The Media Development Authority in Singapore is soliciting bids from hungry software development shops to build their own version of Second Life. MDA department chief executive Michael Yap calls it "Google Earth meets Second Life." Can't you just hear the concept meeting now?
The development seems to be tied to the launch of the 2010 Youth Olympics. The budget is not clear. The MDA will fund 50% of the development costs which suggests that they are also seeding a business.
I have to admit that when I first read about this in the newspaper upon touching down, I had immediate visions of Walmart's The Hub. Remember that ill-fated MySpace clone for committed Walmart shoppers? I think it lasted about three months in the light of day before they pulled the plug with a quiet little "Oops" squeaked out of Bentonville. Creating a social network - virtual or otherwise - is not a trivial task that can be overcome by a deep purse and business "will". The fact that a government authority is behind this new effort only added my sense of hubris-fueled doom.
I think I am wrong. On quite a few levels, actually.
I had the chance to meet with Krishnasamy Bhavani from the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts where the MDA resides (MICA). I met with bloggers and PR pros. I met with friends who had grown up in Singapore. Others who have since gladly made it their home or at least their homebase. And while there are some mixed feelings about the controlling nature of the government, one thing seemed to come to the surface: they could actually pull off creating the Singapore Virtual World.
There are three things that support this idea:
1. When Singapore won the bid for the Youth Olympics, there was a wave of pride across the island city-state. I wasn't there when that happened, but the sense I get is that it was widespread and unifying. That pride may drive traffic and residency in a virtual social network that promises to reproduce the physical Singapore with some innovative mix of 3D and live-camera feeds.
2. MICA and DMA are the groups responsible for the world-reknowned feat of pervasive wireless connectivity across Singapore. They do what they say they are going to do. I walked in with a western POV. My government could never pull this stuff off but that wouldn't stop them from wasting taxpayer's dollars on ill-fated projects. Most people I talked with acknowledge the efficiency of the Singapore government and it's overall capability in what some call "social engineering." They have the will, the resources and the capability of accomplishing significant tasks. They know what they are doing and they have a proven track record.
3. Singapore will become a significant hub of technological - specifically Internet marketing - innovation over the next 5 years. Warning: this obeservation is firmly rooted in gut, not independent research. This comes more from my own experience with our 360° Digital Influence team throughout Asia Pacific (major hubs in Singapore, China and Australia), a gut feeling about the efforts of the government to seed tech business (some failed attempts which is the source of learning not dead-ends), some emerging social media education, and the idea that the current government leaders will be succeeded by a next-generation leadership who see the benefits of loosening the reins a bit to juice growth.
Welcome to Virtual Singapore
I love Singapore. I first visited 20 years ago. The city-state has become a significant nexus of wealth perhaps, eclipsed by dramatic, nearby Dubai but quietly stable and growing. There are almost all the right seeds to make Singapore a digital marketing hub, if not a digital innovation center. Who knows, they may have a a virtual Singapore we can all join by the start of the Youth Olympics. If anyone can pull it off, it will be Singapore. And I will join if they will have me.
John, some information and corrections.
The Wireless@SG WiFi network is Government supported (free for 3 years) but is not all pervasive; it consists of hotzones centered around transport and shopping areas. The full list with Google Earth pegs is available at the IDA site. Qala has announced a mobile WiMAX network for roll-out in 2008 although I don't know current status. I must use a 3G HSDPA data modem to achieve pervasive wireless Internet access in Singapore.
In terms of virtual world support, you might have been better to cite the Next Generation National Broadband Network (NGNBN) project which aims to provide fixed 100Mbps connections across Singapore. The 100Mbps figure is not solely Internet access but includes HD VOD, phone, security and so on, but a ~20Mbps symmetric connection is a clear driver for highly interactive applications such as Virtual Worlds.
In my professional work, I made some efforts to evangelise Virtual Worlds for business use and a common reaction from my Singaporean colleagues was that the personal touch trumps the virtual benefits of teleworking, lowered ecological footprint, and so on. I'm hoping this is a generational viewpoint not a cultural roadblock but is worth mentioning.
regards,
Nigel Bruin.
Posted by: Nigel Bruin | May 05, 2008 at 02:05 AM
Thanks Nigel Bruin, for the article, if you read the exact extract from Straits times, my company amazingworlds.com is working on this project together with the Singapore Govt, we are also open to partners with global partners if they think they can value add to our value proposition. we are open to explore.
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