Inside the revamped Funan on Sunday (1 September) a large crowd had gathered at the atrium – not to escape the mid-morning heat – but to support their friends participating at Singtel’s PVP Inter-Campus League.
The competition saw about 450 tertiary students in 91 teams from local universities, polytechnics, private institutions, and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) scrum it out in popular mobile game, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB).
Over the weekend, 14 teams who came out tops in their respective school qualifiers, battled it out to claim a spot at the grand finals at Singapore’s first Comic Con happening this December.
Two teams from ITE, Holy and Serpentine, and one team from the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), Unstable Network, outplayed everyone else and will be vying for more than S$20,000 worth of cash and prizes.
Minister for Education, Mr Ong Ye Kung, who was Guest-of-Honour at the event yesterday, said, “Gaming is becoming more popular.”
“It can be harnessed as a tool to engage the young, to encourage social interactions and even creative lesson delivery.”
The PVP Inter-Campus League is a “step in a positive direction”, he added.
After a brief introduction to the game, Mr Ong tried his hands at the game and the event commenced.
MLBB is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) where two teams of five players attempt to take down each others’ bases by first destroying three tiers of Turrets in any lane (top, middle, bottom).
Spectating the game online is definitely different from watching it ‘live’.
The skillful commentators explained each role and described significant gameplay moments with so much gusto, you could feel the excitement.
It definitely attracted a number of onlookers who were curious to see what the event was about.
Mr Arthur Lang, CEO of International Group at Singtel, said, “Good game and well played to the advancing teams!”
“Gaming is growing into a huge phenomenon especially among young digital natives who consider it as more than just entertainment but a lifestyle choice.”
He added that they hope to build a healthy community for local gamers to share their passion and have fun through their grassroots initiatives such as the PVP Inter-Campus League.
“We’re looking forward to doing more with the gaming community to help drive the growth of the scene in Singapore and the region.”
According to this, in March, Singtel gave out one-year sponsorship deals to local esports organisations Resurgence and Asterisk, as well as Street Fighter world champion Ho Kun Xian (a.k.a Xian).
The three of them are also PVP brand ambassadors.
The telco handed out one-year sponsorship deals to local e-sports organisations Resurgence and Asterisk, and Street Fighter world champion Ho Kun Xian in March, with the trio serving as PVP brand ambassadors.
Congratulations to teams Holy, Serpentine, and Unstable Network!
Catch them and the top teams of Singtel’s regional PVP Corporate League at the Singapore Comic Con happening 7 to 8 December 2019.
For more information, visit the PVP Esports site here or follow them on Facebook here.
Featured Image Credit: Singtel