Bishan East-Sin Ming residents 60 and over can sign up for coaching in e-gaming and exergaming.

 

Cynthia Ponnana has never played games on a computer or on her phone. When the 63-year-old went to the trial at the Bishan E-Sports Hub at Bishan Community Club, she got to try her hand on e-gaming and exergaming, which is a combination of gaming and exercising. After which, her interest peaked, especially when she played bowling and tennis, and has plans to sign up for the programme there. She shared: “I will see where it takes me.”

The 55-sqm Bishan E-Sports Hub, which officially opened today, is said to be the first purpose-built e-sports hub for seniors in Singapore and is targeted at Bishan East-Sin Ming residents 60 years and above. The Hub will feature coaching sessions for multiplayer tactical video game Counter-Strike 2 (strategic thinking and teamwork) and exergaming like Ring Fit Adventure for the Nintendo Switch platform conducted by trainers from Esports Academy.

The aim of the Hub is to inspire and foster community participation, with like-minded senior gamers coming together to promote active ageing through gaming and technology.

The initiative is by the Bishan East-Sin Ming Beautiful People Taskforce, in partnership with Lien Foundation, who provided one-off funding for set up of S$30,000, Singapore Cybersports and the Online Gaming Association (SCOGA), who organised a senior esports and exergaming tournament last year. The Hub also has received support from Acer and Razer on the gaming equipment.

The Hub, which took over an underutilised  space that was dedicated to motorsports and mainly targeted at youths, now has 10 gaming desktops and five Nintendo Switch consoles, equipped with senior-friendly design elements including enlarged keyboard lettering and full wheelchair accessibility.

Besides coaching seniors, the Hub will also serve as the home base for Squad 2X2, Singapore’s oldest esports team with members aged 64 to 76. A member of the team, Phillip Tang, 70, said: “As a senior, I have always stayed active through recreational sports for physical health, but mental health is equally important. Esports help build our reflexes, strategic thinking and teamwork. As seniors, we have the time and discipline to game responsibly – it’s been out eye-opening gateway into the digital world.”

So what is the senior programme at the Hub? Seniors can choose between e-gaming or exergaming programmes, with each week, there will be different games. Programmes are charged at S$120 per pax for 12 two-hour sessions starting in March. Sessions are held once a week with up to 10 senior participants per session. Low-income seniors can also tap a low-income fund to subsidise the cost and will have to do means testing. Currently, the Hub is open for free trials, and seniors can come and try.

According to Elysa Chen, adviser to Bishan-Toa Payoh Grassroots Organisations, since the soft launch of the Hub in December last year, over 100 seniors have shown interest in the programmes. She added in her opening speech of the official launch of the Hub, “As we pilot this innovative model, we hope it will inspire other communities across Singapore to explore new frontiers in active ageing.”

Interested residents of Bishan East-Sin Ming can reach out to Bishan Community Club at 6259 4720 or PA_BishanCC@pa.gov.sg to indicate their interest and to find out more.