The Scene

The one main issue with a developing scene in Singapore is not due to lack of financial support, nor does it have anything to do with the skill level of teams and players and/or the competition. In fact, it is due to the law in Singapore and the Government.
All male Singaporeans much join the National Service at the age of 18, which means they are to join the army for training as a Full-time National Servicemen for a minimum of 2 years. Afterwards, when the training is complete, they have to return on an annual basis for training ranging from 6 – 10 days till they reach the age of 50.

This can cause serious problems for teams that wish to attend major LAN competitions internationally; because the age limit is 18 which means young teams cannot attend due to National Service.

It’s not like these teams are not getting the sponsors either. Team Titans for example are sponsored by Intel, Shuttle and even a local Telecommunication provider in Singapore.
Likewise, thanks to Singapore being a highly technological country, the online gaming is often played with excellent ping/latency, almost as good as on a Local Area Network.

But from what we can see from the few rare appearances of Singaporean teams at international events, we can deduce that their level of gaming is not to be joked about. There is a high caliber of talent from this small country.

However, as more organizations see the business opportunity in Lion City, such as the CPL World Tour stop at Singapore, it is slowly influencing the local media, the government and other organizations into accepting e-sports as less of a tabooed activity and more of a sport.

And as these organizations continue to influence the governence of both the country and of the household, it may eventually change the way the sport is viewed in this country.

What we do know is that, when given the chance to show their talent, Singaporeans never disappoint.



Where to Next?

After a short tour around Singapore, our next stop is Malaysia! Stay tuned for the next installment of Baka Airways where we will examine the e-sports scene in South-East Asia!