SCOGA held its inaugural E-Sports Seminar at Infocomm Experience Centre on 21 January 2012 with the Infocomm Development Authority’s (IDA) venue sponsorship. The purpose of the seminar was to improve communications and gather feedback from community leaders and stakeholders. The highlight of the day was the announcement of the Gamer Assistance Program (GAP), a SGD 20,000 fund dedicated to helping Singaporean gamers pursue their ambitions for international recognition and excellence. SCOGA contributed SGD 10,000 and Sphere Exhibits Pte Ltd, a fully-owned subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), matched SCOGA’s contribution dollar-for-dollar. SCOGA aims to continue to grow the fund over time. Details regarding applications, selection criteria, disbursement and obligations are being discussed with community leaders and stakeholders and is expected to be ready by end of Q1 2012.

Since its inception in 2008 by a group of veteran gamers, SCOGA has helped gamers fly overseas 44 times, held more than 50 public gaming events and reached over a million people in its efforts to serve gamers in Singapore. Key accomplishments over that time include SG Champs, Singapore GameFEST, Road to EVO and the soon to-be-launched eSports TV which will showcase the best of Singapore’s competitive gaming scene. eSports TV will be broadcasted from a custom-built studio for gamers, and is expected to be launched by March 2012.

For all parties interested in the fund and for more information, please email info@scoga.org.

SCOGA sends our congratulations to Asiasoft and look forward to pwnage days ahead for all local fans of Blizzard titles. More information in the press release below:

THAILAND, MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE, 19 OCTOBER 2011 – ASIASOFT CORPORATION PLC (www.asiasoft.net) today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., to distribute Blizzard Entertainment® games in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

The distribution agreement includes the bestselling games from Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo® action role-playing game series, including the upcoming Diablo III; the Warcraft® and StarCraft® real-time strategy game series, including StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty™; and World of Warcraft® and its three expansion sets, The Burning Crusade®, Wrath of the Lich King®, and Cataclysm™. 

“One of our top priorities is ensuring that our games are easily accessible to players all around the world,” said Paul Sams, chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment. “We are confident that as a leading online game services provider in Southeast Asia, Asiasoft will help us reach many new players in this growing region.”

“Blizzard Entertainment is well-known for the blockbuster entertainment experiences that they consistently deliver, and we are honoured to have acquired the distribution rights for their games in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore,” said Mr Sherman Tan, Chairman of Asiasoft Corporation PLC. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to provide more quality games to players in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.”

For more information on these games, please visit http://sea.blizzard.com.

About Asiasoft Corporation Public Company Limited
Asiasoft (http://www.asiasoft.net/) is a leading online game operator enjoying a dominant market share in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. The Company’s affiliates are involved in international investment for online games publishing and development, as well as game portal services (www.playpark.com) including others IT related business. With 31 enjoyable and interactive online games from all over the world and more than 35 million registered IDs.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes thirteen #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.

SCOGA is supporting the Health Promotion Board for this Starhub cyber wellness event:

Join us for a day of fun and discovery at the Smart Security Carnival! Find out how you protect all that you love from the cyber-world. Learn how to protect your privacy and data from cyber-criminals and create a safer home through our workshops by a panel of distinguished speakers, product showcases and games. Mark your calendar today!

Workshop Details:
• Date: 16 and 17 July
• Time: 2pm and 3pm
• Venue: National Library Building, The Plaza (Level 1), 100 Victoria Street

*First 50 registered participants for each workshop will receive a goodie bag, which will be given out at the registration counter on the day of the workshop. Participants are required to be seated 10 minutes prior to the start of every workshop. Seats are allocated based on first-come-first-serve basis.

SINGAPORE, April 28, 2011 – Dell is reinforcing its Alienware brand in the Singapore gaming scene today with the launch the all-new 14-inch M14x laptop and new refreshes to popular M11x and M17x.

In addition, the company is also unveiling its first-ever Alienware Concept Store in Southeast Asia in celebration of its fifth anniversary as part of the Dell family.

New Gaming Experiences Built for You

For gamers seeking a mobile HD gaming experience who want a balance of performance and mobility, the new 14-inch M14x offers the best of both worlds. Weighing in at less than 6.5lbs, the M14x features full-voltage second-generation four- and two-core Intel Core i CPUs, discrete graphics and an optical disk drive. Additionally, the M14x offers updated graphics featuring the NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M with up to 3GB of graphics memory.

For the truly mobile gamer, the M11x has long been a favorite, but now it’s even better!  New improvements to the popular M11x include second-generation Intel Core i processors with Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, updated graphics featuring the NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M. The latest M11x also features a soft touch finish with a new Nebula Red option.

The new M17x is Alienware’s first 3D capable gaming laptop, offering a realistic, lifelike, mobile gaming experience in a 17-inch display.  With its available full HD 120Hz 3D display, the new M17x offers eye-popping stereoscopic viewing for today’s most realistic gaming and mind-blowing 3D Blu-ray movie experiences.

“If you’re a gamer, you’re going to love our new family of laptops, which deliver on the features gamers care most about – uncompromised graphics performance, latency-free wireless HD streaming to HDTVs, and lifelike 3D gaming,” said Deepak Wagh, General Manager, Consumer and Small Business, Dell Singapore. “We are committed to delivering the best gaming systems for enthusiasts everywhere and we take great pride in helping them ‘pwn’, no matter where they are in the world.”

These newly launched laptops represent the most-significant expansion in Alienware’s portfolio in several years. All three platforms offer the latest in gaming technology to deliver the most immersive high-performance gaming experience imaginable.

Connecting Consumers with the Best of Alienware offerings

Designed to give shoppers a chance to experience the best of Alienware and its partners, the first ever Alienware Concept Store in Southeast Asia offers customers a full range of Alienware desktops and laptops, and selection of third party accessories and software.

“Our customers have told us they want more choice, better experience and service when shopping for a new gaming machine,” said Deepak. “We want to bring the entire gaming experience to our consumers, engage directly with them and improve the experience of purchasing. We want to showcase what’s possible with our Alienware offerings.”

Celebrating the fifth anniversary

This month also marks a milestone as Alienware celebrates its five-year anniversary as part of the Dell family. The brand has a rich history of innovation and delivering solutions that delight gamers and performance enthusiasts around the world. Since its acquisition by Dell, Alienware has expanded to provide not just award-winning gaming systems, but the entire immersive gaming experience to a global fan base through major retailers worldwide, its online community portal (www.alienwarearena.com), and collaborations with gaming partners.

As part of the celebrations, Alienware will be hosting a roadshow event at Suntec City Mall on 29 April – 1 May. Consumers can look forward to a weekend of fun-filled activities including:

• The Season One Qualifier Finals of the League of Legends gaming tournament in partnership with Garena
• A charity auction hosted by Class 95 deejays Glenn Ong and Vernetta Lopez. All proceeds collected will be donated to ‘Operation Smile’
• A face-off gaming challenge with popular gaming blogger Sheylara
• Exclusive promotions on all Alienware products

About Dell

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more. For more information, visit www.dell.com.sg.

Singapore Computer Society Talk on Online Gaming Industry Opportunities. Please click here to register.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Mr Raymond Wong, General Manager of Tecmo Koei Singapore Pte Ltd talk about the business of making games and the opportunities you have in joining this exciting industry!

Event Details

Date    :  29 March 2011, Tuesday

Time     :  5.30pm to 7.30pm

Venue  :  SCS Resource Centre

53 Neil Road

Singapore 088891

Please click here to register.

Singapore Game Box Inter-Tiertary Challenge 2011, Champions - Nanyang Polytechic

Saturday, 19 March 2011 – The first-ever Singapore Game Box Inter-Tertiary Challenge winners were announced today after more than six hours of intense gaming in the grand finals of the competition. Four teams represented their respective tertiary institutions – DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore, Nanyang Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic – to pit their gaming skills, knowledge and dexterity against each other in the final round of competition for the Challenge title.

The team from Nanyang Polytechnic emerged as champion to win the top prize of $3,000 in cash.  The teams from Singapore Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic were the first and second runners-up, winning cash awards of $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.

The prize ceremony was officiated by guest-of-honour Mr Seah Kian Peng, Member of Parliament for Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC), together with Mr Thomas Lim, Senior Director, Interactive Media and Games, Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) and Mr Nicholas Aaron Khoo, Co-Founder & Chairman, Singapore’s Cybersports and Online Gaming Association (SCOGA).

The Singapore Game Box Inter-Tertiary Challenge is one of the largest competitions for local games held at the tertiary level. Organised by SCOGA with the support of MDA, it aims to promote a spirit of competition and e-sportsmanship amongst youths, as well as help local developers gather direct feedback from gamers to further enhance their game design. This challenge also exposes more Singaporeans to Made-In-Singapore games, amongst which are several award–winning titles.

The Challenge attracted more than 100 participants from various tertiary institutions in the qualifying rounds which were played following its launch in November 2010.

The teams competed in five exciting developed-in-Singapore games (see descriptions below):

-       CarneyVale: Showtime

-       OrCganic eXtreme

-       Rocketbirds: Revolution!

-       Straw Hat Samurai 2

-       Tactics Anthem Online

The Singapore Game Box Inter-Tertiary Challenge was held at the nex Mall, in conjunction with Media Fiesta 2011. It is the third anchor event in this year’s Media Fiesta which is hosted by Media Development Authority to promote the discerning and responsible use of media, deepen appreciation for made-by-Singapore media content, services and applications, as well as allow Singaporeans to embrace emerging media technologies for work, learning and play.

Mixing Gaming & Chemistry: An Exhibition Match with a Difference

To highlight the important role that gaming can play in education, the evening’s program also included an exhibition match of OrCganic Reactrics between two teams from Anderson Junior College and River Valley High School. OrCganic Reactrics is a multiplayer, role-playing game for Junior College students to enhance their learning of Organic Chemistry.

The two teams were the winners of the inter-school competition of OrCganic Reactrics held on 12 March, which saw participation from 31 teams representing 14 junior colleges and Integrated Programme (IP) schools. Supported by SCOGA, the OrCganic Reactrics gaming event also featured a cyber-wellness exhibition to help students and educators understand gaming addiction and the importance of a balanced lifestyle.

Media Fiesta presents Anchor Events throughout March

As part of Media Fiesta 2011, participants at the Gaming event at nex mall were able to try out new locally developed games and discover innovative computer, video and mobile applications and services aimed at providing new avenues for work, learning and play.

Following this Singapore Game Box event, the next and final anchor event for the Media Fiesta is Singapore Movies Under The Stars (26-27 March, *SCAPE), which will feature an outdoor screening of classic and recent local films.

Media Fiesta 2011 is a month-long festival offering interactive media activities, experiential games, as well as a showcase of local talent and media offerings via the Media Transformer roving exhibition. With the theme of “Celebrate and Discover Media”, Media Fiesta 2011 is hosted by the Media Development Authority, and organised by Pico Art International Pte Ltd. For more information on Media Fiesta, visit www.mediafiesta.sg or www.facebook.com/mediafiesta

The Alienware Arena Asia League 2010 is an on-site tournament that gathers top DotA gamers in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore to compete for an Asian championship title.

The qualifying rounds in Indonesia, Malaysia & Thailand took place on 27th and 28th of November and the winners are:

· Indonesia: Alienware Olympus DiGi
· Malaysia: PtR
· Thailand: Roccat-Trust

The respective country winning teams have won themselves an all-expenses paid trip to Singapore where they will compete in the grand finals for a chance to win up to S$3000 in cash on the 15th of December 2010 at Funan DigitalLife Mall.

The inaugural Alienware Arena Asia League is a physical extension of the Alienware Arena online tournament platform.

The Singapore qualifiers will take place on 13th & 14th December at the atrium of Funan DigitalLife Mall from 11am onwards to pick our best gamers.

The Asian grand finals will take place on 15th December from 11am at Funan DigitalLife Mall.

Dear all,

For all of you who have been writing to and talking to us about joining SCOGA, you’d be glad to know that SCOGA is recruiting!

We are looking for a passionate person like yourself, who wants to make a difference in the local gaming scene, to join us!

Do write in to nicholas@scoga.org and tell us about yourself with basic information like your age, what you are currently doing now (school, NS, working, where), how you are involving in gaming, and why you want to volunteer with SCOGA!

UPDATE: We thought we provide more information from feedback from the queries. We are interested in:

1. People who have some time and don’t mind to use it to serve the community.
2. People who want to make a difference in their game communities, especially community leaders.
3. People who have skills like design, networking, etc who want to use it to serve the games scene.

If you are not sure if you are suitable, don’t hesitate, just write in!

This is not a separate graphics card with a GPU, neither is it integrated graphics as we have come to know it. It’s graphics on the processor itself, also known as System on Chip (SoC). Over at the Intel Developer Forum here in San Francisco, this StarCraft II (SC2) demo showcased the next generation processor codenamed "Sandy Bridge", compared against discrete graphics which is basically a separate GPU as gamers are more accustomed to. See and believe.

Intel did not reveal too much details about the pricing and availability of this processor which should be launched as second generation to the current Core i series processors in the market. Good news with Intel is, you won’t have to wait 12 years for it like you waited for SC2.

Originally posted on CNET Asia.

From 14th April to 15th May 2009, the (Singapore) Cybersports and Online Gaming Association, more popularly known as SCOGA, visited twelve schools with the cyber wellness and healthy gaming message, supported by the National Youth Council and National Committee on Youth Guidance and Rehabilitation (NYGR). Enlisting the help of SPHere Exhibits (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings), Asiasoft Corporation, Symantec, and AMD, these visits were an outreach and run up to the gaming and electronics festival Licence2Play which drew a crowd of 250,000 over 22-24th May 2009 at SUNTEC Convention.

In the school talks, SCOGA reached out to students as young as secondary one to ITE, Polytechnic and Junior College, engaging a total of 7,000 students in more interactive talk formats, addressing one of the issues closest to the students’ hearts, video games!

The main speaker was Mr. Dennis Ooi, SCOGA Secretary and four-time World Cyber Games Singapore Gold Medalist for Dawn of War and Command & Conquer 3. Speaking to students from a veteran who has touched the pinnacle of competitive gaming, he was supported by Jacqueline Lok, a massively-multiplayer online gaming (MMOG) fan working in the gaming industry.

Coming from two rather different gaming perspectives, one from competitive gaming and one from the online gaming industry, Dennis and Jacqueline discussed topics like internet and gaming addiction, netiquette, how to handle cyber bullying, real issues regarding copyright and intellectual property, the dangers of online buying and selling, being more ‘street-smart’ online, and achieving a balanced lifestyle.

As Dennis and Jacqueline shared about career opportunities in the gaming industry, the point was driven home to students that if they want to have a viable career in the gaming industry, a diploma and degree is the minimum qualifications needed and thus students should stay in school and study hard if they see themselves having a career in this exciting industry.

Overall, the talks were very well received as we recorded more than 87.8% positive responses out of 2,478 students surveyed to all aspects of the talks. More than 20% of the survey respondents also indicated that they wanted to learn more about topics like professional gaming, internet safety, and time management. SCOGA has learnt a lot from conducting these talks and we are excitedly looking forward to do more in the area of cyber wellness for gamers again! Watch www.SCOGA.org for our future updates