TGS Interview：Singapore Games Association (SGGA)

Q1. What are the current business events or promotion plans that the SGGA is focused on as it takes on the role of the primary trade association for the Singapore games industry?

As the primary trade association, our mandate is to create business and networking opportunities for Singapore-based gaming companies, so we focus on having a presence at established trade events like Taipei Game Show, gamescom asia and Tokyo Game Show. These events are also good platforms for SGGA to drive more awareness of our association, as we are still relatively new and are looking to expand our network among the international gaming community.

Q2. Do gamers in Singapore give a boost to the gaming market in the last few years? If so, how rapidly is the video gaming industry growing in Singapore?

With many people having to stay home during the pandemic, gaming definitely saw a boost in the last two years. In general, gaming is also slowly becoming more mainstream in Singapore, and while it is quite a mature market with a smaller population, we are definitely continuing to see growth.

Q3. The time of the establishment of SGGA coincides with the beginning of the pandemic. What are the challenges that the SGGA faced during the Covid-19 pandemic? How did SGGA's businesses change due to the pandemic? What overseas events (either physical or online) did the SGGA take part in over the last two years?

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, a number of our plans had to change or be put on hold, including participation in live events, and we also had to move our own annual events like Industry Day to an online format. Outreach to connect with companies internationally was more difficult, thus we focused our efforts on local initiatives such as focus groups, monthly social events and collaborations with partners, which has placed us in a strong position now that the world is opening up for events and travel.

We were only able to attend a few events who had online editions, such as Taipei Game Show and Tokyo Game Show. gamescom asia has had smaller B2B editions the last two years, and we were able to participate in person together with some of our member companies.

Q4. Are there any games from Taiwan that introduce you to the landscape of the Taiwanese game industry or Taipei Game Show?

Taipei Game Show has always done a great job of supporting indie games, and thanks to that I’ve had the opportunity to see some really impressive games from Taiwan over the years, starting with Detention and Devotion from Red Candle Games, and more recently Behind the Frame, and The Legend of Tianding.

Q5. What are the SGGA’s main focuses on oversea business development?

We are looking to build connections and relationships with other associations and organizations from all over the world, as we aim to provide more business opportunities for our companies, as well as opportunities to learn from what other countries are doing to build and sustain their industries.

Q6. What are the SGGA’s growth/promotion plans for the next one to two years?

We hope to continue building on SGGA’s role as the primary trade association, identifying gaps and opportunities for our gaming companies, building resources and the Singapore ecosystem. We have a couple of initiatives focused on capability development and building talent in Singapore, as well as providing better support for game development and gaming startups. We also plan to continue engaging with the international gaming community, and further establish SGGA as the key entity for engaging with the Singapore games industry.