Moonton pushes for esports, gaming inclusivity with CSR arm

MANILA, Philippines -- Moonton Games’ corporate social responsibility arm, Moonton Cares, envisions to make esports and gaming available for all. Through one of its pillars, diversity and inclusivity, Moonton Cares collaborated with the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) and social enterprise, Handcrafted by Harl’s, during the M5 World Championship to create exclusive M5 and MLBB-branded coin purse, bags, and wallets which were produced by Persons with Disabilities (PWD).

“The vision of Moonton Cares is to enable everyone to achieve, and access esports and gaming. We noticed that there are many talents in the PWD communities, and we wanted to be the platform for more PWD talents and players to be seen. We worked with Harl’s because we advocate the same vision, giving employment to PWD workers.” said Moonton Cares Director Theon Hsu.

“We are very happy and excited to be part of this event. We’re very happy to learn that Moonton Games is partnering with businesses that employ persons with disabilities. In the NCDA, it is our vision that PWDs become productive citizens and participate in nation building. Employment is a very important part of life, and it’s where PWDs usually struggle with the most. I hope this wouldn’t be just part of CSR but a long-term advocacy,” said NCDA Deputy Executive Director Exequiel Francisco.

Established in 2014, Handcrafted by Harl’s was founded by Harley Dave Beltran, whose passion for marketing was held back by his lack of diploma.

“In the Philippines, if you don’t have a diploma, it’s hard for you to look for a job, even if you perform well. So I said, why would I waste my time when I can create my own company that is meaningful and can hire people who are looked down upon like those without diplomas and those with disabilities. If you check [the status of] employment and education in the country, persons with disabilities are always the ones left behind in terms of these opportunities. When I started my company, I decided that I wanted to create a company run by people with disabilities and currently Harl’s is 98% run by PWDs," said Beltran.

Besides creating handcrafted leather goods, Harl’s creates crafts trainings for PWDs across the country and Beltran hopes that by spreading these skills, people with disabilities are able to find livelihood to support themselves.

With the company severely impacted during the pandemic, Beltran was very grateful for the opportunity to work with Moonton Games and to be part of the M5 World Championships.

“Before the pandemic, at the height of Mobile Legends, all of my staff were playing. At first, I didn’t like it because it was causing delays in production. It was a good learning for me personally, learning the game and that was exciting for me. It’s opening the way for me to understand and see the opportunity that esports can do for social enterprises like us,” recalled Beltran, whose employees were overjoyed at having been part of the country’s hosting of the esports event.

Besides Moonton Games’ collaboration with Harl’s, other diversity and inclusivity initiatives during the M5 World Championship saw a sign language interpreter used for the very first time during an MLBB esports broadcast.

Moonton Cares also worked with various learning institutions and organizations across Southeast Asia to push forward education initiatives for esports and gaming like scholarships in Indonesia, and the M5 esports journalism workshop in the Philippines.