First Singapore Games Week highlighted the market’s successes and challenges

February 3, 2022 Singapore Events & Announcements Industry Updates

The inaugural Singapore Games Week wasn’t what its organizers originally envisioned it to be.

Held in October 2021 as a series of events that celebrated Singaporean developers, SGW occurred under strict COVID-19 safety measures and limited attendance for its few in-person activities. Like many other events in the past two years, it had to settle for a mostly online presence, which included live workshops and the first Asia Game Awards.

Despite the pandemic-related obstacles, the Singapore Games Association (SGGA) considered its event a success, and a big step forward for the country’s talented creators. SGGA chairperson Gwen Guo told GamesIndustry.biz she also hoped that Singapore Games Week showed their local community that the industry can be a welcoming place, and that games can encompass a wide variety of experiences.

“I want people to not be so intimidated by the games industry, [and show that’s it not] just about crunch, bad pay and bad working hours, [or] all about violent video games and addiction,” said Guo, who’s also the creative director at Imba Interactive. “We really want people to see that we have a very friendly, supportive community here.”