About Us
Welcome to GameOPS - the ultimate Filipino site dedicated to video games, technology, and pop culture! We take pride in being one of the pioneering online video game websites in the Philippines, with a rich history that dates back to 1998.
Our story began on January 3, 1998, when igad's Video Game e-Zine was born. At that time, we posted gaming news online, using GamePRO and Electronic Gaming Magazine as sources. On January 12, 1998, we started hosting a few game guides and cheats to provide our readers with more in-depth information about the latest games.
Sadly, our journey had a temporary setback when igad's Video Game e-Zine shut down on March 19, 1999. However, this didn't stop our founders, Rocky and Jepoy, from dreaming of having a website similar to GameFAQs. So in February 2000, they revived igad's Video Game e-Zine and renamed it to igad's Video Game HotSpot. And on March 19, 2000, it was finally renamed to GameOPS.
In May 2000, we registered an account at GeoCities and targeted July 2000 as the website launch. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to postpone the launch to October 2000. During this time, our site slogans "Speak Your Mind" and "It's Not The System, It's All About The Game" were coined, referring to "reader reviews" and the "quality of games" respectively.
Finally, on October 26, 2000, GameOPS - The Ultimate Filipino Site Dedicated to Video Games was launched on GeoCities! We added the PC Games section in January 2001, and forged partnerships with PinoyPC and DOGZ (Destiny's Online GameZone). By this time, the number of contributors and volunteers had reached 17.
GameOPS underwent a major relaunch in April 2001, with new features, website layout, and sections such as Gurl Gamer, IRC Chat Room, WAP website, and a Message Board. This resulted in an increase in our following and readership, and by September 2001, GameOPS was even included in a Globe Telecom newspaper ad featuring the text/sms update service. (Text GAMEOPS to 2355)
Sadly, due to conflicting schedules and lack of updates, GameOPS had to shut down in March 2002. However, the idea of reviving it and converting it into a video game blog was proposed in March 2007. And on April 13, 2007, GameOPS was officially relaunched as a video game blog.
International gaming websites such as Joystiq, Kotaku, MaxConsole, and Engadget began linking to our Pirates 'R Us articles in May 2007. However, we also received criticism from another Filipino gaming community for posting articles about piracy.
In April 17, 2010, GameOPS was relaunched again as a video game/technology/pop culture blog. We added new sections such as Featured Gamer, Nihonsei, Fanboy Fight Fest (FFF), and Retro Gaming Nights. A sub-category within Globe Telecom's myGlobe Message Boards was renamed to GameOPS Tech and News Forum, serving as the new GameOPS Message Board.
We joined the 9th and 10th Philippine ToyCon in 2010 and 2011 respectively, where we displayed classic video game consoles and offered free play of Duck Hunt and Street Fighter 4. GameOPS was hailed as the #1 exhibit booth during the 9th ToyCon, and we even held the first Street Fighter 4 tournament during the 10th ToyCon.
The website has won several awards including the Best Luzon Technology Blog award at the 2011 Philippine Blog Awards. Though we experienced a website shutdown in 2014, we continued to share news articles on our social media accounts until we finally made our comeback on July 1, 2016.
From 2019 to 2023, the team behind GameOPS took a semi-hiatus as many of the contributors became busy with their personal lives and careers. However, the love for gaming never faded and on March 3, 2023, GameOPS came out of hiatus and started posting news and reviews once again on the official website.
Over the years, we've won awards, faced criticism, and even experienced some downtime. But we never lost our passion for video games and technology. Today, GameOPS continues to be a trusted source of information and entertainment for gamers and pop culture enthusiasts in the Philippines and beyond. With its recent return from hiatus, GameOPS is poised to continue delivering high-quality content and engaging with the community for years to come.
THE GAMEOPS TIMELINE
January 3, 1998 - igad's Video Game e-Zine was born. Gaming news were posted online. GamePRO and Electronic Gaming Magazine used as sources.
January 12, 1998 - igad's Video Game e-Zine started to host a few game guides and cheats.
March 19, 1999 - igad's Video Game e-Zine shuts down.
February 2000 - Rocky and Jepoy dreamt of having a website similar to GameFAQs and revived igad's Video Game e-Zine. It was later renamed to igad's Video Game HotSpot.
March 19, 2000 - igad's Video Game HotSpot was renamed to GameOPS.
May 2000 - Registered an account at GeoCities and targeted July 2000 as the website launch.
July 2000 - Launch was postponed to October 2000.
August 2000 - Site slogans "Speak Your Mind" and "It's Not The System, It's All About The Game" refers to "reader reviews" and the "quality of games" respectively.
October 2, 2000 - The gameops.net domain was registered.
October 26, 2000 - GameOPS - The Ultimate Filipino Site Dedicated to Video Games was finally launched on GeoCities!
January 2001 - PC Games section was added. Forged partnerships with PinoyPC and DOGZ (Destiny's Online GameZone). Number of contributors and volunteers now at 17.
April 2001 - GameOPS was relaunched with new features, website layout, and sections such as Gurl Gamer, IRC Chat Room, WAP website, and a Message Board.
September 2001 - GameOPS was included in a Globe Telecom newspaper ad featuring the text/sms update service. (Text GAMEOPS to 2355)
March 2002 - GameOPS shuts down due to conflicting schedules and lack of updates.
March 2007 - The idea of reviving GameOPS and converting it into a video game blog was proposed.
April 13, 2007 - GameOPS was officially relaunched as a video game blog.
May 2007 - International gaming websites such as Joystiq, Kotaku, MaxConsole, and Engadget began to link to our Pirates 'R Us articles. GameOPS received a lot of flak from another Filipino gaming community for posting articles about piracy.
April 17, 2010 - GameOPS was relaunched as a video game/technology/pop culture blog. New sections such as Featured Gamer, Nihonsei, Fanboy Fight Fest (FFF), and Retro Gaming Nights. A sub category within Globe Telecom's myGlobe Message Boards was renamed to GameOPS Tech and News Forum. This served as the new GameOPS Message Board.
June 19-20, 2010 - GameOPS joins the 9th Philippine ToyCon with 2 booths. Displayed classic video game consoles and offered free play of Duck Hunt and Street Fighter 4. GameOPS was hailed as the #1 exhibit booth.
June 18-19, 2011 - GameOPS joins the 10th Philippine ToyCon and invited Back2Gaming to join their booth. GameOPS held the first Street Fighter 4 tournament.
December 2011 - GameOPS won the Best Luzon Technology Blog award of the 2011 Philippine Blog Awards.
February 2014 - GameOPS website shuts down but continued posting news articles on our Facebook and Twitter accounts.
June 16, 2016 - The GameOPS' social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) posted a teaser on the return of the GameOPS website.
July 1, 2016 - GameOPS officially returns.
So to sum it up we were the first, we were the best, and we are back to claim the iron throne! Just kidding :P
Check out the nostalgic photos below:
(The first site layout concept of igad's GameOPS)
(igad's GameOPS Launch Notice)
(igad's GameOPS Launch Notice -2nd)
The GameOPS Launch
(igad's GameOPS 1st layout)
(igad's GameOPS 2nd layout)