11 July 2009, SINGAPORE – Youths created their own sports-themed games, learnt how to sketch original animated characters, and had a sneak preview into the making of the Singapore 2010 Virtual World as part of the launch of CAN! Click, the opening marquee event for the Singapore 2010 CAN! Festival (Digital Media Edition).

Launched by Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of National Development, at Iluma on Saturday, 11 July 2009, CAN! Click had some 280 students from 29 secondary schools create web-based games on the 26 Summer Olympic sports in the Singapore Games Creation Competition (SGCC), while ten local and two overseas teams from China and Malaysia participated in the 30-hour Code-a-thon to create three-dimension games based on the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect.

Jay Chua, an 18-year-old Code-a-thon participant from Nanyang Polytechnic said, “It is a great idea to reach out to digital media students to participate in the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games in a different way. At the end of the day, the YOG belongs to the young people of the world.”

Youths also had the chance to meet the people who are creating the Singapore 2010 Virtual World. A sneak video preview showed the behind the scenes making of the Singapore 2010 Virtual World – from the initial draft storyboards to the creative concepts behind the 3-D graphics, and the interactive elements that would appear on screen. When the Singapore 2010 Virtual World is ready next year, it will provide a new platform for youths all around the world to enhance cross-cultural interaction, and be a digital medium for youths to embrace, embody and express the Olympic values.

Youths currently can go onto these websites – the Singapore 2010 website (www.Singapore2010.sg), the WhyOhGee website (www.whyohgee.sg), or take part in the Million Deeds Challenge (www.milliondeeds.sg) to learn more about the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games and the Olympic Values.

Also announced at CAN! Click was the partnership between the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) and SHINE to develop the Culture and Education Programme (CEP) during the Games in August 2010. SHINE will provide funding for community arts groups to present art performances at the Youth Olympic Village, *SCAPE and International Convention Centre. CAN! Click was organised by Nanyang Polytechnic and supported by SHINE Youth Festival and SYOGOC.

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About Singapore 2010
Singapore will be hosting the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) from 14 to 26 August 2010. The Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games will receive some 3,600 athletes and 800 officials from the 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), along with estimated 800 media representatives, 20,000 local and international volunteers, and more than 500,000 spectators. Young athletes – aged between 14 and 18 years – will compete in 26 sports and take part in Culture and Education Programme.

The Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games aims to inspire youth around the world to embrace, embody and express the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect. It will create a lasting sports, culture and education legacy for Singapore and youths from around the world, as well as enhance and elevate the sporting culture locally and regionally.

For more information, please visit www.singapore2010.sg


About Nanyang Polytechnic
Established in 1992, Nanyang Polytechnic (www.nyp.edu.sg) is a premier tertiary institution that offers quality education in Engineering, Information Technology, Design, Interactive & Digital Media, Business Management, Health Sciences and Chemical & Life Sciences. Currently, it offers 45 full-time diploma courses and a suite of customised courses for continuing education.

Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Interactive & Digital Media (SIDM) supports Singapore’s vision to be an Interactive & Digital Media hub. SIDM offers 6 unique courses that integrate art, design, entertainment and technology for the digital age – the Digital Media Design (Animation), Diploma in Digital Media Design (Games), Diploma in Digital Media Design (Interaction Design), Diploma in Digital Visual Effects, Diploma in Entertainment Technology (Games) and Diploma in Motion Graphics & Broadcast Design. Together, these courses prepare students for the exhilarating world of animation, games design and development, interactive media, visual effects, advertising and the entertainment industry.


About Singapore 2010 CAN! Festivals
The Singapore 2010 CAN! (Create. Action. Now!) Festivals are a series of themed quarterly festivals organised by youth and community organisations for the community, in celebration of Singapore 2010. These festivals aim to connect people to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games through exciting youth and community initiatives. The Singapore 2010 CAN! Festivals will be held from April 2009 to March 2010.

For more information on the Singapore 2010 CAN! Festivals, please visit www.singapore2010.sg/can

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Issued by:
Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee

For media queries please contact:
Ms Joey Chen
Senior Executive, Media Publicity
Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee
Tel: 90900705
Email: joey_chen@singapore2010.sg

Mr Desmond Ho
Communications Officer
Nanyang Polytechnic
Tel: 9663-0918
Email: Desmond_Ho@nyp.gov.sg


CAN! Click Fact Sheet

CAN! Click is the opening event for the Singapore 2010 CAN! Festivals (Digital Media Edition). Event components include Code-A-Thon 2009, Singapore Games Creation Competition (SGCC) 2009, Digital Visual Effects, Character Drawing, CosPlay showcase and the Singapore 2010 Digital Media initiatives.

Singapore 2010 Digital Media Initiatives:
The Singapore 2010 booth offers a sneak peek of the upcoming Singapore 2010 Virtual World: we invite you to sign up as beta testers for the Virtual World. You can also dress up as the Youth Guru – a character that appears on the WhyOhGee website to give wacky, humourous answers to questions that you send in – and take a photo. Try to spot the real Youth Guru who will be making her appearance: snap a photo of her and stand to win prizes. To view the Youth Guru’s sport-related advice (updated weekly), visit the WhyOhGee website at http://www.singapore2010.sg/whyohgee/seriously/youthguru

Code-A-Thon 2009:
The on-the-spot coding competition, Code-A-Thon 2009 kick-starts CAN! Click on 10 July 2009. A total of 55 students in 11 teams – nine local and two foreign – from 6 tertiary institutions will race against time as they compete to create the best 3D game in 30 hours.

The theme of the competition is on the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect. Code-A-Thon 2009 will conclude at 4pm on 11 July 2009. Results will be out by 5pm.

This is the third time that the Code-A-Thon, inaugurated in 2006, is held.

List of participating schools

School                                                            Number of teams
Temasek Polytechnic                                        5
Nanyang Polytechnic                                        3
Singapore Polytechic and
NationalUniversity of Singapore                        1
Shandong University Software
College (China)                                                1
Lim Kok Wing University of Creative
Technology (Malaysia)                                    1


Singapore Games Creation Competition 2009:
Singapore Games Creation Competition (SGCC) 2009 – which is in its fourth year –    gives secondary school students an opportunity to learn about digital media development and games creation.

Over 70 games created by the students during Stage 1 of the competition are on display at CAN! Click. Some 280 students from 29 secondary schools are taking part in this year’s SGCC. Each participating team has also designed their own promotional poster for their game and the posters will be displayed at CAN! Click. Members of the public at the CAN! Click event will get the chance to try out these games and vote for their favourite game.

Participants will vye for three awards on 11 July 2009: ‘Most Original Game Award’, ‘Viewers’ Choice Award’ and ‘Best Poster Award’.

Digital Visual Effects:
Visitors will have a chance to experience the wonders of digital effects (bluescreen technology) and be photographed in visually stunning digital environments designed
by students from Nanyang Polytechnic.

Character Drawing:
Students and lecturers from Nanyang Polytechnic will give a crash course on how to create digital characters. Visitors can draw their own characters and on T-shirts.

CosPlay Showcase:
10 individuals dressed as various characters from Japanese anime at the event will be competing for the “Most Popular CosPlayer” award at CAN! Click. Visitors can take photos with these CosPlayers and vote for their favourite CosPlayer to redeem limited edition CAN! prizes.