8 September 2006 - Opening Speech By Mr Leong Keng Thai, Deputy Chief Executive/ Director-General (Telecoms), Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore At the Singapore Games Creation Challenge, Nanyang Polytechnic.
Opening Speech By Mr Leong Keng Thai, Deputy Chief Executive/ Director-General (Telecoms), Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore At the Singapore Games Creation Challenge on 8 September 2006, Nanyang Polytechnic.
Mr Lin Cheng Ton, Principal & CEO, Nanyang Polytechnic,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Students,
A very good afternoon.
Introduction
1. I am very happy to experience the buzz of the Singapore Games Creation Challenge, the second challenge of the National Infocomm Competition. "Games" has this magical quality - It makes us all feel young all over again, well at least for me. It is heartening to see many students like you so passionate about games creation and infocomm, especially in your quest to be crowned Infocomm Champions in the inaugural National Infocomm Competition. Today is just not about a competition. It is also about the passion, the creativity and the will to succeed. These are successful traits of an infocomm professional, and you surely have displayed them at the challenge.
2. The environment for you to thrive as a professional in the gaming industry is ripe. Consider this - the growing popularity of tournaments like World Cyber Games bears testament to the dynamic market in demand for online games and other interactive entertainment. The Singapore Games Creation Challenge is an excellent start for Singapore to groom talents for the infocomm industry, particularly in digital media development. Most important of all, games development cannot take place without infocomm. Today, infocomm plays a key role in all new innovations or discovery. With infocomm, games like Warcraft, Dawn of War, Dead or Alive 4 have been invented. You too can become the next inventor of these exciting games, and get paid for something you love doing and have fun with.
Good Prospects in the Infocomm Sector
3. There are abundant opportunities for talented and passionate individuals in infocomm. Let me share with you promising prospects of infocomm. Some of you may be aware that the government has just launched a ten-year infocomm masterplan, Intelligent Nation 2015 or iN2015. This masterplan has set bold targets to make Singapore number one in harnessing infocomm to add value to our economy. It also aims to drive a two-fold increase in the value-add of the infocomm industry to $26 billion, while generating a three-fold increase in infocomm export revenue to $60 billion. What this means is that over the next few years, more infocomm jobs will be available for you. For many of you taking part in the Games Creation Challenge, you will be pleased to know that digital media and games creation have been identified as one of the key areas of demand for talented infocomm professionals.
4. Infocomm is a powerful enabler that allows you to break down barriers and define the future. It will continue to be a strategic enabler and source of advantage as we progress into a world that is increasingly digital and connected. Infocomm now forms the backbone that enables the functioning of any industry. By 2015, Singapore is envisioned to be an intelligent nation, a globally connected city powered by infocomm. And Singapore will be developed into a global digital assets marketplace. Again, what this means is that Singapore is a digital hub where you have greater opportunities to develop and deploy your games into the global marketplace.
Kick-Start your Career in the Infocomm Industry
5. A talented manpower pool is needed to create these "Made in Singapore" products. The infocomm professional of the future will not only need to have the technical knowledge; you also need to have domain skills and business sense. This is what we call a techno-strategist. Techno-strategists are infocomm professionals who possess both technical and business expertise, and are able to integrate infocomm use within an organisation. Put that together with great communication skills, you can definitely go a long way. This is the kind of person that great companies will be looking out for.
Hone your Skills for the Infocomm Industry
6. Nanyang Polytechnic has been a great partner with IDA. I commend your efforts in developing a specialist diploma in games development. This specialist diploma is catered for infocomm professionals who are keen to pursue specialist training in games development after they have secured their diploma. I am happy to share that IDA is supportive of this new diploma because it helps to groom the infocomm manpower talents for the Digital Media & Entertainment (DME), a sector strategic to Singapore and our iN2015 Masterplan.
7. In closing, I would like to thank Nanyang Polytechnic once again for co-organising the Singapore Games Creation Challenge with IDA. I wish all students the very best in your competition.
Thank you.
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