"Shots fired all round as the medic run up the building to provide medical assistance to the section commander that was shot by an enemy sniper. With the BMS, the medic was able to locate the section commander and provide immediate medical attention. Suddenly, the building resounded with a loud bang and the medic was knocked off his feet. Lying on the ground, he saw the enemy troops running pass him and up towards the remainder of his unit on the 3rd level..."
This is not a scene from the latest war movie of Hollywood or some best-selling novel, but actions that took place from the 24 - 27 November 2010 at the D'Marquee, Downtown East.
Yes, combat actions happened at Downtown East and your eyes did not deceive you. However, all those actions took place as part of the inaugural National Education Gaming Championship (NEGC), the first gaming competition organised by Nexus, Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and supported by the Ministry of Education to engage youths in National Education through gaming.
A total of 64 teams representing 38 secondary schools, ITEs and polytechnics registered for NEGC 2010, where Virtual Battlespace 2 (VBS2) is the official game used. VBS2 is a PC-based virtual simulation training software used to train the 3rd Generation Army in the Singapore Armed Forces.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Guest-of-Honor, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Mr Teo Chee Hean, said that"National Education is integral to our efforts to build a strong sense of community and national identity." Highlighting the continuous effort by MINDEF and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to explore innovative ways to reach out to young Singaporeans, he added that, "NEGC is MINDEF's first foray into the area of gaming, and marks a new way to engage young Singaporeans."
eLC was honoured to be invited to be part of this inaugural event and will continue to offer our constant support to the NE movement. For this event, a series of games that engaged the public on National Education were showcased.
Survival is a simulation practice aiming at assessing participant's sound judgment and decision making on their survival skills in a setting where one is a sole survivor from a ship wreck.
Who Knows Best is a national education related knowledge-based game that is created using Lectora. This fun game allows participants to assess their knowledge on national education related matters at different level of difficulties.
Modified C&C: Zero Hour is a customised Command & Conquer game, modified to a local context, which provides a platform for participants to learn about 3G capabilities of the SAF. The younger generations not only learn about the purpose of national defence but also instill a sense of pride and nationalism towards their country, Singapore.
Serious Game is designed to allow participants to learn in a fail-safe environment. It is suitable for teaching critical thinking and ethical leadership, whereby participants take part in a role play to make certain critical decisions in a combat situation.
Sherly sharing with DPM Teo on eLC's fact sheet with CEO, William Chua (1st from left) and Head Business development, Mr Keith Koh (1st from right) looking on.
Throughout the duration of the NEGC, eLC was able to interact and share with the public on the 4 different games that were being showcased. The public was delighted at how eLC was able to innovate and develop a game to educate people about Singapore and National Education through the game Who Knows Best. The game was one of the key attractions where people of all ages had a go to answer 6 questions. There are also enquiries from educational institutions on acquiring the game for usage as part of their school's NE program.
Towards the end, the excitement from the finals of the NEGE is also felt at the eLC booth as people are trying their best to beat the various games and win. So much so that at times, people are waiting patiently in line for a shot at one of the 4 games.
All excited in trying to complete the "Mission Objectives" of Modified C&C: Zero Hour
At the end of the day, eLC is proud to be able to participate in the event and also contribute to the NE movement. We will look forward to sharing our new and innovative ideas with the public next year.
See you all next year!!!