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• PMS furryfish* commented  ·  August 24, 2011 01:33  ·  Delete

  I'm Tammy aka furryfish* from PMS|Asterisk*, an all female DotA team located in Singapore which has been around since 2004/5. Prior to DotA, I was competing on and off in CounterStrike 1.6 since 1998.
  My team has worked had to gain the respect of gamers around the world and the general public here in Singapore. It was fortunate for us that we were picked up by a female US clan called PMS and given support and sponsorship which allowed us to compete regionally - and this eventually took us to China, Shanghai where we were champions in the first female DotA clash on LAN in 2010. Digging into our own pockets to fund this trip because the sponsorship amount was insufficient wasn't a huge problem to us - my teammates faced problems with taking leave from school, and indifferent, inflexible attitudes regarding the reasons why.

  Competitive gamers are not bums, we're focussed, highly driven and many of us hold degrees and diplomas.

  http://pmsasterisk.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-are-singapore-gamers-doing-wrong.html
  The link above elaborates on the main issues we Singaporean Gamers face - we're internationally recognized, we might even have the means to travel to these events, but we can't because we cannot obtain official leave.
  We're not asking for a huge leap, even though that might be nice, we just want recognition and understanding.
  Recognition - so that we won't be accused of skiving off work/NS/school to play games,
  Understanding - so that the media focuses on the fact that playing competitively requires huge amounts of discipline and discussion instead of continuously victimising gaming.

  We're not whining, we're highly passionate and we see this as a great opportunity for us to fight for our cause. We've been pushing silently for this all these years, working to change mindsets of those around us slowly.

  And a final note to the gamers who vote - don't do it because you think it will give you an official excuse to neglect your other priorities – if that’s the case, I'd rather you saved your vote for another cause. The “rotten eggs” among us have already sullied our reputation; and its now our responsibility to change the mindsets of those around us.

• Kenneth commented  ·  August 23, 2011 23:29  ·  Delete

  [Elm] Grandmaster approves this message.

• Anonoymous2 commented  ·  August 22, 2011 14:25  ·  Delete

  Also, i did work with one group who wanted to push out gaming pubicly even using ex pro gamers coming from within singapore. but there was a lot of red tape to deal with and was scrapped.

• Anonoymous2 commented  ·  August 22, 2011 14:24  ·  Delete

  one thing also, there must be more advertisments on TV and radio for all gaming events/conventions.
  every WCG, i dont even see ONE advertisment on TV. same for WCG. most impt now is the exposure.

• Anonoymous2 commented  ·  August 22, 2011 14:20  ·  Delete

  most importantly, in other countries not only support but PAY gamers to just keep playing and training.

• Anonymous commented  ·  August 21, 2011 20:58  ·  Delete

  Across the world e-Sports continues to grow at an alarming rate - DotA2 $1,000,000 1st place prize money; IEM Season VI with $635,000 USD. In order for Singapore to join the ranks of this new, modern era where electronic gaming rules supreme in countries like South Korea, Sweden and Germany, the Government need to listen and get on board. They won't regret it.

• Gackt Eng commented  ·  August 12, 2011 00:06  ·  Delete

  My name is Gackt Eng and I just came back from EVO 2k11 which was held in the United States (specifically Las Vegas) 2 weeks ago. I participated in the game super street fighter 4 at EVO 2k11. Thanks to the sponsorship by SCOGA, I had the opportunity to participate in this international video games tournament.

  Personally, I feel that it’s ****** to get sponsorship for players who engage in video games as opposed to those players engaging in online gaming. Obviously online gaming is much more popular and it’s much easier to get sponsorship. I can understand this because indeed there is a larger population playing online games as compared to video games, which is why I am really appreciative of what SCOGA has done for me.

  Sponsorship is just one thing though, we still face other problems such as lack of proper training grounds and valid justification for leave application (be it for studies or for work). It would be really good if the Singapore Government would recognise E-sport as an official sport, so that there will be more funds available to send players overseas for international tournaments, and it would be easier to secure proper training locations for players to train. Additionally, if E-sport were to be recognised, players would be able to apply for leave through proper and official channels, and this would not be a problem anymore.

  I really hope to see E-Sports to become an official sport soon so that players that are passionate and always actively training will have a choice to be a full time gamer as an occupation.

• Dinesh ArmaniLamborghini commented  ·  August 05, 2011 07:29  ·  Delete

  Online gaming is not a good idea.. Well, firstly, we live in SINGAPORE. The cost for our electricity is way through the roof! This wastes a lot of money... Kids will tend to strain their eyes too much that they might go blind. Teenagers should get up, get out & go play!

• Terence Ting commented  ·  July 28, 2011 05:50  ·  Delete

  Let me start off by being very honest here. I want to paint a complete picture of what eSports is and the potential impact it can have on our country if it is realised. Once upon a time, gaming nearly ruined my life. I came in last in my cohort during Secondary 3 and was promptly sent to the principal's office. The reason? I had spent late nights gaming my life away.

  How things have changed since then. I first got into the gaming scene back in 2008, when I chanced upon a moderator recruitment drive at a local gaming forum. Around that time I was searching for a new purpose to life, and I thought to myself: “Why not?” I wasn’t disappointed.

  During this time, I started developing my passion for writing, a passion I had since young. As a moderator, my role slowly evolved into a writer for the website and I was soon penning news reports and contributing articles daily for the community. I also helped organize and cover local gaming events such as the World Cyber Games.

  Not long after, I joined a world-renowned eSports organization MeetYourMakers which was based in Denmark and started writing for them. Within a year, I was promoted to the Editor-in-Chief of their website, before they went bankrupt sometime early last year. They are now back and fully functioning with new owners from Germany. Such is testament to the value and longevity of an eSports brand.

  If it isn’t obvious from the depiction of my journey up there yet, a career in eSports can be rewarding in many ways. It helped me discover a new purpose in life – and contrary to what most believe, it actually helped temper my gaming addiction. Today, gaming still remains a part of my life, but it no longer has the same gripping hold over me like before.

  I won’t lie – as of yet the industry has still not matured enough to support a full-time gaming career unless you happen to work in computer gaming peripheral companies like Razer and Steelseries, or happen to be amongst the top 1 to 2% of professional gamers in the world.

  Consider this though: the eSports scene is a great place to network and get to know like-minded people, not to mention laying the foundations for an attractive portfolio in the future. Participating in initiatives like this can never hurt – you have much to gain and little to lose, and I experienced that first-hand when I got to dabble in events management and contribute my fair share of work over the last couple of years as a contracted gaming journalist.

  What’s even more impressive right now is the influx of entrepreneurial concepts in the industry. Take Sean “Day9” Plott for instance; the American gamer was awarded PC World’s “Gamer of the year 2010”, and is a famous StarCraft II shout-caster turned entrepreneur who has earned the respect and acknowledgement of the gaming community.

  Plott’s primary talent is his voice, but thanks to his shout-casting exploits, he has gained the necessary connections to support eSports in other significant ways as well.

  The American star recently launched the “After Hours Gaming League”. It is a unique concept which pits eight teams from the world's richest and most famous tech-companies against each other. Facebook, Microsoft and Google have already signed up - an encouraging sign that the world’s tech giants are investing their beliefs in the good of gaming.

  With our government starting to invest more money and recognizing the consummate need to nurture our sporting athletes such as our national table-tennis team, I have only one question: why not eSports? Afterall, it was merely three years ago when a little known group of Singaporean gamers went over to San Jose, California to compete in the Electronic Sports World Championship (ESWC, the gaming equivalent of the football World Cup).

  They took on the moniker of Zenith, which refers to “the highest point”. Staying true to their name, they proved the world wrong by beating every participating country one at a time. Their lofty ambitions were realised. Surprisingly, the grand final were contested between two of the countries least expected to make it: Singapore and Malaysia. And Zenith came out on top. We had done the hard part, but our efforts ultimately resulted in disappointment: press coverage and recognition given was minimal. Only the gaming community and a pocketful of Singaporeans were aware about the magnitude of what Zenith had actually achieved in the States.

  Zenith’s journey as a team was truly an inspiration to the local gaming community. Their exploits have proven that the world-class potential to win titles is clearly there, but still needs further tweaking.

• Terence Ting commented  ·  July 28, 2011 05:49  ·  Delete

  Winning these titles isn’t just all about the fame and glory that comes with it either; tournaments all over the globe have continually cited impressive numbers, and the Global StarCraft League is the embodiment of that. It is a professional StarCraft II league in Korea and is the highest tier of competition a professional gamer can hope to compete in his whole life.
  The IGN Pro League, hosted by popular American entertainment website IGN, is one of the more prominent online gaming events this year. Another one is the North American Star league, which boasts a staggering $400,000 in prize money over two seasons. And these numbers will likely continue to rise as more and more lucrative events are announced in time to come. No one knows for sure. But the signs are encouraging.
  
  Today, I run my own eSports organisation with a few like-minded individuals like myself. We scout and recruit some of the best local gaming talent Singapore has to offer and we agree a professional contract with them to play for us under our name.

  In return, we take care of their training schedules, logistics and other miscellaneous administration matters during tournaments. Most importantly, we provide a second home for them outside of their domestic lives. Our quality man-management skills ensure that all they need to do is focus on their daily performances and leave the rest to us.

  The gulf in class however, remains further than ever. We are nowhere near the top eSport teams competing in the market today – I can name a few off the back of my hand, such as Fnatic, SK-gaming (both top European gaming organizations) and of course, a myriad of pro-gaming teams spread across Korea (for those who are unaware Korea is the paradise of gaming and is widely regarded as where it all began). And I fear we will never be able to match them until official support and recognition is given in the form of initiatives such as this.
  
  There are many reasons why Singapore can be one of the top countries competing in eSports. Not all will be elaborated here. We may be small, but by exploring and adopting the most efficient methods to hone our talented local gamers, it is not impossible to bypass obvious restrictions such as a limited talent pool (problem every competitive sport faces anyway). eSports is an unconventional business afterall; a cybersport, and solutions can be crafted to bridge the gap.
  
  Many feel that the time for eSports to take centre stage has come. With the release of the sequel to the popular eSport title of all time, StarCraft, many have been pushing for eSports to go mainstream. Some see it as a matter of time, and a case of when, not if. And it's not just StarCraft getting the spotlight as well, as other titles like League of Legends have also been cast into the spotlight after being heavily promoted in tandem by developers and organisers alike. Communities are growing larger by the day, and a new convergence is starting to be found.

  By raising awareness of eSports in many sectors (not just the young but the general population as a whole), the possibilities are endless. It's never too early or too late. But we can start by making eSports a reality first in Singapore by voting for the “Vision 2030 eSports as a form of sport and have an eSports program in Singapore” today.

  To end off what I hope has been an insightful piece into the eSports industry, I’d like to take a quote out of my organization’s tagline to urge everyone, gamer and non-gamer alike to continue supporting our movement.

  There’s a gamer in everyone.

• Dennis Ravana Ooi commented  ·  July 25, 2011 22:47  ·  Delete

  As a former competitive gamer with 4 local WCG gold medals, I must say that I am extremely supportive of such an idea. This is especially beneficial to many young and promising medal hopefuls that Singapore has.

  Back in 2005 when I frst started gaming competitively, there was limited support from commercial and government agencies when it came to sponsorships or even getting official leave of absence to represent the nation. Many of the competitive gamers I knew actually paid out of their own pockets or approached SCOGA whom are committed to such a cause, in hopes of being able to offset their expenditure just for a chance to compete overseas against the best in the world.

  It was a difficult period for competitive gamers such as myself at that time. Besides the lack of sponsorships, suitable training locations environments and proper internet access were rare. Although things have improved significantly, a lot more can be done to really make eSports shine in Singapore.

  To bring things into perspective, I feel that this idea presented will have more success if more education is done on the grassroots level. How many Singaporeans actually know what eSports/competitive gaming is? How can we ensure that our young do not fall prey to gaming addiction?

  These are some of the questions that I have been asked and answered all the time whenever I am volunteering by giving talks and workshops at various primary and secondary schools as well as the National Library. I have been sharing my journey as a competitive gamer with many people for a long time and telling them of the ups and down I have experience as well as talking on the importance of cyber wellness and a balanced lifestyle.

  So long as gamers are able to carry themselves well and display a high level of responsibility and professionalism to the sport. It will definitely be beneficial for transforming this idea into a reality.

• jeremy Chen commented  ·  July 25, 2011 21:37  ·  Delete

  no longer a gamer but spend alot of my younger days as a gamer so 3 votes :)

• Samuel commented  ·  July 25, 2011 07:23  ·  Delete

  As a Gamer myself, I find that Singapore has lack of sponsors that are willing to sponsor.Gaming team that are willing to put their passion and effort into gaming, i have come across a few team that are passionate but spending their own money at Cybercafe supporting themselves without any sponsors, hopefully eSports scene in singapore will get a lot better soon.

• Edwin Liew commented  ·  July 25, 2011 00:25  ·  Delete

  Even war is moving into cyberspace in the form of hacks and cyber security, with the Pentagon viewing cyber attacks equivalent to an act of war on United States (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/31/pentagon-cyber-attacks-count-acts-war/) more people are required to be IT literate and proficient and e-sports promotes just that.

  Not just cyber attacks, tanks, helicopters, drones all use control systems that are exactly similar to video games. So the proficiency in using those systems could mean the difference between life and death.

• Xac commented  ·  July 24, 2011 23:36  ·  Delete

  self employ gamer can be implement in the MMORPG. As NPC and heroes are
  control in the cyber world. Venturing and searching their aim in life.

• Anonymous commented  ·  July 24, 2011 14:15  ·  Delete

  Singapore geography gives it a distinct advantage for esports, there is no barrier to LAN competitions and the scene needs to take advantage of it. Compared to the US (where I am right now) LAN tournaments have low attendance because of geographical barriers. Singapore has a great potential to be a top competing country in esports, specifically SC2 (close to Korea) and CSS.

• DoriKin Starr commented  ·  July 24, 2011 12:37  ·  Delete

  Well... we should have many gaming competitions here in Singapore... It's getting lack of gaming scenes unlike last time... Sadly the games in WCG Singapore is also getting less and not suitable for competition. The games which is suitable and many who willingly to particpate are missing in WCG are Need For Speed, Command & Conquer and some other favourite titles... Gamers who are veteran or legends should be have some spotlight in gaming news or sharing session around for newbies to learn, challenge and improve in their skills in gaming. Gamers who are willingly to go further in gaming should have some kind of training to improve themselves in top level of world competitions. And open up some trials to join in any gaming teams which is available in Singapore. Monthly gaming league should be quite interesting for all gamers here and rank them as well in the league. At least these are some of the ideas should be happening about gaming scene in Singapore

  Well... I have to say that I've been a gamer since 2005 and enter every WCG Singapore from 2005 till now and yet to reach the highest position in gaming... Once a Need For Speed gamer, now have changed to FIFA gamer because firstly, the racing scene has died down and secondly, inspiration of Mohamed Phirkhan which led me trying myself to play FIFA gaming and getting the highest position which is 4th in last year's WCG Singapore.

  Hopefully gaming scene will improve in the coming years!

• Check commented  ·  July 24, 2011 12:26  ·  Delete

  I totally agree with the previous post. Being a team manager managing teams around South East Asia, I haven’t seen an addict becoming a pro gamer as discipline is highly required for them to attain a certain level of skill.

  By chance, I was giving a local team by SCOGA to prepare them for a global tournament. In the three months, other than getting better with the game, we also equip the gamers with knowledge which related to daily life such as handling questions. In short period with the gamers, I realize that we do have talents who have great potential crowning champion and bring medals back for the country but the problems I’d encountered are hardly able the gamers but are like suitable places for the country representative to have their training without spending their own money at CyberCafe. Getting leave/ excuse for a day or two from army or school is also a big problem. Even if the gamers brought honour back, they are neither recognized nor rewarded for their efforts.

  if a proper training place is being able to be given to the local representative, not only the manager can ensure that training can be held without disturbance, events such as boot camps to strengthen physical and mental part of the gamers would be so much easier.

  Winning is never too hard if the basic needs to boost a gamer with potential is given reasonably.

• Kelvin Tan commented  ·  July 24, 2011 11:33  ·  Delete

  Great to see pro-gamers coming up and putting their testimonials.

• Neutral Gamer commented  ·  July 24, 2011 11:12  ·  Delete

  For those people who have no idea what is e-sports is about, i will enlighten you.

  E-sports is very big in countries like Korea, China and most countries in Europe. For some people who don't know what the e-sports world is like, its not those typical situation where one just sit and game the whole day.

  Professional Gamers are not hardcore gamers. We are not addicted to games. The main question here would be gaming addiction. Let me try to explain why game addiction isn't really affected here. I remember one of the SG Top gamer, Mohamed "Xtr3me3" Phirkhan, said in one of his interviews before that, "Professional gamers view competitive gaming as a sport. Professional gamers have their own lifes and spent times with their loves ones whenever they can. " One of the reason for this is that in the e-sports world, gaming titles are selected carefully for competition. The main games have always been, Starcraft 1 & 2, FIFA, Counterstrike and Warcraft. Proper games are always chosen for competitive gaming. These are games which don't require you to spend the entire day playing without sleeping. The only times you spend several hours is when you need to train for competitions (its the same for any other sports). Those gamers who are addicted are playing the wrong game and those games are not related to e-sports and never will be chosen as an official title.

  In terms of achievements for e-sports in Singapore, i shall use 2 legendary gamers in Singapore who has done us proud over the years but their efforts not being noticed by the public.

  First would be Wilson Chia. Wilson was the first ever player in Singapore to have won a medal for Singapore in WCG (World Cyber Games). World Cyber Games is the cyber olympics for gaming. Besides WCG, there are also loads of other International gaming events as well. Wilson went on to represent Singapore in various international events like Championship Gaming Series (CGS) where he became world champion for his speciality game, Dead Or Alive. As the years past, his experience in the international scene brought him to a whole new level where he became a threat year after year in the international competitive scene.

  Next up, our local soccer hero virtually, Mohamed Phirkhan. Mohamed Phirkhan is the youngest professional gamer in Asia itself. At the age of 15, he represented Singapore in WCG for FIFA. He has been representing Singapore at the international stage for so many years and is the only FIFA player in Singapore to have made it past through the group stages in WCG Grand Finals. Phirkhan then went on to represent Singapore in the Championship Gaming Series along with Wilson himself where they both and the team defy all odds to bring back the Pan Asian Championship to Singapore. In the process of doing so, he went to achieve a world record of scoring the most number of goals in normal time. In 2009, Phirkhan went over to Korea to compete in one of the most prestigious FIFA event, the Hyundai Cup. He came close to winning a hyundai car but he just lossed out to Korea in the finals and won $10,000 as a runner up. Not only that, he also defeated a Korean in the semi finals and remain as the only player in the world to defeat a Korean fifa gamer in their home country. (Korea is a powerhouse in the e-sports world).

  Think this is a sports for guys? Not really. Singapore has got their own female team as well. For Defence of the Ancient, (DOTA), we have an all female team which is actually the best in Asia. So e-sports is not only for guys. Its for girls as well.

  We do hope the government will really take the opportunity to the understand the e-sports world. In countries like Korea, and China, they even have their own gaming stadiums. Did you even know that in Korea, e-sports gamers are treated like superstars. They even have their own gaming award show to give away the best gamer of the year award and etc.

  Singapore players have done really well and have lifted our flags up high for the past few years. They need our support to fly for international events, to train and to give them the resources they need to do well. And we want them to continue lifting our flags high