The YGG Play Summit is gearing up for its 2025 edition with a major boost to one of its most anticipated features: the Skill District, the learning hub inside the event’s City of Play experience. Developed by Metaversity, the education arm of YGG Pilipinas, the Skill District is expanding its immersive upskilling offerings to help Filipinos master high-demand skills in Web3, AI, digital content, community management, marketing, game development, and other fields shaping the future of work.
As one of four themed zones in City of Play, the Skill District joins the Player District, Degen District, and The Arena, but this year’s edition introduces three new standout experiences. Prompt to Prototype, a hands-on vibe coding workshop, will teach participants how to build playable game prototypes using AI-powered no-code tools. Metaversity Interactive will gather students, educators, industry stakeholders, and government representatives to jointly tackle the country’s widening digital skills gap. Meanwhile, Metaverse Filipino Worker City, a builder residency created by YGG Pilipinas and the Department of Information and Communications Technology, will unveil the results of its pilot program in MIMAROPA, where developers were trained in the Sui blockchain’s Move programming language.
DICT MIMAROPA Regional Director Emmy Lou Versoza-Delfin said the expansion of the Skill District and the ongoing MFW City initiatives reflect the government’s thrust of Digital Bayanihan, where public and private partners collaborate to open digital opportunities for Filipinos regardless of region. She said these programs support President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to create more local jobs and DICT Secretary Henry Aguda’s Trabahong Digital agenda by helping Filipinos build sustainable, tech-enabled careers without leaving home.
More than 120 local developers participated in the Sui Builder Program in Puerto Princesa, Palawan — a collaborative educational initiative between YGG Pilipinas, DICT MIMAROPA, and the Sui Foundation. Results from the program will be first revealed at the YGG Play Summit on Friday, 21 November 2025, when two outstanding graduates of the program will travel to Manila to take the main stage and share their experience.
The global outlook underscores the urgency of these efforts. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, technology will remain the most powerful force shaping labor markets, both creating and displacing millions of jobs. Expanding digital access alone could generate 19 million new roles while rendering 9 million obsolete, while AI-powered fields are expected to create 11 million jobs and displace 9 million. For the Philippines, this makes digital fluency and technical skills essential to ensuring workers benefit from, rather than lose out to, rapid automation.
The Skill District will gather students from over 10 schools across the country, with STI College Bonifacio Global City as the official school partner. Other participating institutions include the University of Santo Tomas, National University, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, the University of Southeastern Philippines in Davao City, and Philippine Christian University Cavite, bringing together students from IT, computer science, and esports organizations.
The program lineup includes three key skill-building sessions. The MFW City residency brought more than 120 developers to Puerto Princesa, Palawan, where they learned the Move programming language under the Sui Builder Program. On November 21, two graduates of the program will join Mysten Labs executive James Wing on the Summit main stage for a first look at their blockchain projects and the opportunities this initiative is opening for regional Filipino talent.
Metaversity Interactive, also set for November 21, will map out the emerging tech skills landscape of the Philippines and identify which competencies employers value most. Insights from this forum will help shape future Metaversity courses, ensuring they align with market needs and maximize employability.
Prompt to Prototype, scheduled on November 22, is a four-hour workshop where up to fifty participants will turn their game concepts into playable prototypes using the AI infrastructure of B3 and tools from OpenxAI. Led by Base Philippines’ Developer Relations Lead Ambassador and sponsored by Base, the session offers practical, guided learning for aspiring game creators.
Mench Dizon, Country Head of YGG Pilipinas, said the Skill District is designed as a place where learning blends seamlessly with creativity, offering clear, actionable pathways into the digital economy. She said the initiative encourages Filipinos to prepare for the future of work and take leadership roles in emerging digital fields.
Beyond the Skill District, the YGG Play Summit will host esports tournaments for Parallel, Vibes, and Might and Magic: Fates at The Arena on November 20 and 21, featuring a combined prize pool of 125,000 US dollars. Industry leaders from Ubisoft, Pixels, SuperGaming, Coins.ph, Sky Mavis, AO Labs, and other major players will also share insights through panels, interviews, and keynotes.
Summit sponsors this year include Sky Mavis, Aurory, Pixels, Parallel TCG, Vibes TCG, Sui, Spekter Agency, DWF Labs, and Coins.ph.
Running from November 19 to 22 at SMX Aura in Bonifacio Global City, the YGG Play Summit 2025 promises a dynamic convergence of gaming, learning, and innovation. Full details and tickets are available at yggplaysummit.com.
