Thinking of doing an Digital Media diploma/degree? Read this first.
 

I ascertained that the course I have interest in and also qualify for is a digital media course. My initial perception of acquiring a diploma that seem cool, awesome and different from the others. The way how they propagate the course to the public is deceptive, they merely displayed the nice animation vids and galleries, but the thing they missed out is the painstaking toiling process of how they get there. And letting you to know the fact of how far would you go with that cert

But reality gives me a brutal knock on my head after completion of my year 2, yes I realize this course was not the one for me

In summary:
-the prospect is bleak in singapore, our country's market size have no room to deliver to the number of graduates(just do a simple search in jobscentral in the digital media field)
-the industry standard expects divine godly quality work
-mostly underpaid with long working hours
-specialisation in this course means that there's no room for mistake.(if you have want to jump ship to other field, those stuff taught in poly will be irrelevent, unapplicable, all going down in vain)(wasted 3 years of poly life)

In conclusion:
Take this course only if
You have infinite passion and determination in this field, else you might fizzle out halfway through (there’s a lot of quitters in my course) or you really deems that you are have the talent to be cream of the pop .
Animation/design is fun and interesting, but definitely not a practical and steady ricebowl unless you really got what it takes

from: Read: Those who have intent to take up a digital media course - SGClub Forums - Connecting Youths

I've a nicer resume than lots of other people in my line (game design), have had overseas work experience in a big company that many can only dream of... and when I'm back, I realized how small the industry is and how little jobs there are to go around.

...I've friends who have worked 3-4 years, starting pay of 2k, right now, they are still drawing 2k. No bonus this or last year due to bad economy, some forced to take a pay cut or take unpaid leave... I won't even go into OT (and there's no OT pay)

...I work in the Games line, I do 3d models. And it's a line of work where 2 years down the road, technology upgrades, the workflow of your job changes, the demands on gamers gets higher and higher, while us the artists, gets less and less time to work on what we are doing.

...The government has been trying to push this industry for years (8-9 years now)... this industry is developing too slowly (even if it is developing), there's a lack of companies to choose from, the pay is low cause those companies prefer to fund their next project (we certainly don't get the kind of pay I see in the U.S.), and from day 1, everyone tells each other that to survive in this line, you'll need to have PASSION. But passion doesn't feed, that's the sad truth. So when I do have a family, am I going to have them worry about my job security all the time?

...First of all, the games industry in Singapore is not going anywhere. At least not in the next five years. We will not be able to produce any AA games with our local pool of artists. Their standards are nowhere near the level that companies like Blizzard CA hires. All the reports about which local companies developing what games are just media hype. MDA wants to attract more games companies here, and although some did, they are having trouble finding local artists who are up to the standards. They tried hiring foreigners of course, but with the law of having a certain ratio of local employees to the number of foreign employees have left a lot of game companies floundering now in Singapore.

You think Ubisoft Singapore is developing some AA titles? I'm not surprised if the employees here are just doing some backend work for the big titles that the main Ubisoft office in France is working on. That's the cold, hard truth about the gaming companies here are facing. How many game companies have you read in Digital Lifestyle that were developing XX games in one year, only to read that the companies have closed down in the next?

...What of the local artists here? ... Most of them joined this industry simply because they like to play games. Passion for playing games is not enough. What you need is a passion to MAKE games. You need to know what does developing a game means, and what it entails. Students here flocked to apply to Digipen without understanding that, and even I can't help but go "-_-;?" at their work. At the rate they are going, they won't be going anywhere after graduation.

... the games industry here is really not going anywhere. Not in the next 5, or even 10 years...Unless our local students can change their mentality about this industry and start working really hard to be one of the best, instead of thinking that "hey, game companies here need to hire a xx number of locals here anyway, so I'll definitely have a job when I graduate".

...I actually get worried for all the students joining digipen/game degrees, without understanding the industry first... I was like that when I joined my poly course, and didn't think about job opportunities until I got out to work. Your work can be good... but you won't be hired unless you're exceptional.

from: Advise about jumping from design to accounting

Well, if you compare being a CG artist to being an accountant, personal banker, lawyer, civil service etc, yes it is definitely considered "underpaid". If you were to compare it to the amount of time you spend on your work with the amount of pay you're getting, then yes again, it is definitely "underpaid" and you'll have hardly any personal time and lots of OT

...Ok, since you asked, here's a realistic field report of an animator's life and problems you might likely have to face:

(1) Your relationship with your gf/bf. Sooner or later they'll complain about you having too little time for them... and your gf will ask how long she'll have to wait before she can get an LV bag from you. Also, be prepared to take some time off your personal time to work on improving your skills regularly. Again, be prepared to handle your gf's complaints when you do that.

(2) Society's pressure. This is especially so whenever you attend gatherings with your secondary school/army mates. When they ask what you're working as now and you tell them "animator", the polite ones will go "wow, cool." and the not so polite ones will go "oh." And the rest will probably scratch their heads. Also, you'll feel a bit lost when they start discussing about the fat bonuses they're getting. There're also those who'll ask you "you're still in this line?" EVERYTIME they meet you at a gathering, as if it's like they're anticipating you to quit and get a "proper" job just like the rest.

(3) Nagging parents.. things your mom's probably going to ask or say "So when're you going to get a proper job?" "What? Break again??"

The examples I gave above are only some of the worst cases you have to deal with and they're real life examples. If you can be mentally prepared for the worse cases, then hey, welcome to the club! I think one very important question you should ask yourself is what you considered most important when it comes to your career choices. If money and stability is on the top of your list, higher than job satisfaction then I'd advise you to think twice.

from: CG-3d Forum - View topic - Question about taking CG as a career.

The long hours started to take its toll on the team; people grew irritable and some started to get ill. People dropped out in droves for a couple of days at a time

...The current mandatory hours are 9am to 10pm -- seven days a week -- with the occasional Saturday evening off for good behavior (at 6:30pm). This averages out to an eighty-five hour work week.

from: ea_spouse: EA: The Human Story

For animation/ Game design

1. If you dun have any art bg (anime/cartoon style not counted as a lot will be done on life drawing) pls reconsider your choice as they focus a lot on visual and aesthetic.(so if you draw **** they give you **** grade) They sort of start from intermediate level so peeps with no art bg will suffer coz cannot catch up. (I failed drawing module) If not, go private.

2. if you dun like to work in grps pls reconsider

3. you will do 3d modelling which is technically heavy intensive (a lot of hot keys etc to remember)

4. a lot of things is not taught but you have to figure it out yourself (eg: drawing technic, where to bump for modelling)

5. assignment date is crazy packed with most of the materials you have to buy yourself (expensive course...)

Conclusion: 1 and half yr is mostly individual work but from then on is grp work. one cranky person can bring down the whole grp. and it is not easy to score a 2.8 gpa unless you are cream of the crop...

...Summary: Therefore, Design courses is already very tough and no life even before you step into the industry. If you are not able to put in A LOT OF efforts to research and observe. Dun go into the course no matter got passion or not.

from: SGClub Forums - Connecting Youths - View Single Post - if you are clueless about which diploma to choose, I would recommend...

a diploma animator does not do the animation stuff. He only does the hand modeling and stick figure crafting in the animation company. It is however the NUS computer science 2nd Honors graduate who does the real creativity side of the animation because of his expertise. The diplomas do the bootleg work ; The graduates do the processing work.

Kids are too "myopic" in them being tunnel minded and brain dead to the aspect of career advancement.

from: Talkback - View Single Post - For those interested in taking psychology because you want to be a school counsellor

I'm a newbie designer, I regret taking design diploma, and I think we're freaking underpaid in the industry.

I dont think and neither will I want to enter into the design field when I ORD.

Design is pathetic in Singapore.

[Designers] Are you being paid enough?

When his company saw that he could work fast, they piled him with more work and he ended up working 16 to 18 hours a day and on weekends - all for a salary of S$1,500 a month without overtime pay.

Not only that, they owed Noel Ng (not his real name), a junior animator, six months of wages. The 26-year-old has since lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

The creative industry - which includes digital animation, film-making and the performing arts - is an emerging one, but unionists are already concerned over the absence of union representation for those involved in it.

It is easy to see why.

"The creative industry is very small and there are only that many jobs. Whether they freelance or not, many fresh graduates put up with long hours, poor wages and a heavy workload just to establish themselves," said Mr Liew Chin Choy, vice-president of administration at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

Television commercial director of 14 years, Mr Patrick Ong, agreed.

"There is no minimum wage, wages are pushed down - locals lose out when firms hire Malaysians and Thais."

from: Absence of union representation for creative industry professionals raises concerns - Channel NewsAsia

Our local Animation industry
 

I could no longer tolerate the silence of our local artists who are unwilling to speak up when they knew the “truth” behind our misunderstood industry.

What is the truth regarding our local Animation industry, you ask? The truth is… our local industry… is dying. Dying from foreign competition from giants. Dying because our locals are not supportive of our native talents. Dying before we make an animation that is truly made in Singapore.

Perhaps you would think that I and many students who study animation are naive brats. But no one can deny the many man hours and money is pumped into the making of many of history’s most beautifully animated works. Just like any industry, the animation industry is a SERIOUS industry that is far from mere child’s play.

Without further ado, I shall set people free with the truth:

4 years ago, I, like many other animator- wannabes, joined the bandwagon of a series of upcoming courses that promised us a lot of things. They promised us that if we take their diplomas, their certificates, we will join the ranks of animators around the world. With honeyed words, advertisements and more, me and my cohorts were misled and fell into a trap, a conspiracy. Unlike most polytechnic students, I and my like-minded friends saw animation not as a fan-boy obsession but a true career. We worked hard in our modules, some of us managed to graduate. But no one not even I suspected anything wrong with the system.

After we graduated and completed our National Service. We set off to find jobs in our industry. We met this man, an industrial veteran who is the managing director of a local CG firm in Singapore. He offered to critique our work and we were for a nasty big shock.

“You want to know something? The polytechnics have not prepared you for the industry. This kind of portfolio is below the standard of what the industry is looking for.”

Later conversations with lecturers from his studio and accounts from my classmate who have been training in his studio only seek to erode my initial faith in our tertiary education in Singapore.

In one sentence, our education system has failed its citizens to make sure that we are up to the mark for the various requirements of the job market in whichever industry. This made us much more vulnerable to the influx of foreign animators, who can accept lower pay and produce higher quality work than the locals; effectively starving out the local animators and animation companies.

To make matters worse, the government managed to woo top foreign animation companies to set up shop in Singapore, effectively killing the local companies. Many of these foreign animation companies hire lesser locals and receive government funding while local companies are left to fend for themselves. If you think about it, with the billions of dollars it makes every year, does Lucasfilm Singapore require that government funding to set up shop in Singapore?
My mentor’s studio once had courses that only costed $2K with government subsidy. But now with government funding cut, the courses now costs $10K. These put a lot of financial pressure on artists with the passion for the animation industry but are financially tight. I was one of the last batches who were under the $2K scheme. Many artists like myself have already been financially drained studying in tertiary education. What they need is a job to feed themselves or in some cases repay the bank! It is not helping given the fact that our locals are being out competed due to an incompetent education system.

My mentor’s studio was far from the only victims. In 2010, Egg Story Creative Production led by a local talent, Nickson Fong, has closed down in light of the recent downturn that hit the industry It has laid off about 30 employees and rendered a major production; Kung Fu Gecko, dead. A word with a former employee there spoke of funding cuts from the government which hastened its demise. Nickson Fong is now nowhere to be seen or contacted.

To add cockles to the mee siam[Singapore’s take of adding salt to wound],
There has been grim talk of the 3 Flops of Singapore produced animation: They are: Zodiac, Legend of the Sea and Sing to the Dawn. The poor quality of the 3 films has made Singapore look like a laughing stock in the international animation scene.

While many industrial veterans here put the blame solely on the “bo chap” attitudes of the students, I wish to point out the fact that those industrial veterans in the animation industry are just too afraid to admit that it was the fault of the tertiary education systems. It is true that while some students have an attitude problem, the lecturers in the polytechnics and universities have their fair share of the blame too. I also wish to speak up for students who have the passion for the industry but they are not shown the right path. Otherwise how do you explain that it took my mentor 2 years and only half the price of the poly fees to teach me all that I needed to know to find a job in the CG industry?

You argue that this would be equal to spoonfeeding. But I disagree…
A life drawing teacher of mine once told me that it would not be considered spoonfeeding if you do not know what you do not know. He also said that self learning cannot compare with the guidance of an excellent teacher. Sometimes bad habits during self practice can hamper one’s effective learning of a craft like life drawing, playing the guitar.etc

But one thing I am unable to keep a secret anymore is the fact that the industry was literally ruined in the hands of our government.

By a Patriotic animator with Passion

The writer is a graduate of Nanyang Polytechnic’s Digital Media Design. He hopes that this article will be that wake up call to ignorant students now studying in animation-related courses in the local polytechnics and very costly private courses.

“Do not join this industry just because it’s cool. Unless you have the passion for the industry, your presence in the polys/universities will waste your own time, your/parents’ money and taxpayers money meant for training truly talented and really passionate local artists.”

https://www.facebook.com/notes/eddy-...03921189695147

the local market is simply too small.

in usa, a small group of support is enough to keep you surviving.

from the apps i've published on the itunes app store, i see more generous american buyers than singaporean buyers at the ratio of 50:1.

now i've changed my strategy to target the usa market.

Do you write game apps? Care to share some tips on how to be successful as an app developer? I'm an aspiring app developer. Thanks for sharing.

i don't see myself as successful, but quite surprised that americans are willing to support my amaturish apps. maybe becos .99 USD seems like 50cents to us.

first of all, u need to know how to use objective-c and xcode. then u can try using the cocos2d framework to make your games. download at cocos2d for iPhone, comes with tutorials and stuff. tons of code and tutorials on the internet.

most importantly, have a good gameplay to attract gamers. good luck.

Hi, in fact I'm writing my first iPhone app using cocos2d. A friend told me he's making about 1k usd from a single app he wrote. Another friend, a Filipino, also had a simple fun app that made him an accumulated 60k over 2 years. It's very encouraging to geeks like myself who can't survive in banks or corporate world.

Do you think the iPhone developer community in Singapore is big? I heard that there's a lot of demand but not enough good developers here. Maybe you can explore starting a consulting company to write apps for big MNCs and such.

Clarification: that first friend is make 1k usd from that 1 app EVERY MONTH.

I am also in agreement that the games and animation industry is looking bleak in Singapore. They have been hanging on the thread via government funding only.

Mobile development is a hot area though. Definitely lack of programmers here. But dont try to write your own app in the hopes of selling them. Chance of success there is low. Join a mobile app development outfit and take on projects instead.

copied from Need Some Advice For A Certain Course In Unisim - Flowerpod Forums - Beauty, Makeup, Skincare, Health, Lifestyle, Entertainment, Love & Relationships

I studied animation in Poly, only to be doing some other things in life now. the animation industry in Singapore is a very young one... let's face it, the culture in singapore is if it doesn't make money fast, it's over. The company or business funding a animation feature doesn't understand that good animation takes time to be produced. and since they are in business, the nature of business is return of investment in the shortest time. 4-5yrs for a good animation film? dream on. It's too long for them to see the returns.

next, the education system. when edb starts to promote animation, every tom dick and harry school starts to teach animation. who oversees the quality of the sch & the lecturers? who QC the syllabus? and what do they teach? software operators or story teller? these 2 are very different job scope. 1 just operate and animated and bring characters to life and another bring life to the story. the education that I had was to be a software operator. not a story teller. and for guys, after poly, u need to go and serve ur NS. more than often, you will lose your software skill. let's not kid ourselves. the software changes like 2 or 3 times within ur NS life. How do you catch up? so naturally, after you are out of the army, you are back to square 1 again, learning software, but maybe faster.

Next, the quality of life for animtors. It is common for animation house to squeeze dry their workers. they have too, if not, how do they survive? plus the fact that the government doesn't regulate a min wages for the industry? this result in the fact that some aspiring animator will be willing to work for free just to build up their portfolio. If you get employed, you will need to work hard and fast. u stay back to work. you render stuff. but if the clients are not happy, u have to reanimate. just ask yourself how long can you hold out for passion?

i can go on and on.. but its too tiring and too sad to write anymore.

Our local Animation industry - www.hardwarezone.com.sg

Excellent posts on this topic written 4+years ago

Led by the Blind Part 1 @
Led by the Blind Part 2 @
Led by the Blind Part 3 @
Led by the Blind Part 4- IDM Education in Singapore @

up this post for this year's grads

https://forums.salary.sg/education-pe...html#post18689

Its not so bad. ;)
 

Ok, its time for some balance voices :D
This is my 2nd year of working as an animator, and I'm still surviving :)
Granted, the poly courses really under prepare students for the real world, way way under. Granted the companies are really little, and not easy to get it, easy to be kicked out.
And yes, the pay will not be much, no bonus etc.
But its not so dreadful to be an animator or the arts.

Quality of life
My 1st year of being an animator is super long hours, slept in office regularly and worked at least 1 weekend. But that's because I was really bad. Now, i can go home on time 3 out of 5 days minimum. Ok, but i hv to admit, i should have spend more time polishing my skills still.

As for the gatherings, well it can be dreadful sometimes. But working happily 8 hours a day, i think I'm better off then my banking frens who dread every moment of their work but only enjoy the pay day. Of course that's me. I'm happy w a simple life and hawker centre food. If you dream of a Prada bag, this is probably not the place for you.

The $$$$$$$

I just wanna emphasize that, if we work for companies, whatever we create there, is not our property. We created it, but we don't own it. Which is why 'Nightmare before Christmas' becomes Disney's. This means that you can be the creator, but you will get nothing out of it, if you just work for hire. You wouldnt enjoy the peaks or royalties your creation can generate.

Which brings me to my point: If you target to be just a work-for-hire, you will always subject urself to being underpaid and all. Worse, you dun own ur own creation ( creative people tends to be very anal about this, and why of coz).

So my encouragement is, if you wanna be in this field, target to one day do your own thing and have your own company. That's probably the only way to own it. Develop your own IP.
If it sounds very businessy, it is. But working means business, an ours is a fun business. I'm not saying its easy, its bloody difficult but its possible. But dun expect to be an work for hire and lead a comfty, money plentiful life. There are people like tt, but quite rarely. But come on, more and more non-art jobs are getting less and less peaks too *disclaimer: you do need to be very very very good in your stuff though, if not all these are just rubbish talk .

All the best :)

Don't be stupid.. Dun waste time in this field... In Singapore, everybody needs $$ to survive.. How to properly provide for your parents, wife and kids... If you are making peanuts, how to afford the sky high prices of the HDB flats these days..
All your dependents will blame you and look down on you for pursuing a cheap career... But well...if you are just alone and parents are no longer around and you don't want to settle down then i guess it's a great career to lack in i suppose....

I like to compose classical music for the accordion. Can't make a single cent and my compositions are totally worthless, but I like. It's my full-time job, if you call it a job.

My brother likes to play tic-tac-toe and has memorized all the combinations of moves. Can't make a single cent but he likes. It's his full-time job, if you call it a job.

Passion feeds us!

I hv stated my point clearly earlier: Target to start your own company, create and own your IP, so that you can earn thru the royalties and etc. Sky is the limit.
Its true that if you just wanna a media work as a day-job, it probably cant satisfy much material needs, n job stability is not as good as other kind of work.
And i will nv have a wife to take care of ( I'm a woman). Kudos to the man who took up the courage to be in our industry. Still, still, with whatever I hve, i can still give to my parents, save up and buy insurances.

As for the guy who writes music: record your song n music professionally, get the cover design done, make sure u copyright ur work 1st, put it in indie websites and itunes sell each song at 99cents per download. Make a lot of publicity(fb,twitter, ads...)
As of all business, profits are not for sure.
But at the very least u can make ur music buyable by people who have a dollar to spare.
Alternatively, bring ur music sheets to recording companies and see if they wanna buy it.
Or ask pubs, one by one if they will let u preform for them. That's how Jam Xiao got notices right?

Sorry abt the tic tit toe guy. If you can find a business model for that, please teach me :)

You composition are not worthless. All composition are a part of you n the talent that overflows. Hence it is not worthless, whether it available for sales or not.

Straits Times: Local animators, look before you leap
Nov 14, 2010
By Irene Tham

You can count on two things to happen when a trend hits the peak of a hype cycle - publicity machines work themselves into a frenzy, and then a backlash occurs.

Over the past seven years, excitement had been drummed up for Singapore as the next animation and media capital. Government funds with eye-popping amounts - hundreds of millions of dollars - were created to finance new digital media projects. New companies threw their hats into the ring.

Since 2003, some 40 animation and visual effects companies have opened here. Among them: Lucasfilm's Singapore arm, which is on an expansion spree as it gears up to work on its new animation movie slated for global release in 2013.

Now that the fairy dust has settled - thanks in part to the economic crisis last year - it may be possible to analyse who is entitled to dream big in animation.

In the last year, at least three home-grown firms with animation aspirations have had their hopes dashed due to cash-flow problems.

Two have folded, while one - which spoke to The Sunday Times on condition of anonymity - is on the brink of bankruptcy.

No longer around are Big Communications and Mega Media - both 10-year-old media companies.

For the animation folk, I can only think of the following:

It's all about how long + much you are prepared to loose to finally gain your dreams. Yes you might be willing to be a spartan like Gerard Butler in 300, you might kill a thousand Persians but will you kill Xerxes?

In all industries no matter what field, three key fundamentals remain

1) How good you are
2) Who you know
3) What's the market size

So if we are going to do an objective assessment of the SG animation industry it will be this:

Assuming artist A has cleared point 1) and is at the top of his game, has slogged his way and fought tooth and nail overcommed poverty somehow manages to scrap together and company and sustain it and not go bankrupt in the process developing his/her IP. then we move on to...

point 2): Artist A knows some local big wig B in the local singapore media scene. sadly the big wig is also trying to survive and in reality this big wig B is fighting both the cheaper FT companies and high end superior MNC ang moh firms. that means he is in the middle ground...i.e nowhere. yes he might have made it in the eyes of Artist A, but little does Artist A know that this big wig B is facing problems of his own -> he is in no man's land....he has worked his guts out to find out that after all his effort, financial sacrifice and disrespect he has endured...he is nowhere near the MNC ang moh IDM firms...and worse of all...he cannot compete with the cheaper FT firms who are on par if not even (for some) superior to what he can offer...and let's face it...you don't think the MNCs and FT firms aren't trying to develop their own IP...?

Everyone is trying to develop their own IP...they just don't last long enough financially to be able to do it...or they are trying to get someone they admire in the industry to help give their IP a 'push' little do they know that someone also trying DESPERATELY to succeed in creating (and we are not even at the marketing stage or commercialization stage -i.e where you see fiscal results or even profits -if any) their own IP....

point 3) After doing point 1 and 2 both the big wig and artist A will both come to realise that on top of their present problems they have an even worst one which cannot be solved by their efforts at all...the lack of a local market to 'consumer' their goods. if there are no consumers there are no profits. Putting up your animated short on youtube is not commercialization, even if it has thousands of hits. Unless you aim for youtube partnership to earn ad dollars...which is another game altogether and equally gruelling...

then at this point artist A and local big wig will say "lets try to market out great IP overseas!!!" till they reach the shores of foreign markets and realize there are 100 times the amount of competition, and artists there even sleep on their fren's couches just trying to get a break in the biz...then artist A and big wig will say FML, as it is just the same over there with 100 times the competition and 100 times the talent amount as well....and a foreign playing field where your operating costs are double what they are back home...

at this point you have 3 options:

Option A): Be Bitter, say FML and wish to be like Nicolas Cage in leaving Las Vegas where he goes there to drink till he dies till he meets a hot hooker and falls in love...but wait that is a Hollywood version... lets just say you will be a bitter man/woman/creature...

Option B): Come back to Singapore with your tail behind your back...work in another industry whatever industry as long as you don't have to look at the screen to create aniamted **** anymore...**** now you really hate thsi ****...

Option C): Invent a time travel machine and go back to slap yourself into submission so that you avert the above disasters and switch / change careers no matter what the cost to your ego which is so defensive at this point that even the whisper of a baby spider will shatter it into a gazillion trillion pieces of jaded angel dust ash that will all back to your flesh and pierce you like a boss....

Red and Blue pill...as always...

Based on personal experience?

No from careful observation of some contacts I know who do animation / went into it or are still in it. I am quite fortunate to say that I have steered clear of this disaster zone.

Had a choice to study DMD, TP or something else when I was a young and impresionable kido, thankfuly I stuck to my guns and didnt get swayed by any media hype etc etc etc ...

I work in media but am an account director. I handle projects and essentially plan campaigns for clients the pay is decent around 5-7k per month but the stress is insane, but it is definetly better than if I had gone down the f**ED IMD route....heng sia...

but now I am thinking of doing something else with more work life balance as I am in my late twneties liaozz..hehe

Up for o level grads

Digital Diploma Mills are a wake-up call to millions of teachers, students, parents and for employers about the battle over an under-publicized but big assault on quality education and intellectual freedom and employment criminal fraud. Digital Diploma Mills is the matter of extraordinary importance and deserves the attention of everyone who is concerned with the future of higher education, social inequality, democracy, better work environment and qualified workforce.
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Lay-offs in S’pore after Disney closes LucasArts

SINGAPORE — The local games industry will lose one of its most well-known names, after Disney announced that it was shutting down LucasArts — part of Lucasfilm Singapore which opened here in 2004 to great fanfare — with 150 lay-offs worldwide expected.

Lucasfilm declined to say how many staff here were affected, but TODAY understands from an employee, who did not want to be named, that the move would affect about “50 to 70” staff in Singapore.

Lucasfilm has two other divisions here, ILM Singapore and Lucasfilm Animation Singapore. They will move into their Sandcrawler premises at one-north later this year.

The news comes after Disney bought out Lucasfilm last October for US$4.05 billion (S$5.01 billion). Disney, which has its own game studio Disney Interactive, is currently in the midst of a cost-cutting review.

LucasArts had its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s when it published such titles as Star Wars: X-wing vs Tie Fighter and Full Throttle. The Singapore studio last worked on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 in 2010.

However, a string of flops in recent years have left the studio with not much to show.

Lucasfilm Communications Manager Rasa Buckley said in an statement yesterday that after evaluating the studio’s position in the games market, it decided to shift from “internal development to a licensing model”.

She confirmed that in-house development of titles, such as the highly anticipated Star Wars title 1313, have been stopped, and development rights may be transferred to external parties.

One ex-employee who was laid off yesterday said he was saddened and surprised by the closure, which was announced to staff at a meeting yesterday morning — after the news had already broke.

The ex-employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to non-disclosure agreements, said the studio was almost finished with a game, and some staff were preparing for a break.

When Lucasfilm opened its studio here, its first and only outside the United States, it was touted as the “beginning of a whole new industry”, as then-Second Trade and Industry Minister Vivian Balakrishnan put it.

It also spun off specialty schools offering digital arts and animation programmes.

Industry players said the closure should not be seen as a sign of doom despite similar problems elsewhere. Game giant THQ closed in January and Electronic Arts had to shelve unpopular titles last year after dismal sales.

Media Development Authority’s Assistant Chief Executive Officer Yeo Chun Cheng said the local games industry “continues to remain strong, shifting its focus towards development of mobile, social and online games”.

He noted how companies such as gumi Asia and Konami Singapore are still recruiting here. Mobile developer LambdaMu Games, for example, recently saw success with its mobile game Pixel People.

Economic Development Board (EDB) Executive Director for Infocommunications and Media Jayson Goh said the EDB would “work closely” to place affected staff.

Also, Lucasfilm would continue its animation and visual effects-related activities here and the EDB “remains optimistic” about the growth of the interactive and digital media industry here, he said.

Mr Ian Tan, Marketing Manager for Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Singapore, who grew up playing games from LucasArts, said he was shocked at the news, but noted that it was not the end.

“Game studios may close but the talent remains within the industry — either by developers opening their own studios or joining others … So the industry as a whole retains itself,” he said.

However, an industry source, who declined to be named, said the console games industry has been in trouble for the past few years, as consumers moved to more casual titles on mobile phones instead and game makers shift to a more cautious outlook of pumping out surefire hits instead.

Lay-offs in S?pore after Disney closes LucasArts | TODAYonline

"The day you fail, it's not the day fall. The day you fail is the day you stop trying." Hope it inspires you to reach your dream.

Singapore's Dream Defenders CG Series Premieres on Hulu, Interview with Founder David Kwok - HardwareZone.com.sg

Not everyone is a spartan, much less a hero.

" Not everyone is a spartan, much less a hero. "

Agree. In this world there is no best of both world. Rewards come to those who works hard and determine to excel. This applies to all industries. One cannot expect to command high salary and yet not putting in effort.

Asia is transforming. There is no longer a sure win industry. Singapore will be facing very tough competition in years ahead. There is no easy way out. We can no longer take things for granted. Be very good in what you do. Money will come later.

The possibilities.
http://www.tinyisland.net/20June_TODAY_P52.jpg

Hi all,

Sorry for bumping up an old thread but I'm really curious; Is the digital media industry in singapore really dying?

I managed to get in NYP's DMD games course (Basically game art and design) through DPA and will be studying there next year. However I still have about 2 weeks to withdraw my application. While I do have passion for MAKING games and I love art and do have basic art skills, Is it true that even with passion and skills you won't be able to make it in Singapore? I do agree on the portfolios being not industry standard, I've attended NYP's grad show and surprisingly, their portfolios are really... Not up to standard. Comparing to the FZD school in singapore, although their age is about the same and FZD's diploma is only a year long, FZD grads produce a far better portfolio and even really nice stuff.

What I really wonder is, is NYP stating the truth? They claim their courses will teach you what is needed for the industry and it is a well-established course and is partners with Sony. While it is not to late to withdraw from my DPA application I would like to know the truth.

Thanks!