Online gaming in the mainstream
Singapore's digital video gaming industry saw significant revenue growth during the COVID-19 pandemic as more people turned to digital entertainment to compensate for the lack of out-of-home entertainment options. Despite the end of all pandemic-related restrictions in 2022, the online gaming sector is still expected to grow in the next few years, as it becomes one of the most popular digital entertainment activities among Singaporeans, boosted by the rise of the mobile gaming segment.Online gaming in Singapore transcends generations, with more than half of those under 55 stating that they have played online games. For most Singaporean online gamers, smartphones were by far the primary device for online gaming. Mobile gaming in Singapore is made possible by the island-wide availability of high-speed mobile networks. The roll-out of the 5G network in Singapore in 2020 has led to further improvements in the mobile gaming experience. The average Singaporean mobile gamer spends between one to seven hours weekly on mobile games.
Revenge of the nerds: Rise of the eSports stars
The professionalization of competitive online gaming, eSports, has not only garnered a large fan base in recent years but also established itself as a lucrative industry, with Singapore keen to grab a large slice of the eSports pie. With a strong digital infrastructure such as high-speed internet and a robust events and tourism sector, Singapore has a solid foundation to become an eSports hub. In October 2022, it became the first Southeast Asian country to host one of the leading global eSports tournaments, DOTA 2’s The International 11. Furthermore, the most-watched eSports event of all time, the 2021 Free Fire World Series tournament, was not only hosted in Singapore but also for a game created by home-grown digital entertainment company Garena.Singapore has thus not only successfully hosted high-profile eSports tournaments but also created globally-popular games. Even so, the Singaporean eSports sector is still in its nascent stage. Singaporean eSports athletes are still pale in comparison to their Asian counterparts in terms of earnings, and the eSports talent pool in Singapore is relatively small. Much still needs to be done to encourage and develop local aspiring eSports athletes. One of the key challenges to overcome is convincing people of the legitimacy of pursuing eSports as a career, as Singapore is still a conservative society driven by conventional notions of success. However, the significant earnings of professional eSports players in Singapore and the increasing popularity of eSports in the mainstream have led to an increasing acceptance of choosing eSports as a career.
