Dated: 12 January 2011
The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) and the Serious Games Institute of United Kingdom (UK)1 today announce two initiatives that aim to create opportunities for game companies from Singapore and UK to work together –joint call-for-proposals on serious games and the set up of a Games Solution Centre in Singapore.
Through the serious games joint call-for-proposal, companies can expect to receive mentorship from the Serious Games Institute in terms of game design and research and development (R&D) as well as market access to Europe for Singapore companies and Asia for UK companies. To support this joint call-for-proposal, MDA will commit SGD $5 million or GBP 2.5 million over two years to fund selected projects.
This initiative will be a great opportunity for Singapore companies to expand its current development of serious games beyond the education sector to other sectors of the economy like healthcare and corporate learning. The deadline for submission of proposals is 30 April 2011.
The second initiative, the Games Solution Centre will see Singapore game companies benefitting from the established R&D and training capabilities of Serious Games Institute. More than 500 game developers are expected to benefit from the Games Solution Centre over the next three years. The serious games training provided will be comprehensive, from concept development, technology research to prototyping.
The Serious Games Institute will also partner Nanyang Technological University of Singapore to identify up to five students over the next two years to work on specific serious games projects in Singapore and UK.
The Games Solution Centre will be located at Mediapolis Phase Zero in Singapore, an interim prototype of the future Mediapolis@one-north2 and targeted to be ready by the second quarter of 2011.
Mr Thomas Lim, Senior Director of Interactive Media and Games from MDA, said: “We are excited to partner with the Serious Games Institute of UK to grow the serious games sector in Singapore. We hope that Singapore companies will make use of the opportunities that we have created to strengthen their expertise in creating serious games and explore new areas to further grow their business. Through this partnership, we also hope to work with UK game companies to hub their activities in Singapore, and to use Singapore as a launch pad for their ambitions in the Asian market. “
The establishment of the Games Solution Centre adds a feather to the cap of Singapore’s media sector. Over the last two decades, Singapore’s cultural diversity, pro-business environment and robust intellectual property regime have attracted global media brands to set up in Singapore. These include some 22 international cable and satellite broadcasters such as AXN, BBC and HBO. Joining these broadcasters are also top animation and games studios such as LucasFilm Animation, Electronic Arts and Rainbow S.p.A.
Mr Tim Luff, Director of Serious Games Institute of UK said: “We are very pleased to partner MDA in these exciting initiatives which we hope will catalyse the development of new serious game products in Singapore. The Serious Games Institute recognises the need to establish a key hub in Asia as a way to progress research, widen partnerships and support the growth of serious games across South East Asia. We chose to establish a dedicated hub in Singapore as we believe Singapore has the necessary resources and potential in this area.”
The United Kingdom has one of the strongest creative industries in Europe and collaborations between game companies from UK and Singapore are not unique. Recently, Digital 2.0, a leading serious games company from UK has partnered Singapore’s Rockmoon Pte Ltd to develop a series of iPhone mini-games on the subject of climate change. The games are expected to be ready by April 2011.
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1The Serious Games Institute has been a pioneer in the field of serious games. It was started in 2007 and has been working on research projects on serious games, mobile application, 3D animation and virtual worlds. Today, its research projects have resulted in new serious games products that are widely used in the areas of clinical training, obesity awareness and sexual health awareness in the UK.
2Targeted for completion by 2020, Mediapolis@one-north is a 19-hectare digital media facility in Singapore that will house soundstages with green screen capabilities, digital production and broadcast studios. It will offer fast and secure broadband connectivity that enables efficient management and distribution of digital media content and services.
Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA)
The Media Development Authority of Singapore (www.mda.gov.sg) promotes the development of vibrant and competitive film, television, radio, publishing, music, games, animation and interactive digital media industries in Singapore. It has developed an industry masterplan, Singapore Media Fusion 2015 (www.smf.sg) to advance this goal. MDA also promotes a connected society, consumer choice and a pro-business environment.
Serious Games Institute
The Serious Games Institute at Coventry University is globally recognised as a Centre of Excellence for Serious Games, Mobile Application, 3D animation and Virtual Worlds. The institute is a new model for industrial/ higher education partnerships, combining advanced research with business incubation, digital media prototyping, business clustering and sophisticated networking, training and demonstration facilities.
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