It is a case of good news and bad news for Singapore when it comes to the wide world of electronic gaming.
The good news: There's a huge US$45 billion (S$77 billion) world of digital entertainment out there.
The bad news: Singapore doesn't have enough talent as yet to harness the opportunities.
That's why, as part of its effort, the Singapore Computer Society (SCS) has recently set up the Special Interest Group on Computer Entertainment.
The group will be at the forefront of promoting and developing the community of companies, investors, developers, researchers, and students who are in the domain of computer gaming and entertainment.
And at a good time too. Statistics paint an impressive picture of what's up for grabs. Video game sales were reported to have exceeded US$20 billion worldwide last year.
The figure exceeds even box office ticket sales for movies, blockbusters like The Lord of TheRings notwithstanding.
Computer animation was already a US$25 billion-dollar industry as far back as 2000, according to the respected technology business journal Roncarelli Report. And with more and more animation finding its way into film, television and multimedia, the market is expected to stay bright in the years ahead.
So, the video game and computer animation businesses total US$45 billion. The Interactive Digital Software Association adds another upbeat note: The average American gamer - the United States is the biggest gaming market - is 28 years old.
Older consumers tend to have more disposable income to spend on games than teenagers.
And high production costs in the US, Japan and Europe, the lack of content for the Chinese market, and the availability of new distribution channels (namely wireless and broadband), mean that Singapore could wrest the major league role.
And quickly, too. Already, rivals like Hong Kong are ahead in some ways. Billed as the "Entertainment Capital of Asia," Hong Kong's ability to create and market its content more than makes up for its relative lack of technology when compared to other regional players such as Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea.
In addition to film, Hong Kong - with its access to low-cost manufacturing in China - is also considered by many to be the "Toy capital of the world". Local Hong Kong companies such as Vtech, IDT, Group Sense and Team Concepts have already carved a niche for themselves in the electronic toy genre.
Be that as it may, Singapore still has the ability to out-edge Hong Kong in the huge global export market. It has a leading edge in technology and manufacturing, as well as research and development. Singapore also has one of the best wireless and broadband infrastructures in the world.
The penetration of mobile and broadband per-capita exceeds that of the US and many European countries. This infrastructure makes Singapore ideal for developing new entertainment products and services. What must be addressed is creating new game content.
The SCS, through its Computer Entertainment arm, will provide:
Consortium meetings for big and small game companies to meet and network; Have short courses and workshops for industry programmers, designers and artists; Career guidance and talks for students aiming to work in the games industry; Will work closely with the universities and polytechnics to promote computer entertainment related courses. 
