Connexion Conference & Event Centre (CCEC), 31st October 2018– The Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) organized the Level Up KL 2018; a 5-day premier South East Asian (SEA) game development event. The event is an initiative to bring together local and international game developers, provide a platform for industry players to connect and share knowledge with each other and promote the game development scene in SEA.

SEA Game Jam 2018

The first 2 days (27th- 28th October) featured the SEA Game Jam, a 36-hour Game Jam where developers from all over the SEA region come together and collaborate to create games based on a theme. The Game Jam took place at Level Up Inc in Komune, Kuala Lumpur.

Creating Business Opportunities in the Business Connection Programme (BCP)

On the 3rd day (29th October), the Business Connection Programme (BCP) was held in the Oak Room at CCEC. The BCP functions as a network building platform that allows attendees to meet with key individuals and various participants of Level Up KL for various business-related opportunities or learning purposes.

Exhibition and Showcases by the Top Developers of the Region

The final 2 days (30th and 31st October) brought the biggest highlight and the main event of Level Up KL 2018: the exhibition and showcases as well as the conferences. Game companies, institutions, developers and even students from SEA set up their booths in the exhibition hall to showcase their games, products, and services to public attendees. Prominent companies from the SEA region such as Gameka, Metronomik, Streamline Studios, MSI, and many more were also present to exhibit their products. While the exhibition was running, various talks and conferences were also being conducted by industry veterans. The event brought in these seasoned professionals including Michael Mumbauer (Senior Director of Visual Arts at PlayStation ), Wan Hazmer (Founder of Metronomik & Ex Lead Designer of Square Enix) and Chris Murphy (Epic Games Evangelist) to cover and share their knowledge of expertise to the attendees.

Gameka, a prominent figure in the local Malaysian Game Development scene played a huge role in the event. Narishvin Sukumaran (Chief Marketing Officer) of Gameka participated in a Game Design Career Panel along with other industry experts including Ian Gregory (Battlebrew Productions) and Yiwei P’ng (Kurechii) to share the requirements and industry expectations of Game Designers. The Chief Gamification Officer of Gameka, Kenny Lum was also invited to give a talk about the application of gamification in the workplace.  

Recognizing the Finest Games by SEA Developers

On the night of the first day of showcase and exhibition, a Networking Night event took place at Ruyi & Lyn Restaurant in Bangsar Shopping Centre. Here, attendees and speakers of Level Up KL can mingle with each other while enjoying good food, music, and performance.

The end of the event was celebrated with the SEA Game Jam 2018, IPCC 2018 and SEA Game Awards 2018 winner announcement, and prize giving ceremony. The SEA Game Awards are to recognize and celebrate the finest SEA video games and developers based on their outstanding creative, artistic as well as technical achievements. Over 100 games were submitted and the shortlisted finalists were announced way before Level Up KL 2018.

These are the finalists for the SEA Game Awards 2018:

Among the notable nominees are Nettworth by Gameka, No Straight Roads by Metronomik, NightStream by Streamline Studios and Simulacra: Pipe Dreams by Kaigan Games.

You can find the full list of winners for the SEA Game Jam 2018, SEA Game Awards 2018 and IPCC 2018 here:

https://levelupkl.com/#winners

Among the winners are Gameka’s Game Designers, Justin Ooi who won the 3rd place in the SEA Game Jam 2018, and Dominic Ng whose student project was awarded the “Best Student Game” of the SEA Game Awards 2018.

Strengthening the Future of the SEA Game Industry 

Level Up KL 2018 concluded with the visit of the Youth and Sports Minister, Yang Berhormat Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman. To boost the eSports scene in Malaysia, Media Prima Digital and Kitaman signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) witnessed by Daruk Yasmin Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer as well as YB Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman himself.

The event ended with a huge bang, and it may be one of the largest Level Up KL thus far. After his visit, YB Syed Saddiq announced that RM10 Million will be allocated for the development of eSports for the youth of Malaysia which was a news that shook the gaming industry nationwide.

Narishvin quoted “Gameka is honored to contribute to this year’s Level Up KL. We will continue working with MDEC to grow the South East Asian gaming scene and bring more lucrative opportunities to the industry. We are also thankful to the government for allocating RM10 Million to grow and develop the local eSports industry. Gameka is always ready to extend our help to the government and every party involved in order to bring the industry forward as well as solidifying Malaysia and South East Asia as a powerhouse in the gaming industry.”

 

ABOUT GAMEKA

Gameka is an award-winning game development & gamification solution provider. Founded in 2015, Gameka is the house for a group of passionate gamers, wanting to build great games.

For more information on Gameka, please visit https://www.gameka.my/

 

ABOUT MALAYSIA DIGITAL ECONOMY CORPORATION

The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation Sdn Bhd is a government-owned institution responsible for the management of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC Malaysia) in Malaysia as a technology industry and commerce zone.

For more information on MDEC, please visit https://www.mdec.my/

 

ABOUT LEVEL UP KL

LEVEL UP KL is an initiative by MDEC with the objective of bringing together both local and international players to the regional game development scene in Southeast Asia, LEVEL UP KL provides a platform for players in the industry to interact, learn and share knowledge.

For more information on Level Up KL, please visit, https://levelupkl.com/

 

CONTACT

Narishvin Sukumaran
Chief Marketing Officer
Email: narishvin@gameka.my
Phone: +6014 921 2028