MDES - depa Launch 'depa THAI GAME INDUSTRY TO GLOBAL' Program to Accelerate Growth of Emerging Gaming Industry, Pushing Thai Games Developers to Grow Global

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) and the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) launched the "depa THAI GAME INDUSTRY TO GLOBAL" program, aimed at incubating tech-savvy personnel to serve the Thai gaming industry as well as empowering Thai games developers to grow global and be able to compete with other games developers on the international scale. Games are a fundamental part of digital content and it is an emerging industry that has potential growth that can shape the promising future of Thailand's digital economy.

H.E. Mr. Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, Minister of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), said there are lots of emerging careers and opportunities after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has prompted people across segments in society to level up their digital competence in order to align with the skills needed in those emerging careers. The ministry acknowledged a surge of a new industry that is enjoying a growth trajectory on the back of a sluggish economy. It is the digital content industry, which features a pool of next-generation professions such as games developers, animation makers and character creators and developers of e-sports, which are exponentially growing in popularity as an internationally accepted sport.

This year, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) have recognized the importance of the digital content industry to enhance development of the digital economy. Therefore, the ministry and the depa teamed up with partners to launch the depa THAI GAME INDUSTRY TO GLOBAL, which is a digital talent empowerment program to optimize the digital potential of next-generation people in order to prosper in emerging careers as well as internationalizing the Thai gaming industry. The future-focused digital empowerment program also aims to steer Thailand towards a mature digital economy with dynamism. The central goal is to create a knowledge-based society where people become aware of evolving digitalization and have digital readiness and the ability to take advantage of any technological disruptions under the "Digital Infinity" concept.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin, President/CEO of depa, said the value of the Thai digital content industry totaled more than 42 billion baht in 2021. The gaming segment is gaining traction and is closely monitored since it has steadily considerable growth. It recorded 37 billion baht in market value, accounting for 88% of the total value of the digital content industry. The depa has acknowledged the importance of the gaming industry, so the digital upskilling and gaming-savvy acceleration program is initiated as a fundamental to empower new generations, youths, students, undergraduates and general people with a strong passion for the gaming industry as well as people and stakeholders in the gaming industry and relevant industries. In addition, the game incubation development focuses on fostering digital knowledge and leveling up digital skills so as to develop digital manpower for the industry.

"The depa THAI GAME INDUSTRY TO GLOBAL focuses on maximizing the potential of Thai gaming entrepreneurs and games developers in order to grow global and stay competitive when it comes to competing with other foreign games developers in international competitions. It also presents Thai games developers with gaming business growth opportunities to negotiate with prospective partners and investors in a business matching and networking session. They can forge a deal with potential investors both in Thailand and abroad. All in all, stakeholders and all people concerned, including parents of gamers, will eventually have a mutual understanding and realize the importance of the gaming industry, including e-sports. Finally, it will lead to a more developed society where gaming savvy becomes a dominant "Soft Power" helping to drive development of Thailand's digital economy," said the president and CEO of depa.

The depa THAI GAME INDUSTRY TO GLOBAL program will be carried out through two empowerment and incubation sub-programs, comprising Game Online Academy and Game Accelerator Program.

Game Online Academy: Participants will undergo upskilling and reskilling via an online platform that features a host of learning programs, lasting more than 280 hours. All learning courses are available free of charge. There is a wide range of lessons and content that are suitable for interested people and gaming enthusiasts across demographics both children, entrepreneurs and people in general. The objective of the Game Online Academy is to equip all learners with indispensable gaming prerequisites and gaming-savvy readiness prior to exploring opportunities in the gaming industry. Learners can further their gaming knowledge obtained from the academy or even adapt such knowledge to enhance their career advancement or develop compelling games. They can eventually grow their emerging career paths and generate income themselves. The academy sets a target to incubate and develop more than 50,000 discerning personnel for the gaming industry.

Game Accelerator Program: Thai games developers will experience an intensive gaming empowerment and incubation program to maximize their competitiveness. The program aims to bring the best out of Thai games developers in order to produce enchanting, fascinating and captivating games for a mind-blowing gaming experience so that their games can go on sale in the market and be competitive on a global scale. The Game Accelerator Program has produced two batches of potential games makers so far. Thai games that went on sale on the Nintendo eShop platform included Joojee's Journey and Bloody Bunny. All participants of the accelerator program are entitled to taking part in a game development workshop, receiving training and advice from accredited experts in the industry. Moreover, Thai games developers are provided with opportunities to meet their prospective partners and investors during the Demo Day & Business Matching session. This year, amateur games developers are also allowed to participate in the demo day and business matching round. The Demo Day & Business Matching session is divided into two groups. They are professional games developers and amateur games developers, comprising youths and undergraduates. This year's accelerator program aims to enhance the potential of more than 500 games developers.

Moreover, depa still sees ample growth opportunities in the digital content industry and the gaming industry in the long term. depa also plans to boost its investment in the Thailand Digital Valley (TDV) at the TDV 4 tower in order to attract potential investors, developers and entrepreneurs in the digital content industry, especially in the gaming and e-sports segments.

Those interested in attending empowerment and acceleration activities under the depa THAI GAME INDUSTRY TO GLOBAL program, follow up on the Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/depathai.