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THE Philippine video game development industry is expected to be worth $3 million by the end of the year and $7 million by 2010, an industry study conducted for a local game development organization showed. In 2007, the study said the local game development was worth about $1 million, according to Cesar Tolentino, game development research consultant who presented the study during the Business Process Outsourcing Summit in Crowne Plaza Hotel. Six outsourcing industries, including game development industry, showcased their services for the offshore market during the event. Tolentino pointed out that the local game development industry employs about 500 people who now work in at least 10 Philippine-based companies. "There has been growing number of inquiries from potential clients abroad and investors locally. It is already an indication that the Philippine game development business has a lot to gain," Tolentino said. The study involved 28 companies engaged in game development. Some of these companies are members of the Game Development Association of the Philippines (GDAP), which sanctioned and funded the study. Tolentino said each employee working in the video game development business produces about $30,000 worth of projects per year. He compared this to software development employees who are producing $24,000 worth of projects per year. "Because it's a small industry, there's a lot going for it. But we're also concerned about general perception about game development so GDAP is already doing some promotion and educational activities," Tolentino said. GDAP is working with several government agencies and academic institutions to promote the industry. They have a project with the Bureau of Investments to make game development as one of the investment priorities of government, where incentives such as tax breaks are offered. The local organization is also working with the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) on trade missions abroad and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to create a representative trading points for project and investment queries for Philippine game developers. GDAP is also working with schools to help develop subjects and curriculums on game development. "Much of the work that has to be done is educating people. For budding developers, we tell them there's an industry where they can work. For the government, we want them to know that this industry can contribute to the economy," Tolentino said. The local game development industry has recently been making headway in the development of original games.