Singapore - A Digital Exchange for Games
As “Asia’s Most Connected City”, Singapore
is ideally placed to play a leading role in the online games
industry. And in order to achieve this, the Infocomm Development
Authority of Singapore (IDA) is working with Singaporean companies
like Mikoshi – a Game & Platform Developer, Pacific
Wireless Solutions –a Mobile Games Developer, Teckwah
Online – a games distributor and SingTel – Singapore’s
largest telecom provider and ISP and Game Services Provider
(GSP), to build the necessary infrastructure to turn Singapore
into a “Digital Exchange for Games.”
According to the IDC Online Gaming Report, 2003, the online
games market in Asia could be as large as a billion US dollars
by 2006. The government sees the industry as a potential source
of growth. And IDA’s Games Exchange initiative has been
identified as one of the focal areas under the Digital Exchange
strategy to promote Singapore as a management and distribution
of digital games to the Asia Pacific region.
To achieve this IDA will help expose Singaporean companies to
the best ideas and technologies the world has to offer as well
as to create the necessary infrastructure in Singapore.
On March 22 – 26, 2004, IDA gave Singaporean gaming companies
a boost by taking part in the Games Development Conference (GDC)
in San Jose, USA. The GDC is the world’s premier event
for the games development industry. With over 10,000 international
delegates and 200 exhibitors, GDC is a hot house for the newest
ideas, technologies, products and services in the games development
industry.
Participating in the GDC allowed IDA to promote Singapore’s
gaming industry and digital exchange initiative to the world.
Companies from approximately eleven different countries were
given the chance understand why Singapore would be the choice
for being the digital distribution hub for the processing, management
and delivery of digital assets, including games content, to
the Asian region.
For participating local companies, participation in the GDC
was a good opportunity to develop international contacts as
well as exposure to new ideas and technologies. Said, Ms Amy
Chang, Director, Mikoishi (Asia Pacific), “The GDC is
effective in providing an update on the state of the US market,
particularly for multiplayer networked mobile games. We also
managed to meet with major US mobile network operators and US
online games providers."
Mr Edwin Low, Sales & Marketing Director, Pacific Wireless
Solutions echoed these sentiments, “It was a very good
exposure for all of us.” Mr Low also expressed how taking
part at GDC benefited Singapore, “ Without IDA's support,
I believe it will be difficult for many smaller companies to
look for opportunities in other more distant markets. There
are immeasurable benefits when attending or exhibiting at such
tradeshows"
GDC did not just allow the participating Singapore companies
to share ideas, build skills and learn about the latest tools
and technologies in the industry. For some, participation meant
making new contacts and the possibility of deals that would
enhance Singapore’s goal to be the Games Exchange in the
Asia Pacific Region. Both Mr Yeo See-Kiat, Director, Managed
Hosting Services, SingTel and Mr Jasper Tan, Director/General
Manager, Teckwah Online expressed an interest in closing deals
from the contacts that were made at the fair.
The GDC also provided IDA with the perfect location to announce
the launch of the Games Bazaar. This regional hosting platform
allows games companies, publishers and distributors to deploy
their game titles without facing time-consuming and high initial
capital costs.
This partnership between IDA, SingTel and Hewlett Packard Singapore
will greatly enhance Singapore’s role as a “ Games
Exchange.”
“We invite games players to test the regional online games
market with Singapore’s Games Bazaar,” said Mr Thomas
Lim, Director, Games and Entertainment, IDA Singapore. “Games
companies do not have to make risky capital investments in rolling
out to Asia.”
With 10Gbps of extensive and direct internet connectivity as
well as the best laws for copy right protection (PERC 2004,
Global Corruption Report, 2003) as well the capabilities of
local companies, Singapore has the potential to become a “Games
Exchange.” With IDA’s support through events like
GDC and infrastructure platforms like the Games Bazaar, there
should be no reason why Singapore does not unleash that potential
and become the “Games Exchange” for the region.
|
