Esports Academy announces collaboration with Twitch, Riot Games, Informatics, NUS EI Lab, and Valencia Club de Fútbol, for new initiatives
Singapore: 20 April 2017 – The growing market value of esports overseas has prompted (Singapore) Cybersports & Online Gaming Association (SCOGA) to sign three agreements which will open a new vista for Singapore’s gaming community. This move will identify and train gamers like professional athletes and develop career opportunities for locals to be commentators, trainers and coaches for the whole gaming industry.
Kelvin Tan, President and Co-founder of SCOGA, said: “In our Esports Academy, we use competitive video games to teach skills such as leadership, team work and communications. We hope that this prepares them for the jobs of the future and help them achieve their aspirations. Recently, one of our academy trainees, Justin Bersamin drew more than 4,000 total views per session while streaming. Daryl Koh aka iceiceice, the top Singaporean earner in esports has won over US$1 million in prize money.”
The Esports Academy, supported by the National Youth Council, aims to build a career path for Singapore gaming enthusiasts by providing training to more than 2,000 Singapore youths in various aspects of esports, peak performance and soft skills. It will engage more than 50,000 youths initially through game festivals, events and academy programmes.
SCOGA signs MOU with Informatics Academy today to launch an Esports Academy
Informatics, being one of the leaders in IT education, sees an opportunity in this growing esports industry and believes that good resource and management can help Singapore reap the benefits efficiently.
Dr Charles Ling, Chief Operating Officer of Informatics Education Ltd, said: “We recognise the potential growth of the esports industry on a global scale and there is a possibility of making a career out of it. Informatics’ approach to grooming future talents is to provide a nurturing environment and learning opportunities. Our partnership with SCOGA on the Esports Academy will help to identify talent pools to build professional career paths and develop them to become e-athletes of world-class standard.”
SCOGA signs a partnership with Twitch
Twitch, the world’s leading social video platform and community for gamers and creators, attracts close to 10 million visitors each day, with each person spending an average of 106 minutes watching the platform daily. Young people can now build viable careers as sportscasters and presenters, in addition to esports trainers and gamers, as SCOGA and Twitch co-create a talent development programme to fast track trainees to become Twitch Partners (https://www.twitch.tv/p/partners).
Twitch will also create opportunities on its platform for the talent development programme graduates and provide support for the National Esports League which is to be launched in the coming weeks.
Raiford Cockfield III, Director of APAC Partnerships at Twitch said, “We are looking to support the region by investing in the Singaporean esports scene and by providing local content creators with the opportunity to make a living on our platform. The landscape is very competitive, but we see great potential in the local community and are really looking forward to working with serious local partners.”
SCOGA signs a MOU with NUS and Emosis Pte Ltd
SCOGA will collaborate with NUS EI Lab and Emosis to test a brainwave-sensing wearable headband that can detect and monitor the user’s anxiety levels in real time. SCOGA will also collaborate with NUS EI Lab in developing future products in the area of esports.
Assistant Professor Raye Yeow, Head of EI Lab said: “By allowing professional gamers to monitor their anxiety state in real-time, it provides them with greater awareness of their tension level during gameplay. This is expected to improve their performance, particularly in response to anxiety-inducing in-game events.”
Riot Games
Having reached out to Riot Games, developer of League of Legends, Benjamin Pommeraud, General Manager – Singapore & Malaysia at Riot Games, said: “It is fantastic to see SCOGA and the National Youth Council recognise the global impact of esports and nurture talented gamers in Singapore through a structured training curriculum.”
MOU discussions with Valencia Club de Fútbol (VCF)
SCOGA is also in discussions with Spanish football club Valencia Club de Fútbol to tap and learn from their knowledge and experience of running a professional sports organisation and youth academy. VCF is also the first club in the Spanish first division to have a dedicated esports section participating in various popular games. The collaboration will also see Singaporean gamers visiting VCF’s facilities and having the opportunity to speak with VCF staff involved in football training and eSports programmes.
About Esports Academy
SCOGA’s vision for the Esports Academy involves creating a centre of excellence around esports and youth leadership. Supported by the National Youth Council, the academy aims to equip youths with skills such as leadership, team work and communication to strive towards their aspirations and grow in their careers. The academy deploys a learn-by- playing approach by using competitive video games to create the learning environment. The academy also uses peer learning methods of training, by creating opportunities for esports celebrities to interact with youth trainees, allowing them to cross share experiences and tell stories. SCOGA also promotes youth volunteerism by creating opportunities for academy alumnus to give back to their communities and the community at large.