But in Singapore last week, Games Convention Asia drew 102,500 attendees during four days of business and public exhibition. That total number might not be as large: but consider if you will, the population of greater Tokyo is 12.7 million people while the entire population of island-nation Singapore is 4.7 million people.

Singapore seems to have an events culture where something is always going on. Inside the massive Suntec Centre you might find a food fair on one floor, shoe sales, and a games convention that posts highers number than Seattle's annual Penny Arcade Expo.

There's a crowd at the top of the escalators, and the first thing you hear is the whir of cameras as attendees snap photos of cosplayers. Stormtroopers are posing for photos, too, and inside you're handed an ice-cold bottle of Coke Zero as you browse the exhibits.

It's almost like a home and garden show, where you can buy games and merchandise in addition to previewing an upcoming game like Borderlands. Admission is free, and organizers say they learned to adapt the idea of Asian gameplay, because the local audience expected something to buy. Not just the experience, but also a game they can take home.

Electronic Arts has a booth, which sells The Beatles: Rock Band and the latest FIFA game, and Nintendo is represented by their local distributor. Sony exhibited in a previous year, but this year Sony and Nintendo are only participating in the business side of the show where developers and publishers have private meetings.

"Next year, we expect a little more, once the economy is picking up," says Jorg Zeissig, from Leipziger Messe International. LMI, incidentally, is the same company behind the popular Games Convention event from Leipzig. While that show is now overshadowed by Cologne's Gamescom, they have found some traction in Singapore

Christopher Thompson, general manager for Electronic Arts in Asia, says this has been a unique year for shows. Tokyo Game Show is about platforms, and Asia needs a neutral show. His point is proved by the variety of both platforms and business models represented on the show floor. According to Thompson, Singapore has "a good gaming culture," and is also a highly profitable market.

"It's not easy to compare them, because it's a totally different concept," Zeissig says, when asked compare Games Convention Asia and the Tokyo Game Show.

Tokyo is great in terms of media announcements from the Japanese publishers, and it's good to attract visitors from all over Japan, but basically the show is made for the Japanese market, believes Zeissig.

According to Zeissig, the goal of the show is to bring international business and trade visitors to Singapore, which is set up for opportunities between creative minds, developers, and publishers. Next year, he plans for more exhibitors and more content to be showcased and more announcements to be made on the show floor.

Games Convention Asia features an international developer conference, and partnered with the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences to host the first DICE Summit Asia, which drew inspirational speakers like Demigod designer Chris Taylor, and PaRappa the Rapper creator Masaya Matsuura.

"You do see diversity on the show floor, in the conference as well, that you don't see anywhere else at this point in the entire region," Zeissig notes. Not only is there Singaporean content, and participation from nearby Malaysia and Indonesia, but China, Korea, and Australia, as well.

Nabi Studios, a Singapore-based developer was showcasing Toribash, which will be released by Nintendo in the fourth-quarter of 2009. The game, subtitled "Violence Perfected," is a turn-based fighting game that has ragdoll robots trying to decapitate each other using rock-paper-scissors moves. Toribash started as a free-to-play PC, and expects further success on the WiiWare platform this Christmas.

Besides demos, local visitors get to participate in regional tournaments - this year saw the launch of the One Asia Cup. Sponsored by a powerful local publisher and operator, IAH Games, the tourney featured $100,000 in cash and prizes for players of EA Sports' FIFA Online 2 and drew teams from across Southeast Asia.

And it seems that, locally, cosplay is an important part of playing games - as one resident noted, there isn't much to do in Singapore, and this fosters creativity, offering an outlet to those who make their own costumes.

While the on-stage contest at the close of Games Convention Asia offered the winner a trip to Australia to compete in the grand finals of the Asia Pacific Cosplay Championship 2009, the high-energy emcee took the opportunity to evangelize his audience, urging mommy and daddy to support their children's interest in developing costumes.

The audience remained exceptionally well-behaved and polite, even with the raucous emcee singing the theme from Ghostbusters to a pair of shy female contests representing characters from the recent Atari game.

But the emotions surfaced when the audience started singing along to the Village People's YMCA, as sung by a cosplayer representing Major Armstrong from Square Enix's Fullmetal Alchemist adaptations.

If there's a lesson to be learned from Games Convention Asia, it's simply that gamers want to gather each year for an event that celebrates interactive entertainment. They don't need major announcements about hardware pricing, nor do they need to preview every title from next year's slate.

The game industry looks to E3 and TGS for big news. They look to PAX because it's highly anticipated by the fans. There's something significant at these shows.

And yet, Games Convention Asia suggests that, in the future, hundreds of thousands of gamers in the major cities of the world will be satisfied with an annual festival to celebrate games - even without significant announcements and revelations and celebrities. GCA showcases games as just a normal part of life

And the spreading normalization of games culture might be the most significant thing to come out of this Singapore show.

A story from The Straits Times focuses on 16-year-old Sean Lee, who runs a pirate server out of his bedroom, allowing players to access the pay portions of the game without actually paying. Needless to say, pirate servers are extremely popular with the kids.

'Some items in games are rare and impossible to get on the official server,' said 15-year-old Melissa Ong. 'On a private server, I get the chance to obtain it and test it out.'

Apparently someone is missing the point here. Either way, plucky or not, Sean Lee's server is probably not long for this world.

'We are currently working with developers to take action against the service providers of private servers,' said Mr Ng Kok Khwang, marketing director of AsiaSoft Online.

Lee states that if he receives a warning letter he will shut down immediately, though he worries about letting his community down. I'm not sure if I should be proud of his dedication or upset about the whole law-breaking thing.

Home-run online game servers risk legal action [Asia One Digital]

SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT HONG KONG LIMITED ANNOUNCES 3D ONLINE-USER COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR PLAYSTATION®3– 「PLAYSTATION®HOME」 COMING TO HONG KONG, SINGAPORE AND TAIWAN IN FALL 2008

CLOSED BETA TESTING FOR 「PLAYSTATION®HOME」WILL START FROM MID-SEPTEMBER 2008

Sony Computer Entertainment Hong Kong Limited (SCEH) today announced that the unveiling of a first-of-its-kind 3D online community service for the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system would be available for Hong Kong , Singapore and Taiwan region PLAYSTATION®Network users.

PlayStation®Home is the online community service on PLAYSTATION®Network. It is an evolving online social gaming service built for PS3™ users to meet and share gaming experiences. With an avatar uniquely customized according to each user’s preference, users can explore the 3D community which includes custom spaces dedicated to specific games, press releases on kotaku, event spaces or personal apartments. Each user is assigned an apartment in PlayStation®Home where they can invite others to join them as they show off their own style in an area they can personalize themselves with furniture and other items. Very rich interactive communication with others is achieved through built in text, audio chat, along with sophisticated emotional animations for each character.

PlayStation®Home official website for Asia is now available at The Closed Beta testing for PlayStation®Home will be starting from Mid-September 2008. SCEH would like to invite Hong Kong and Singapore users to participate in the Closed Beta testing. The details will be available on the official website from August 29, 2008.

SCEH will continue to further expand PS3 users’ gaming experience and create a new world of computer entertainment by offering the high quality of the world of PlayStation®Home towards the Open Beta Service in this fall along with more and more attractive PS3 software titles which will be available le in the market

A 41-year-old woman in Singapore claims she was duped into paying SGD$1000 (US$722) for a PSP. The woman, who is named as simply "Nicole", priced the Sony portable in various shops, noting it ranged between the equivalent of US$217 and US$434. She visited a shop owned by Yeow Tat Trading Enterprises, telling the friendly and helpful clerk that she was looking for a PSP for her daughter.

The clerk supposedly told her that while the games were free of charge, the woman needed to pay for the PSP hardware and software upgrading license. The bill? SGD$3,500 (US$2,530). Says Nicole: "I was shocked. I thought he had written an extra zero by mistake... I told him that if the upgraded PSP was going to cost as much as a laptop, I might as well get my daughter a laptop." Then the clerk reduced the price to SGD$3,100 and then down to SGD$2,610, saying it wouldn't have the anti-virus software.

When the woman asked why other shops didn't charge as much, the store clerk replied that those stores were selling PSPs that did not have original licenses for the software. Convinced, she paid SGD$2,600 (US$1,880), but went back the next day after her brother told her she overpaid. She asked to see the licenses for the software, but was told they were confidential. The store agreed to wave the service charge. The woman ended up paying SGD$1,000 (US$722) after getting a SGD$1,600 discount. Says the woman:

It was still very expensive but I did not want to waste time... All the while, the sales assistant had an innocent face, and was helpful and appeared sincere... My friends all say I'm so stupid.

Pretty sure more than your friends are saying that, Nicole.

Woman pays $2,600 for 'upgraded' PSP [The Electric New Paper via PSP Fanboy]

KOEI Entertainment Singapore Pte Ltd today announced that its inaugural production, Romance of the Three Kingdoms Online (English working title), has been launched in Japan on 29th February 2008. This is an all-new Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) offering players a chance to experience life during the historic 2nd and 3rd centuries of China's Han Dynasty.

KOEI was one of the first major global game developers to begin game development operations in Singapore. The epic adventure, Romance of the Three Kingdoms Online is KOEI Entertainment Singapore's debut title, and promises to be Singapore's first blockbuster in the interactive digital media industry.

"Singapore is a dynamic and vibrant city with a talented, highly-motivated and diverse workforce," said Mrs. Keiko Erikawa, the Founder & Chairman Emeritus of KOEI. "Singapore's positioning as a global media hub is coherent with our vision to provide exciting online content for the global markets."

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms Online is the first Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) which is developed in Singapore. Koei is a recognised leader in games and we are proud that Koei's Singapore team has contributed to the company's pioneering game development reputation. This is a landmark development which underscores Singapore's reputation as an Interactive & Digital Media capital, where creations are made for global consumption," said Mr Manohar Khiatani, Assistant Managing Director, Singapore Economic Development Board.

Since its inception KOEI Entertainment Singapore Pte Ltd has invested heavily into training the local workforce. It has also ignited the dreams of creative talent with a passion for developing games and created new types of job opportunities in the new digital media industry.

The highly-anticipated launch of Romance of the Three Kingdoms Online comes after successful customer trials in Japan. The game will be available initially in Japan, followed by localized launches in select territories around the world.

"KOEI's Romance of the Three Kingdoms series is a phenomenon that has captured the imaginations of gamers around the globe," said Mr. Kenji Matsubara, President and Chief Operating Officer of KOEI. "With Romance of the Three Kingdoms Online, KOEI Entertainment Singapore has created a new way to explore this rich episode in Chinese history. Gamers will not only find new ways to interact with this legendary world, but also new ways to interact with each other."

The Board of Film Censors (BFC) said in a statement on Friday evening that it will selectively use games ratings to 'enable highly anticipated games to be launched in Singapore' until it puts in place a games classification system in January.

The claim to be using the game as an example of the effectiveness of the upcoming games rating system for the games industry and the public at large, but we know better. Come on MDA, it's natural to have these feelings. It's part of growing up. A beautiful thing.

MDA lifts ban on game with same-sex love scene [The Straits Times via GameAxis]
Thanks Tan!

REPEAL 177@55 3FF3C7 [via cvg]

"Game mission can teach gamers Chinese philosophy," said Tan Teck Seng, CEO of iG-Interactive Sdn Bhd, adding that the quizzes in the game will also be localized for the local gamers.

Chinese online games have developed speedily in the recent 10 years, which are benefit from the hardworking personnel of science and technology and the support of the government, said Gu Hongxing, first secretary and head, cultural office of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia.

I love poorly translated press releases. The interesting part about all of this is that Chinese developers are really ramping up international efforts - it was a big week for several companies. I wonder when this stuff will hit the US, if ever?

Chinese online game to be launched in Malaysia [Xinhua]

In an attempt to boost and diversify the Singaporean economy, the government is offering up to $227,000 to 10 development teams to fund casual games. 'Heavy hitters' in the casual game development world like PlayFirst and Big Fish Games will be advising local teams.

With other Asian countries rising to prominence in the game development arena, it's no surprise that countries less recognized for their game industry would want a piece of the pie. Even if it is "just" a piece of the casual games market.

Singapore Funds Game Development [AP via Forbes]

Raising children is easy. If I can do it — Better yet, if Crecente can do it, anyone can. Even Tiffany! Come On Baby, which is hitting UK cell phones soon-ish, is Cooking Mama, but with children and no knifes. The game stars buxom Tiffany, who has just started up her own nursery. Players must change diapers, feed babies and boiling milk to turn her nursery into a "five star baby motel." The game's publisher Ozura proclaims it is:

The world's first mobile infant game.

Well, congratulations. Have a cigar. Brian Ashcraft

New Mobile Games [The Guardian]

Seriously. Microsoft pulls out the annoying with its WHATS WRONG WITH U campaign aimed at Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea. A click on the English language Korean version pulls up the following question:

Xbox has got it all!
What more are you looking for?

Select from these choices:

• GREAT JAPANESE GAMES
• ABILITY TO PLAY WITH FRIENDS
• SIMPLE ONLINE GAMEPLAY
• BLOCKBUSTER TITLES
• AWESOME GAMING EXPERIENCE
• LOOKS COOL

*space*

• NONE OF THE ABOVE

Entering one of them pulls up a market research study. There are downloadable Xbox 360 icons, wallpaper and emoticons. A giant Xbox 360 with ribbon and a pricetag also pops up. Wow, talk about a hard sell. It's like they've hired the marketing people that Sony fired. I mean Microsoft, what's wrong with you? Brian Ashcraft

New Marketing Campaign For Asia [Official Site, Thanks PeSa!]

Confession: I want a Mini Cooper. Passé, I know. Even this horribly gaudy/tacky Xbox 360-mobile that popped up in Singapore contest looks pretty neat. The car was driven around the country and parked in secret locations. Folks who spotted it got a chance to compete for Project Gotham Racing 3 goodies, but not the Cooper. No Mini? Come on. Brian Ashcraft

The Controller On the Hood Is Odd [Xbox 360 Fanboy]

With cell phone game Lave Kroft, unscrupulously ballsy Singaporean publisher Ozura Mobile has drawn the legal eye of Lara Kroft maker Eidos.

"We have contacted our legal department and brand team who are currently investigating the matter," said Eidos.

According to Ozura's site, 26 year-old Lava is "a new age woman with exceptional thirst for adventure has discovered some of the most intriguing and mystical treasures in the world." Hey, that sounds like Lara Kroft!

No, wait. Ozura's VP of marketing, H.E. Mah says:

The game consists of appealing storyline and [a] distinctive gaming atmosphere.

Well look at the big bullshit on Mr. Mah. Eidos is thinking about whether to take these bastards to court, while Ozura's crack-team figures out how to bring exciting new titles like Soup or Murio Bros. to Singaporean cell phones. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Games Industry]

Thanks to this Microsoft English language page, folks have been assuming Tetsuya Mizuguchi's RPG Nintey Nine Nights is hitting the States June 9th. Wrong, the release date is for Singapore. Game site Siliconera points out that the URL clearly says /zh-SG/ for Singapore and not /en-US/ for America. At E3, Mizuguchi hinted the game would be out in North America in either August or September. Until then, wait.

More Here [Siliconera]

Microsoft has hidden five Xbox 360s around Singapore in an island-wide treasure hunt ironically called "Where is My 360." Singaporeans go to the MSoft site to view the live, vague webcam feed and decipher each console's secret location. They tend race to that location and pound each other silly in a fight to the death for the next-gen machine. So far, two 360s have been found. Contest ends April 30th or when all five have been unearthed. "Where is my 360?" American consumers have been wondering that for months, Microsoft.

More Here [GameAxis] Thanks, Aarron!

This week, the Xbox 360 launched in Singapore, and Microsoft kicked off things at the Red Dot Museum. MTV VJ Denise Keller hosted the festivities which included giveaways, green backlighting, a Joanna Dark impersonator and tons of Singaporeans. Shockingly, there wasn't a 360 branded vehicle in sight.

Singapore Launch [GameAxis] Thanks, Aaron!

The UK leg of the WCG is throwing down the mitten today (midday) at London's NamcoStation, nestled on the London's South Bank.

There's an incredible prize up for a member of the public too - if you're any good at Need For Speed Underground 2, get down there, because the person with the best score at the end of the day gets to go to Singapore for an all-expenses paid trip with the UK WCG team! Yup - you'd be the UK's Need For Speed Pro Gamer (at least for a week!).

Starts in 90 minutes!