Jump into a virtual Temasek
published: Friday, 18. September 2009
A new online role-playing game unveiled at the Games Convention Asia today aims to shine the light on a little-known part of Singapore's history - that it was a bustling trading port long before British colonists came ashore and established a modern outpost.
The online project, called Virtual Temasek, brings players back to the 14th century, when Singapore was still known as Temasek.
This was when there were tigers to fight off in the jungle, and spices to find in the wild. However, this was also a time when the island was a trading port for nearby countries, centuriest before the well-told fact that the British were the ones who founded modern Singapore.
The game is aimed at schools in Singapore and will pilot at two schools for a start, said its creators Magma Studios today at a media conference.
Eventually, it also hopes to create a virtual world that can be used by visitors to Singapore or by schools overseas which are interested in Singapore's early history.
Magma Studios managing director Aroon Tan said the game will cost S$1.35 million to develop, and the five-man developer is recruiting another ten designers and programmers to kickstart the project, which will go live in October next year.
He said the company is careful to avoid the mistakes that earlier virtual worlds faced, for example, having users who visit once and never return because there were no sustainable activities to keep them engaged.
Virtual Temasek will come with World of Warcraft-like quests, say the Singapore company, which will get students interested in learning more about old Singapore.
For example, players could be tasked to seek out six spices on the island for a royal feast for a king. Alternatively, they could be interacting with several traders from the Chinese, Thai and Indonesian kingdoms, which were active at that time.
Like other popular MMORPGs, there will be four classes of characters - a trader, a merchant, a warrior and a collector, so players can experience the game world differently.
This way, the company hopes that students will be more engaged in a learning experience that is educational yet entertaining.
