Moonton forges first educational partnership with NU Laguna

MANILA, Philippines -- Moonton Games, the game developer behind the popular mobile battle arena title Mobile Legends Bang Bang, has partnered with National University (NU) Laguna to further strengthen programs catered to campus esports and gaming.

The signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Moonton and NU Laguna formalized the first educational partnership between an academic institution and a game developer in the hopes of building more opportunities for the growth of campus esports with community events. 

This also aims to strengthen the foundation of education with internship and work immersion opportunities, esports and gaming workshops, as well as develop esports curriculum aligned with different professional tracks in the esports industry.

“NU Laguna’s core is sports, wellness, and sustainability; esports has been part of the university’s DNA and has been dubbed as a great equalizer in the sports community. NU Laguna’s collaboration with Moonton Games will pave the way for great opportunities and strategic advancement for the students and the university. We are thrilled about the projects and other opportunities this collaboration will bring. National University Laguna and Moonton Games will work together in bringing esports to the forefront,” said Dr. Narro Navarro, NU Laguna Vice President and Assistant Director for Academe - Industry Linkage.

"We are grateful to NU Laguna for this momentous partnership that will create a pathway for cooperation to reach new heights of academic and research excellence. This collaboration sets forth our intention to help hone our students and bridge the gap between the industry and the academe. We are thrilled for NU Laguna scholars and faculty members to be part of the efforts to further push esports and gaming education in the Philippines," added Moonton Cares director Theon Hsu.

During the MOA signing, Moonton Games community manager Ken Ryan Lee told the media that this is just the beginning of the publisher's move to link with educational institutions and that many similar initiatives are in the pipeline.

"We do have other schools that will be part of a similar partnership. We will have updates in the months to come. Opportunities like scholarships, internships, mentorships, and other opportunities for students will be offered by Moonton Games. It is our goal to link the academe and the [esports] industry together and opportunities like this can bridge the gap between the two," said Lee.

The first event under the partnership is an esports and gaming journalism workshops tackling topics like Media Ethics, Basic Sportswriting, Mobile Journalism, Making Sense of Journalism in Today’s TikTok Age, and Pros and Cons of using AI tools in Journalism. The program will be held at NU Laguna next month.