Local gaming community gathers at Campus Game Fest 2016 for a weekend of fun
Local gaming community gathers at Campus Game Fest 2016 for a weekend of fun
Gamers unite
The annual Campus Game Fest has always been about promoting positive aspects of gaming like teamwork and cooperation, and this year was no different. Held at ITE College Central, this year’s event plays host to a wide range of activities, ranging from gaming competitions to a three-day LAN party that allows gamers to bring their own machines to game on.
Organized by the Singapore CyberSports & Online Gaming Association (SCOGA) and other institutions including ITE, CGF is a nexus point for youths to come together and bond over their shared passion for gaming and e-sports. Kicking off the launch of the festivities was Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community, and Youth, who took the opportunity to highlight the role of gaming in bringing together people from diverse backgrounds.
The minister also acknowledged the burgeoning e-sports scene here, saying, “The gaming community in Singapore consists of many youths like you, who are excited about growing the e-sports scene here. For example, Pokémon video gaming community The Mirage Island is hosting the Pokémon Video Game National Championships, where winners get to represent Singapore at the World Championships in San Francisco later this year.”
CGF 2016 also sees a couple of pioneering events that serve to bring out the spirit of community and giving back. One of these is the DIY PC Charity Drive, where over 500 volunteers helped obtain second-hand components donated by residents from Ang Mo Kio GRC and Sengkang West SMC. All these will go toward putting together PCs for the less fortunate, and we were able to get a peek at all the parts just lying there, waiting to be assembled!
This actually has particular resonance for the enthusiast community, which often hews to a rather frequent upgrade cycle. The charity drive is a reminder that so-called old PC parts can go toward building new systems, instead of being sold or left to gather dust in moldy storerooms.
MSI was also there to show off some of its latest products, including the GeForce GTX 1070 and 1080 Gaming X 8G, and the X99A XPower Gaming Titanium.
Then there’s the “Just Play! Bring Your Own Computer LAN Party”, dubbed as Singapore’s largest BYOC event of its kind. Gamers are able to bring their laptops and even desktops for a weekend of gaming. Having said that, we were told that participants will not be hunched over their machines throughout, and will be able to take part in physical activities like gun tag battles and street soccer (because healthy gaming).
While we were there today, it looked like many participants hadn’t yet arrived, but over 500 attendees are expected over the weekend with their fancy gaming rigs. In total, a whopping 11 to 12km of Ethernet cabling is expected to be used.
And then there are the gaming tournaments, because what gaming event would be complete without some heartfelt “GGs”? Here’s are a few that may be worth checking out, along with their schedules:
National Education Gaming Championship (NEGC) 24, 25, 26 June 10am to 6pm
The NEGC is an inter-school gaming competition open to both secondary and pre-university students. They will compete in Virtual Battlespace 2 (VBS2), a game currently used by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) for training purposes. Players will navigate a range of military scenarios and get to experience many weapons used by the SAF.
The CPL Championship (CS:GO and Dota 2) 24, 25, 26 June
Timings for these will be emailed to registered teams, and there will even be matches taking place after midnight. Matches for both games will take place throughout Sunday, with the finals to be held on Sunday.
League of Legends Showdown – Asterisk* vs. Girlaxy 25 June 4pm
While not a tournament per se, this showmatch between all-girl teams Asterisk* and Girlaxy may just be worth catching as well. Since CGF is all about community spirit and bonding, why not smash a few stereotypes along the way and temper the testosterone?
Finally, even if you can’t make it down over the weekend, you can still get in on the action through livestreams on both YouTube and Twitch.