MANILA, Philippines - The Game Developers Association of the Philippines and I-Café Pilipinas have teamed up to explore the possibility of developing and marketing locally made online games.

In a statement, GDAP executive director Cesar Tolentino said this partnership was expected to pave the way for a sustainable growth for both the game development and Internet café industries.

Marking the collaboration was the introduction to I-Café Pilipinas members of Bangu-Bang Mania, the country?s first locally developed online game.

Rainier Umali, president of Virtual Titania Amusement Software (ViTas) Development, the developer and publisher of Bangu-Bang Mania, said such games could provide additional revenue streams to Internet cafes.

He said the market was now looking for more diverse content than what was being offered by traditional online game bigwigs China and Korea.

Members of I-Café Pilipinas are now in the process of studying how to deploy Bangu-Bang Mania to the local market.

Apart from the business partnership, GDAP also expressed support for I-Café Pilipinas? ?Ligtas na Digital Batang Pinoy? advocacy, which sought to create materials that would teach local communities how to properly use Internet-based technologies and Internet access.

The program?s main goal is to promote the responsible use of Internet content and services.

Materials for the program would be published in the vernacular to ensure better understanding by its target audience.