By Koh Hui Theng

THE National Heritage Board (NHB) has selected five finalists who are competing to develop an online game for Mission Darkstar - a contest which would test the players- knowledge of Singapore history and culture.

The finalists were awarded $4,000 each to develop their ideas into real-life games.

At a press conference at the Asian Civilisations Museum yesterday, judges from the NHB, Infocomm Development Authority and Nextgen Studios announced the finalists after poring through 21 proposals.

Besides funding, each team gets six months to develop its ideas into reality.

The winner will be announced in December.

NHB's assistant director of corporate communications, Mr David Miller, 47, said the high quality of entries showed the students have put in a lot of time and effort.

He added: "There was a lot of variety, from simple Flash to multi-role playing games and other technologies that I am not even familiar with."

Sunnyside team leader Samson Yong, 21, was all smiles after hearing the results.

His five-member team came up with Red Dot Tycoon, a simulation game that tests players' organisation, strategy and management skills.

He said: "To do well, gamers have to develop a piece of barren land and transform it into a vibrant hub for its citizens."

Fun is also the name of the game for Republic Polytechnic's New Media student Gareth Tan.

His six-member team aims to make its Lucen puzzle 'a game of discovery'.

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