Fact Sheet: National Education Gaming Championship (NEGC)

National Education Gaming Championship (NEGC)

What is the National Education Gaming Championship (NEGC)?

The National Education Gaming Championship (NEGC) is an inter-school gaming competition organised by Nexus, Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and supported by the Ministry of Education. It offers students an opportunity to learn about the 3rd Generation Army and its capabilities in an engaging and fun way. This is the second NEGC Championship. The first was organised in 2010.

Why is NEGC being organised?

The NEGC is a fun and engaging way for youths to discover the capabilities of the 3rd Generation Army. It also allows youths, especially the pre-enlistees, to learn about defence and National Service before enlistment. NEGC is also designed to allow students to develop "soft" skills such as teamwork, leadership and communication.

What is the official game used in NEGC?

Virtual Battlespace 2 (VBS2) is the official simulation software used in NEGC. VBS2 is a PC-based virtual simulation training software used by the Army.

VBS2 is a fully interactive, three-dimensional training system which provides a virtual environment for a wide range of military training and experimentation purposes. It is currently used by military organisations worldwide including the SAF, the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps, the Australian Defence Force and the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence for mission rehearsal, tactical training and simulated combined arms exercises.

The SAF has adopted VBS2 for training and concept development since 2007. Modified to replicate and demonstrate existing and envisioned capabilities of the 3rd Generation SAF, VBS2 has been used by the SAF to develop the concept and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) of the 3rd Generation force. VBS2 is set against the backdrop of a real SAF training facility that is used to train our soldiers in urban operations.

What are the important dates to note?

31 Jan to 27 April 2012 Training Sessions
30 April to 27 May 2012 Preliminaries

Venues: E2Max, (8 Grange Road. Cathay Cineleisure Orchard Level 9),
H.I.G.H Café (19, East Coast Road, S428746), and
Army Open House (F1 Pit Building, Level 2)
7 to 10 June 2012 Finals
Venue: *SCAPE Orchard
64 teams competed at the Army Open House for a spot in the Finals. The top 32 teams will play at the finals at *Scape Orchard from 7 to 10 June 2012.

What are the Prizes?

Champion S$3000 + NEGC Challenge Trophy, School Trophy & Individual Medals
Second Placed S$2000 + School Trophy & Individual Medals
Third and Fourth Placed S$1000 + School Trophy & Individual Medals
Fifth to Eighth Placed S$750 + School Trophy
Ninth to Sixteenth Placed S$500 + School Trophy

Who can compete?

NEGC is open to all Secondary School, ITE, Integrated Programme School, Junior College and Polytechnic students. All participating teams are required to undergo three 3-hour sessions of training to learn:

• How to play the game

• About the weaponry and networked capabilities of the 3rd Generation Army

• To work together as a team

• Leadership skills

What are the Team Composition criteria for competing in NEGC?

Schools must form a team of 10 members in order to compete. Each team comprises 10 members with a specific role to form a "platoon" in the game. This includes the Platoon Commander, the Platoon Sergeants and Combat Medic. Multiple teams are allowed from each school. There is no limit in the number of teams a school can send. The members in a team must come from the same school.

How does a team win?

During each round, depending on the roles of the competing teams, the teams will attack or defend a target building. Points are awarded by either eliminating the opponent's team, or capturing/defending the building within a time limit. Teams will have to play both the defending and attacking roles in a match. The team that gains the most points wins the round and the team that wins the most rounds wins the match.

Where can I find more information about NEGC?

NEGC's official website www.negc.sg contains comprehensive information about the tournament. Regular updates will also be posted on this site.

For more information and community updates, contestants can also join in the conversation at the NEGC Facebook Fanpage at www.facebook.com/NEGCsg.

You can receive announcements/updates about the event via the NEGC Twitter account at http://twitter.com/NEGCsg.

Quick Facts

Number of Schools Registered: 38
Number of new Schools Registered: 17
Number of Teams Registered: 128 teams
Number of Students Registered: 1,280 students

Registered teams will take part in the Preliminaries (Single elimination knock-out format). The Top 32 teams from the Preliminaries will compete at the Finals. (See Annex A for the list of participating teams.)

List of Participating Schools for NEGC 2012

List of New Schools Participating in NEGC 2012

NEGC 2012 FINALS AT *SCAPE ORCHARD

Programme

The top 32 NEGC 2012 teams will battle it out for the championship trophy. There will be a total of 32 matches played over four days between June 7 and 10, 2012 at *Scape Orchard.

List of Teams playing at NEGC Finals

1) Bowen Secondary School - 2 teams
2) Bukit Batok Secondary School - 2 teams
3) Bukit Panjang Government High School - 1 team
4) Bedok View Secondary School - 1 team
5) Gan Eng Seng School - 2 teams
6) Hua Yi Secondary School - 1 team
7) ITE College Central - 6 teams
8) ITE College West - 5 teams
9) Nanyang Polytechnic - 4 teams
10) Raffles Institution - 3 teams
11) Singapore Polytechnic - 2 teams
12) St Joseph's Institution - 1 team
13) Temasek Secondary School - 1 team
14) Woodgrove Secondary School - 1 team

Interactive/Hands-on Activities

1. Know Your Vessels
"Know Your Vessels" is an online learning video game using the Unity 3D game engine. The game is designed to help individuals familiarise themselves with and identify the ships in Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). The RSN's assets include:
a. Frigate
b. Mine Countermeasures Vessel
c. Missile Corvette Vessel
d. Patrol Vessel
e. Landing Ship Tank
f. Unmanned Surface Vehicle
g. Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat

2. Weapons Showcase
"Weapons Showcase" is an online learning video game created on the Unity 3D game engine platform. The game offers the player an introduction to the fighting platforms from the Singapore Armed Forces. There are around 30 platforms from the 3 services.

3. Weapons Challenge
This is an online learning video game created on the Unity 3D game engine platform. The game offers a virtual experience of using some of the weapons that an infantry soldier may be provided with. The weapons that the player may use include:

a. SAR21 Rifle
b. SAR21/M203 Grenade Launcher
c. SAR21 Modular Mounting System
d. SAR21 Sharpshooter
e. SAW Ultimax 100
f. MATADOR
g. General Purpose Machine Gun

4. Desktop Flight Simulator
The Desktop Flight Simulator is a training tool providing Operational Flight Training on a PC. It is a practical approach to make cockpit controls interactive, like in a real aircraft where Option Selection Switches, control panels and modes can be practically assimilated and interactively accessed through the use of a mouse. Auto-pilot controls, similar to those on commercial aircraft, are installed to allow users to concentrate on avionics system training while at the same time, allowing them to fly if desired.

5. RSN VBS2 Game: Operation Swordfish
"Operation Swordfish" is a VBS2 game that offers a player the experience of a battle at sea, with pirates. The objective of the game is to investigate the area for pirate activity. The player will identify hostile targets and engage them if necessary.

6. VBS2 Public Game
Members of the public who are interested to know about the VBS2 game used for NEGC are able to try out the game at the station.

7. Military Exhibition
Members of the public will be acquainted with:

a. Display ship models
b. 1 Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat (RHIB) and weapons (GPMG, Carbine and 0.5 Large Machine Guns)

8. SAF Overseas Operations Exhibits
Members of the public are able to learn more about the SAF through these exhibits:

a. Display panels of SAF Overseas Operations from 2000 to 2011.
b. A big map panel illustrating an overview of the SAF's overseas operations.

9. Photo Ops Station
Visitors can impress their friends with a keepsake photograph of themselves against a SAF Overseas Operations backdrop.

10. SAR21 Simulation Shooting Range
Members of the public can try their hand at shooting at the SAR21 simulation shooting range.

11. Paintball Range
Visitors to NEGC 2012 will be in for a treat at the 3-lane paintball range set up for visitors and NEGC participants.

12. 100PLUS Challenger
The 100PLUS Challenger is a 20-footer, 13.4 tonnes truck that transforms into three sports stations - basketball, rock climbing and Kinect game - for visitors to take part in.

More Resources

• Minister of State for Defence and Education Officiates at NEGC 2012

• Speech By Minister of State For Defence And Education, Lawrence Wong, at the National Education Gaming Championship 2012 Closing Ceremony, at *Scape Orchard

• NYP is king of the virtual battlefield