THE growth of the local online gaming industry will follow the growth of broadband Internet in the country.

Amid an ongoing economic recession, industry executives said the local online gaming industry remains to be small because there are still untapped locations where there could be gamers.

“Broadband Internet penetration is still small. Majority of players are in the Internet cafes. We’re hoping that it becomes affordable for people to play at home when prices of Internet usage go down,” AMDG Vice Chairman Arturo Diago, Jr., said in a recent briefing.

Gaming is seen to be one of the cheapest forms of entertainment, according to iAM Interactive President and CEO Fadzly Yusof.

The company is seeing more growth in the overall local gaming industry as competition intensifies.

In fact, iAM is even looking to launch at least two new games within the year, including a new massively multiplayer online game similar to two of its previously distributed titles, Guild Wars and Lineage II.

The company recently launched its first casual racing game GoGo Racer and an anime-styled shooter game called Exteel.

Both games are on a free-to-play platform, with an in-game item mall, which charges players for certain items purchased.

Yusof said online game publishers are also expanding to other markets. iAM is targeting three countries: the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia. “This allows us to expand our revenue sources.”