentsu Inc. to develop the service, which will begin in Japan next year, with an eye on future expansion into foreign markets.

Japanese rival Sony Corp. has already started using its popular PlayStation series for online movie sales and advertising by placing corporate messages inside games, which often have highly niche audiences.

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INTERACTIVE entertainment company, Asian Media has unveiled a new a subsidiary that would serve as the company’s online gaming brand.
IAM Interactive Inc. intends to focus on the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia, which are the original markets for Asian Media’s online gaming business.

Asian Media also intends to expand to other businesses, which according to IAM Interactive President and CEO Fadzly Yusof, will be announced later.

Yusof said the company aims to build the IAM Interactive brand through investments in promotions and advertising as well as community building for its players.

“If there are any more investments for infrastructure, it will be upgrades of our game servers to provide the best experience to our players,” Yusof said.

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By Agence France-Presse

PARIS — Following in the footsteps of the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush, anyone can take a virtual swipe at the US leader on the Internet thanks to a new game.

The aim of “Sock and Awe,” launched by Britain’s Alex Tew, is to knock Bush out with a shoe, a feat already attained by 1.4 million players, according to the website Tuesday.

Aptly named after the US “Shock and Awe” military campaign to knock out Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the game gives players 30 seconds to aim at a figure of Bush ducking behind a rostrum.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

Erika Tapalla
INQUIRER.net

A FAVORITE subject among photographers, Alodia Gosiengfiao has lived her teenage years in the limelight of an obscure world called “cosplay.”

The term “cosplay” is a portmanteau of words, “costume” and “roleplay,” originally from a Japanese subculture centered on dressing as characters from anime, sci-fi movies and video games.

Today, cosplay is not as strange as it used to be and as one of the initial icons of this pricey hobby, Gosiengfiao reveals that there is more to her than her seemingly extravagant method of looking like a character; it is a higher form of tribute.

“It changed my life in terms of fashion and the way I act. How you see characters, sometimes you tend to copy them, so it changed my personality a bit.” Gosiengfiao says. [Read the rest of this entry »]