Ctrl+Alt Gaming 2018 aimed to spur gaming interest and opportunities in the industry among local communities.
FOR many years now, gaming has been a popular pastime activity for people across the globe. The local gaming industry has been growing rapidly over the years, thanks to the efforts of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and its #MYGAMEON initiative.
With the recent growth, the folk over at The Magic Rain, Games Fusion, MVP Mobile Arena, and Sunway eSports Club decided to organise the first ever community-focused gaming convention called Ctrl+Alt Gaming 2018.
GAMING FOR ALL
Ctrl+Alt Gaming 2018, Malaysia’s first ever community-focused gaming convention, took place over the course of two days, from March 31 to April 1, 2018.
Held at the Jeffrey Cheah Hall in Sunway University, it differed greatly from the typical gaming-related events, especially the ones focused on eSports.
According to the secretary of the Sunway eSports Club, Chan Kar Chun, it is a community-wide initiative to bring together all kinds of gamers in Malaysia, regardless of their background or interests.
“Unlike eSports events which typically sees professionals pitting their skills to be crowned the best, this one focuses more on your gamers mingling and sharing their love of gaming with the community.”
The event attracted more than 1,500 gamers from various backgrounds. Activities were catered not only to veterans of the community but also casual gamers and newcomers to the gaming scene, with games that were easy to pick up on-the-go and volunteers ready to assist and teach.
There was also an online convention for those who couldn’t make it so they could still enjoy the activities in the comfort of their homes via a livestream on Facebook.
GAMES GALORE
A total of six local gaming communities were present — Fighting Games, Nintendo, Touhou, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Monster Hunter, and Hearthstone.
Each community had an area dedicated to them where they set up consoles and TV screens for attendees to play, completely free of charge.
Surprisingly, there was even a classic Nintendo Gamecube hooked up to an old-school CRT television, and attendees were free to enjoy them.
On top of that, these communities also ran their own set of activities and mini tournaments, which culminated on stage where everyone could watch the action broadcast live on the projector.
There was also the Free Play Arena, where event goers could enjoy multiplayer games such as Just Dance, Overcooked and Rock Band with their friends.
Fighting games community leader Leon Soo from Infinite Carnage shared how his goal has always been to take the fighting game community to the next level. He said he wanted to show a different side to the local eSports scene, which is often dominated by games like DotA 2 and Fifa.
“eSports is usually focused on the professionals, but sooner or later, these people need to retire. With events like Ctrl+Alt Gaming 2018, we are able to bring the community together not only to enjoy but also for us to find new blood in the scene,” said Soo.
He said conventions such as these are the only times you get to see various gamers around, and how we need more of this so that the local gaming scene can prosper.
It wasn’t just the games itself that were being showcased at the event as local indie game developer Gameka also made its presence known at the convention. The company was promoting two of its mobile games — Kluno and Nettworth. Kluno is essentially Bejeweled but with a competitive spin.
You match jewels together to attain points which can be used to summon units that will deal damage to your opponent.
This is a surprisingly fresh twist for a game concept that has been around for several years now.
Nettworth is a simulation game that is designed to help teach gamers proper financial management.
Gameka’s Communications Director Marc Chen talked about how the youths of today are having problems managing their finances and often finding themselves cash-strapped. To encourage people to give Nettworth a try, the company is planning to organise a contest centred on the game, where the winner will be rewarded with cash.
EDUCATION IS EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT
To take things one step further and solidify their presence in the local gaming community, the organisers also had a number of workshops hosted by notable figures designed to educate and empower the attendees on the gaming industry in Malaysia as well as what it takes to succeed in it.
POPCONfest’s workshop focused on how to build a collaborative community for online creators and how to promote the growth of new creators.
Game & Film Concept Artist Johnson Ting explained the definition and career path of an AAA games concept artist, insights about the gaming industry and its development.
Industry veteran and 1010 Studios founder Jarold Sng educated attendees on designing high-end collectibles for videogames, animations, and film.
Sunway University student Ng Ru Bee talked about how much she loved video games and wanted to pursue a career in the industry but never knew how. But thanks to Ctrl+Alt Gaming 2018, she has a clearer understanding of the industry and how she can pursue her dreams.
“I always thought that making a career in the gaming industry was almost impossible here in Malaysia and I could only enjoy it as a pastime. Thanks to the workshops here, I have a better understanding of the skills I need to have,” said Ng.
Overall, Ctrl+Alt Gaming 2018 was a successful gaming convention which managed to achieve its primary objective — bringing everyone from the local gaming community together to enjoy and have a good time.
With the success of the first ever community-focused gaming convention perhaps we’ll see a second iteration next year, or perhaps more similar conventions will pop up in Malaysia in the near future. Only time will tell.