World Cyber Games 2008 kicks off in Malaysia

The search is on for Malaysia’s top cyber gamers to represent the country at the WCG Grand Finals in Cologne, Germany

Kuala Lumpur, 31 May 2008 – The Malaysian leg of the World Cyber Games (WCG) 2008 is on again, and this year’s event is expected to attract more than 2,000 participants from all over the country. The annual global competition, widely regarded as the Olympics of cyber gaming, will culminate with the Grand Finals to be held in Cologne, Germany in November.

Officially launched by Yang Berhormat Dato’ Ismail Sabri Yaakob, the Minister of Youth and Sports Malaysia, this year’s kickoff event also includes a host of complementary activities geared towards attracting casual gamers as well as the larger youth community in the country. The complementary activities include a Band Jam competition for budding musicians; an Xtreme Games Battle where members of the public stand to win cash prizes every two hours; a WCG mascot hunting quest, a WCG Auction Hour, and a street party where food and beverages are provided free of charge.

In addition to all the complementary activities, the weekend’s kickoff event also features the WCG 2008 Asian Championship Qualifiers where the top Malaysian gamers will be selected to represent the country in the WCG 2008 Asian Championship which will be held in Singapore. About 13 Asian countries will participate in the tournament, in which the winner will be crowned the WCG 2008 Asian Champion. The official game titles that competitors will play to qualify for the Asian Championship in Singapore are FIFA Soccer 2008, Need For Speed: ProStreet, and Defence of the Ancients (DotA) – AllStars.

Uniting the world through cyber gaming

The World Cyber Games’ main objectives are to promote positive values and encourage the youths of today to live life to the fullest, by allowing them to pursue their passion for cyber gaming as well as bringing that drive for success into their everyday life.

The organizer and sponsors of this global event believe that cyber gaming can help break down cultural and language barriers among participants so that they can interact
in one common language. More importantly, participants from all over the world have the opportunity to build great relationships and share common interests.

As the worldwide sponsor of WCG since 2000, Samsung has continued to support these values via its commitment of contributing to the community and promoting the spirit of cyber gaming. According to Mr Chan Lock, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Samsung Malaysia Electronics (SME) Sdn Bhd, the company’s sponsorship of WCG is aimed at providing a platform for youths to express themselves.

“Sponsoring the World Cyber Games is part of Samsung’s continuous effort to establish emotional bonds and nurture relationships with the youths of the world,” said Mr Chan.

“We are committed to support and promote a healthy digital entertainment culture and, from an industry standpoint, we aim to utilize this cyber gaming platform to contribute to the local gaming community and help fuel the development of the gaming industry,” he added.

Lynette Yap, Managing Director of In2 Marketing and Consulting Sdn Bhd, said that this year’s event is expected to be bigger than previous years, and this has been made possible through the commitment and support of various sponsors.

“We are very grateful to all our sponsors for making the World Cyber Games 2008 a major success. From Samsung as the worldwide sponsor, to Intel as the Gold Sponsor, and Plaza Low Yat as the venue sponsor, each and every company has come together to support the spirit of cyber gaming and to enrich the lives of our youths,” said Yap whose company is the national organizer of the Malaysian leg of the World Cyber Games.

Other sponsors that have contributed significantly towards this year’s World Cyber Games include:

PC Sponsor : ComputerWar Sdn Bhd
Co-sponsors : CiB Net Station, Corsair, Online e-Club, Gamers Dotcom, Intellinet, Logitech, Seagate, Sendi Mutiara Multimedia, Treetop, and Zotac.
Drinks Sponsor : Coca-Cola
Print Media Sponsors : Games, Game Axis, and PC Gamer
Online Media Sponsor : Cari.com.my

For more information and updates on the World Cyber Games 2008, please visit http://my.worldcybergames.com.