A Strategic Plan for IDM
Singapore is tapping into the tremendous potential of Interactive Digital Media (IDM) to enhance its competitive edge. Overseeing the efforts in this area is the multi-agency IDM Research and Development Programme Office (IDMPO) hosted within MDA.
With support from the National Research Foundation, the IDMPO puts in place schemes that interlock the research & development (R&D) efforts of its four main target groups:
- i.ROCK (IDM Research Oriented Centres of Knowledge): Building world-class R&D capacity in IHLs, partnering the best in the world;
- Futurescape: To develop a vibrant IDM industry;
- i.JAM (IDM Jumpstart And Mentor): Fuelling grassroots innovation and entrepreneurship;
- IDM in Education: Harnessing IDM, Transforming Learners.
Four years into execution, a vibrant ecosystem is emerging, and a recent study by Deloitte reveals healthy signs of growth for the IDM sector where the core IDM sector generated a VA of close to $867 million in 2009. The study estimates that the sector has grown at an estimated 22% Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) since 2005, adding some $360 million VA and 3500 new jobs in the process.
Most of the IDM-supported companies operating in the social networking and virtual worlds space have made headway in the global marketplace and are today serving some 80 million users in more than 200 countries with various forms of IDM applications.
For more information, please visit here
GAMBIT Game Lab
A pioneering collaboration between MDA and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with support from the National Research Foundation, the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab is a five-year research initiative that addresses important challenges faced by the global digital game research community and industry. The core focus is to identify and solve research problems using a multi-disciplinary approach that can be applied by Singapore's digital game industry.
It involves a 10-week Summer Internship Programme at MIT, Boston, where local tertiary students work with MIT researchers and students to create new innovative games based on research topics. The programme is shortlisted as one of the “Top 8th Game Design School” by The Princeton Review/GamePro survey.
In addition, the programme has created several innovative games and followed on to win international accolades.
Some examples are :
- Carneyvale:Showtime : First in Singapore to seal Microsoft’s Games for Windows-LIVE Distribution and Windows Phone 7
- Snap Escape:Top 3 Finalist and Runner-up for “Best Social Game” at Mochis Flash Awards 2010
- Symon:Winner of “Best Browser Game” at Indie Game Challenge 2011
- Afterland:Winner of “Best Browser Game” at Indie Game Challenge 2011
- Yet One Word:Winner of “Best Student Game”, “Best Overall Game” at "Meaningful Play Conference 2010", held in Michigan State University
For more information, please visit GAMBIT website here.
Encouraging New Media
In an effort to encourage the growth of the Internet, IPTV and new media services, MDA has developed a business friendly and technology neutral licence framework to facilitate the introduction of such new media services. In regulating the Internet, MDA adopts a balanced and light-touch approach to ensure that minimum standards are set for the responsible use of the Internet while giving maximum flexibility to industry players to operate.