NYP IS KING OF THE VIRTUAL BATTLEFIELD

The mood was intense.

For almost an hour, adrenalin ran high as Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) Team 4 and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College West Team 8 faced off in the grand finals of the 2nd National Education Gaming Championship (NEGC) 2012 held at *Scape Orchard on 10 Jun.

Commands such as "Take that guy down!" and "There are people behind you! Run!" were issued intermittently, and moments later, a victory shout was heard from the NYP camp. Game over.

With that, Team 4 from NYP emerged the champion in the competition, taking home the NEGC Challenge Trophy, a school trophy, individual medals and $3,000. This is NYP s second win as the school also took home the title at the 1st NEGC in 2010.

Team Extreme from NYP and Team NCC 1 from Raffles Institution were placed third and fourth respectively.

The competition, organised by Nexus, Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and supported by the Ministry of Education, allows youths to learn about defence and National Service (NS), as well as develop skills such as teamwork, leadership and communication. Since April, the virtual soldiering skills of more than 1,200 students from 38 secondary schools, ITEs and polytechnics have been put to the test in the simulation game Virtual Battlespace 2 (VBS2).

This game, which is used to train soldiers in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), is a first-person shooter game that simulates an Infantry Platoon's missions.

The 128 teams formed at the start of the competition were narrowed down to 32 in the finals, held from 7 to 10 Jun at *SCAPE Orchard.

Minister of State for Defence and Education Lawrence Wong, who officiated at the closing ceremony of the finals, said: "I hope that by being part of this competition and trying out VBS2, you would have a better understanding of the capabilities of our 3rd Generation SAF, and for the boys among you, that you will be better prepared for NS.

"When you are fully engaged in VBS2, you get a chance to feel what it is like to be in combat, and in the battlefield."

When asked what his team's winning strategy was, 18-year-old Soh Peng Kwan from NYP Team 4, who played the platoon commander, replied: "We flanked the enemy from the sides where their defences were weaker. We also made use our Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to spot the enemies and take them down."

Nineteen-year-old Abdul Quddus Iqbal bin Johari from ITE College West Team 8, which was placed second, attributed the team's loss to a drop in morale.

"Some things happened during the game which we didn't expect, and in the end, it affected our morale. Nevertheless, it was a good experience," he said.

On how the NEGC benefited him, Mr Soh commented that it changed his impression of NS. "When I was younger, I thought that NS was all about drills and range shooting, but from this competition, I learnt that NS also has real-life simulations."

He added: "As a team, we also learnt that teamwork and communication are very important in this game and we hope to bring these skills with us when we go into NS."