GameStart 2018 Is Back Bigger & More Immersive For Gamers

Hi Huneybees,

GameStart 2018 is back! *Bim! Bam! Bom!* The yearly game expo is now back bigger and stronger with the growing population of gamers. Casual gamers or hardcore gamers will have their fair share of fun and gaming this 13 & 14 October 2018.

This year, GameStart plans to more actively provide opportunities to level up skills and knowledge for aspiring gaming professionals and the local gaming scene. As it marks its 5th anniversary, the convention will be bringing in international gaming stars and experts in its most star-studded lineup to date. there's so much more to experience and share about the gaming sphere, Hubby and I are all set and geared up for GameStart.


The first thing that's got us all hyped up already is the pre-order sale of the Lego DC Super-Villains game. It's available for XONE, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC, set to release on 17th Oct at GameStart. You can pre-order it and it comes with an exclusive Lex Luthor Lego figure dresse
d as Superman all at SGD$74.90.

We've been on Mario and Overcooked 'diet' eversince we got the Nintendo Switch and we can't wait to start on a new game, especially when this time, we are playing as the villains and not the heroes! Something else, that's special about the game is also you can fully customise your main character. I wonder how I will be creating my character!!! 


I tried the gameplay during the press conference and it was very immersive gaming into the Lego-verse. For those who are Lego fans, I think the Lex Luthor Superman is a must-get...

Next, is something new to GameStart. There will be Masterclasses prior to the actual expo dates, where international experts are brought in to conduct specialised seminars and share their work experiences. The classes are suitable for art students and artists looking to level up their skills.
A collaboration with long time content partner, video production company No Average Joe (NAJ), the series aims to bring fun and educational sessions to GameStart, providing visitors with more hands-on activities and learning experiences. 2018’s workshops includes RetroCade, a workshop whereby visitors get to build their own mini arcade machine, as well as a fun animation workshop by local artists Nanimonda and Naoki.

More on GameStart Workshops are available at - https://gamestart.asia/events/lessons-by-no-average-joe/
Masterclass by Jax Jocson - 10 OctoberCharacter Design: Introduction to Visual Storytelling
Jacqueline Jocson is an Art Director & Concept Artist specializing in design and storytelling. Over the past decade, Jacqueline has worked in film, game, VR/AR, television, advertising, and IP creation for the past decade with clients such as Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment, SyFy Channel, Digital Domain, Super Evil Megacorp, and Psyop.Learn how to create iconic and memorable characters through effective visual communication from Jacqueline. More info - https://gamestart.asia/events/masterclass-by-jax-jocson/
Masterclass by Carlo Arellano - 12 OctoberArchetypes in Advanced Character Design
Carlo has provided concepts, textures and models for many Video Game projects including: World of Warcraft, Ratchet and Clank, Resistance, and God of War.Pick up essential skills on how to create powerful and provocative characters for film and games from the Art Director of Super Evil Megacorp. By using proportion, form, storytelling, color and focused design creation rather than sprawling ideation, the student is shown the how to create strong archetypes which resonate with the viewer. The student is given tools to communicate important storytelling ideas and skills to create production ready concepts which take into account not only artistic concerns but pipeline, animation and gameplay needs. More info - https://gamestart.asia/events/masterclass-by-carlo-arellano/

As I'm writing this blog post, I'm using a brand new mouse that you can get exclusively at GameStart for S$29.90 and included in all GameStart 2018 VIP goodie bags. This is a special 5th anniversary collaboration of GameStarta nd fellow Singaporean gaming gear brand Armaggeddon.

The Limited Edition GameStart X Armaggeddon Gaming Mouse features high performance tracking speed of up to 160 inches per second, 5 button + 2-way click scroll, 6,000 frame rate and 7-colour lighting with pulsating effects, definitely a colourful addition to the gaming table and do look out for promotions at their booth!

As like previous years, there will also be international Gaming Stars and Heavyweights gracing the Convention.Motohiro Okubo, Producer of hotly-anticipated game SOULCALIBUR VI, will be at GameStart on 13 October to meet fans and share more about the game, which launches just one week after the event. 
Fans of Capcom’s highly popular action role-playing game MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD™ can look forward to meeting and hearing from Kaname Fujioka (Executive Director/Art Director) and Yuya Tokuda(Director) from the game’s development team on 14 October.

Celebrity gamer and New Japan Pro-Wrestling's IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega #KennyOmega will be at GameStart 2018. In addition to being a commentator at Sea Major 2018, Kenny will also hold a Meet & Greet session with fans on October 13.

Fans of Overwatch, Elise Zhang, the voice actor, best known as “Mei” in Overwatch will be doing Meet-and-Greet sessions during the 2 days and also catch her on stage Sunday, 14th October at 5:30pm. Being a Chinese voice actor, she dubbed for Mei in both English an Mandarin version, and Symmetra in Mandarin version. She is also Lily in Heroes of the Storm, and Alleria Windrunner in HearthStone. Details of the guests are available at https://gamestart.asia/events/guests/

Lastly, the main event!

SEA Major 2018, Singapore’s longest-running esports tournament, will play host to tournaments for 10 games with a prize pool of USD 50,000 up for grabs.Singapore’s longest-running esports tournament will see more than 200 international competitors in Singapore for the weekend, including top professional esports athletes from Japan, America and Europe.

Star players will also be in town during the GameStart weekend. Eagle-eyed fans are in for a treat to catch some of the world’s most famous professional esports players in Singapore. They include Japan’s legend Daigo Umehara: 梅原大吾 , who will be competing in Street Fighter V at Sea Major 2018, reigning Street Fighter V SEA Major Champion Tokido, top female Tekken 7 player and Red Bull sponsored Athlete Tanukana, homegrown esports hero Ho Kun Xian and America’s renowned competitive fighting game player and multi-game Champion Justin Wong. Please refer to Annex for a list of selected pro gamers at GameStart 2018. Renowned tournament commentators include BlessRNG, well-known Australian streamer and personality who has his own emoticon on streaming platform Twitch; and “Tasty Steve” Steve Scott, “Markman” Mark Julio and “Sajam” Stephen Lyon from America.

SEA Major & SEA Mobile Major Tournaments include:

• Capcom Pro Tour Asia Last Chance Qualifier & Regional Finals - The region’s top 8 players come to compete for USD 30,000 and qualifying points to the Capcom Cup in December 2018.
• ArcRevo World Tour - The only Asian stop of Arc System Works’ new global league, outside of Japan. Winners get a slot and paid trip to compete in the World Finals.
• Tekken World Tour Master Event - A key stop in Bandai Namco Entertainment’s global esports league.
• Dragonball FighterZ SAGA - One of just 7 SAGA events in the world, the winner gets a paid trip to compete in the global finals.
• Shadowverse SEAO Contenders Cup - The inaugural regional finals of Japan’s #1 digital card game for the Southeast Asia & Oceania (SEAO) region. The winner will get a paid trip to compete for a USD 1 million cash prize in the World Grand Prix in December 2018.

Phew! Ain't that a mouthful of information? Well, there's even more to expect since it's the 5th Anniversary and over the years, the GameStart team has built networks and bridges not just across the local gaming industry, but also internationally. GameStart this year added 2 new partnerships with Korean Indie Game event BIC Fest, and Indonesia’s Game Prime, so their local developers can showcase their games to Singapore & Southeast Asian audiences, and Singapore developers will be able to exhibit in Korea and Indonesia respectively.  GameStart also renewed its partnership with Taipei Game Show for the 4th year, and will host Taiwanese indie developers at GameStart 2018. The GameStart Indie Award provides winners with a paid trip and booth to exhibit at Taipei Game Show 2019, in addition to a prize of a WACOM interactive pen tablet.
There's so much more to explore and there will also be some special announcements from exhibiors and partners during the weekend, be there to catch them first. I will also be updating more, so stay tuned!

GameStart 2018 will be held on 13 & 14 October 2018 at Suntec Convention Halls 401 - 403. GameStart Masterclasses will be held on 10 and 12 October 2018 at TreeTop @ *SCAPE. More information and the latest updates on GameStart 2018 are available on www.gamestart.asia, and www.facebook.com/GameStart.Asia

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