BEFORE a diamond stone becomes a faceted gem, it goes through a lot of pressure and a lot of cutting. Such is Manny Pacquiao, a diamond stone when he started out in professional boxing.
Pacquiao went through a lot of pressure before he took up the sweet science and nothing adds more pressure than poverty. Where to get your next meal? Where to get the money to get for your after that? Living by hand to mouth existence.
The cuts didn’t just literally come from head butts and punches but figuratively from bullies and people who didn’t have faith in him, who didn’t believe in him, and because of all that pressure and cuts, you have the only eight division world champion in the history of boxing. Pacquiao has also won 12 major titles.
Usually, a movie is made or a documentary is produced or a book is written about a professional athlete but for Manny, a mobile video game.
Mike Ochosa, boxing analyst and President of OMG Inc. told me how the whole idea got started.
“I first shared the idea to Manny almost two years ago thinking that his story has to be told to everyone who needs to hear,” Ochosa said. “But, instead of a book, a movie or a documentary, the best platform to reach the youth and generations to come is through a mobile game.”
“Manny eventually gave me his blessings and approval so that is how OMG Inc. was born,” he added. “The process was really trying to get Manny to say ‘yes’ to developing it, and later on, to launching it.”
“This is about his life story. Rather than make a book or a film, this platform will reach out to younger people, because people will be able to use this wherever you are,” he said.
Last November 27, I was invited to a media roundtable to discuss the process that came about from the concept of the game to its technical ins and outs.
A Manny Pacquiao project of this magnitude and effort has to be all-Filipino on all levels so game developer Ranida Games led by its CEO Ben Banta, stepped up to turn an idea into reality.
The game will be formally launched in 2021. It covers the life of Manny Pacquiao as he fights and punches his way through bad guys and societal ills like poverty, bullying and lack of opportunity for the marginalized sector.
By Manny’s story being told to the youth and the next generation of Filipinos, his legacy will carry on.