Gamescom Asia 2022's Virtual Entertainment Zone And Where You Can Watch It

Gamescom Asia is only a week away! The premiere gaming convention will be held at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre from 20 to 22 October 2022.

Not gonna lie, Red Dot Diva was disappointed when Gamescom Asia 2022 announced that the B2C Entertainment Zone will be a fully online show this year. She had been hoping to be able to interact with fellow geeks on the show floor, while trying out new games at the various exhibitor booths. Still, the fact that the festival is set to go on despite globally challenging times, shows the industry's confidence about gaming in this region.

Gamescom Asia's industry segment, called the Trade Zone, will remain as an in-person event at Suntec. Over 80 exhibitors from 16 countries are geared up to showcase their games and expertise during the event, and industry attendees will be able to enjoy the exhibition area with scheduled panels on stage, trade conference, networking opportunities, and speed-dating sessions.

Gamescom Asia Returns With A Physical Entertainment Zone From 20 To 22 October 2022

Exciting times are ahead for gamers as Gamescom Asia will return to Red Dot Island from 20 to 22 October 2022 at Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre! The city-state opened up for fully Covid-19 vaccinated visitors since early this year, which sets the stage for Gamescom Asia to host a larger physical Trade Zone, Conference, plus a physical Entertainment Zone for the first time. Last year, due to Covid-19 restrictions, the convention was a hybrid experience with the Trade Zone and Entertainment Zone held virtually. Attendees were able to watch livestreams and on-demand videos to keep up with what was announced during the convention.

“We are delighted to have the commitment of global leading video game players for the event. This is testament to the increasing interest in the games market in Southeast Asia as well as in gamescom asia. With just three months before the event, the team is working hard to develop an exceptional experience for all trade visitors and the public alike. We are expecting many more companies to join us over the coming weeks in this widely anticipated event,” said Mathias Kuepper, Managing Director of Koelnmesse Singapore, the organiser of gamescom asia.

Spider-Man: No Way Home Is A Fun Treat For Spidey Fans Young and Old

Sony Pictures' SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, with the adorable puppyish Tom Holland back as Peter Parker/ Spider-Man, is the best comic book movie of the year. This is not counting ZACK SNYDER'S JUSTICE LEAGUE, which was more of a one-off special event than a blockbuster movie release. SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME is a load of fun, and an absolute treat for Spidey fans of all ages.

The movie continues immediately from SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME'S ending. Just before supervillain Mysterio died, he was able to throw Peter Parker's life into chaos by revealing Spidey's true identity as well as framing him for murder. As The Daily Bugle's relentless journalist J. Jonah Jameson (JK Simmons) and the authorities go after Peter, all whom he loves - Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and bestie Ned (Jacob Batalon) - are bearing the consequences of his newfound notoriety. He naively seeks Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help, requesting that the wizard cast a spell to make the world forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Unfortunately, the powerful spell got bungled, and all goes awry.

Gamescom Asia 2021 Presents The Heart of Gaming From 14 to 17 October

Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic struck, it has been awhile since a major entertainment-related convention is taking place in Red Dot Island. So, it is a wonderful feeling to have colour and excitement back in town with gamescom asia's first Asian version from 14 to 17 October 2021.

“We’re excited to finally launch the gamescom brand to the Asian market with gamescom asia 2021. We could have waited for 2022 to kick things off but the industry was craving for a place for interaction this year, and we wanted to provide gamers a glimpse of what the region had in store for them in the near future,” says Mathias Kuepper, Managing Director of Koelnmesse Singapore, the organisers of gamescom asia.

“For those who can make it to Suntec on 14-15 October for the event in Singapore, we are creating an extremely safe environment for in-person business interaction. All attendees will go through a non-invasive and highly accurate test before entering the event, which is a first for any event in Singapore. gamescom asia is proud to lead the way as a demo event and to help pave the path for other events to open in a safe manner in the very near future.”

The region's most anticipated gaming convention has a hybrid programme that consists of two zones - Trade and Entertainment. The Trade Zone has an in-person conference at Suntec Convention Centre from 14 to 16 October, with industry guests appearing live as well as online via the virtual platform Hubilo. There are segments called Games360, Mobile Gaming Summit, and UNconference featuring panels and technical dialogues featuring prominent industry guests from Riot Games, Microsoft Xbox Asia, Nintendo, Bandai Namco, Square Enix and more. The virtual conference on Hubilo also offers attendees networking opportunities and an exhibitor's area.

In addition, Mr. Alvin Tan, Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Trade and Industry, will be gracing the event and giving an opening address at the Mobile Gaming Summit on 15 October 2021.

Netflix's Tudum - Catch Your Faves At Virtual Global Fan Event On 26 September 2021

When you follow the ways in how people consume media in the last 3 decades or so, it is also intriguing to see how much Netflix has evolved from a DVD service company, to a streaming platform and later on, as a producer of its own original shows. Its growth and popularity surged when the Covid-19 pandemic struck last year. As in-person conventions and events have mostly halted, most media companies decided to host their fan outreach in the virtual space.

With TUDUM - you know, that iconic Netflix opening intro - Netflix's inaugural virtual fan event on 25 September 2021 (26 September in Asia) will include 145 of the biggest stars and creators of the streamer's over 70 original content. The 3-hour event will feature interactive panels that offer first looks, trailers, exclusives and conversations, specially curated for Netflix's fans from all over the world.

Can't wait for what's in store for the next season of “Stranger Things”? Super curious to see what Zack Snyder's “Army of Thieves”, the prequel to his zombie heist movie “Army Of The Dead”? Or, maybe, you want to catch another glimpse of Henry Cavill in the upcoming season of “The Witcher”. Well, there will be an entire list of celebrities and shows that will feed your hungry eager souls. Check out this page to see if you faves are slated to be at TUDUM.

Phantom on the Scan #1 Is An Atmospheric Start To A Creepy Paranormal Tale

Writer Cullen Bunn and artist Mark Torres, co-creators of the chilling horror series “COLD SPOTS”, have teamed up again with another supernatural tale with AfterShock Comics. Their new series called “PHANTOM ON THE SCAN” was launched last week, and the first issue offers intriguing teasers about how the story is going to unfold in the next week books.

Lead character Matthew Jordan began manifesting his psychic powers through a child spectre, after a comet fell to earth 20 years ago. Every time he uses his abilities, he feels his life force being drained away.

Matt learns that he is not the only one experiencing this phenomenon, and gathers together a group of psychics with an objective to save themselves from certain death. However, when one of them dies horribly during their first meeting, they discover something even more sinister is out to get them.

Live with Red Dot Diva's First Episode of 2021 Will Feature The Curious Unicorn

It's a new year, and a new season of Live with Red Dot Diva!

One of the best things that happened in 2020 was the decision to launch a monthly Facebook livestream featuring mainly creators and artists based in South-East Asia. During these 1-hour livestreams, Red Dot Diva and her guests participated in lively discussions on a wide range of topics like writing for horror stories, creating modern folk tales, and the current state of genre films in Red Dot Island. These interesting conversations will continue in 2021, and Red Dot Island already have the first few guests lined up for the next few months.

The first guest for 2021 will be The Curious Unicorn a.k.a. Hammy. Hammy is an independent visual development artist, graphic designer and 2D animator who is currently based in Brunei. She used to live in Los Angeles as well as in Red Dot Island. Those of you who wandered around the Singapore Comic Con 2019 Artist Alley may remember her booth selling eye-catching artwork, in an unusual wooden scaffolding setup.

Red Dot Diva Kicks Off The Very Small Geek Fest 2020 - 5 & 6 December 2020

Red Dot Diva is excited to launch THE VERY SMALL GEEK FEST, an inaugural virtual pop-culture fan festival that will take place on 5 and 6 December 2020 (Sat / Sun) at the Red Dot Diva Facebook Page.

This is the same weekend that Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) would have been held. Sadly, SGCC 2020 has been cancelled due to safety measures in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is definitely not the same as lining up to meet your favourite artists, or discovering creative gems at the artist alley, but THE VERY SMALL GEEK FEST aims to keep the pop-culture geek spirit alive until we can all safely together for a large-scale event once more.

The virtual event may be “very small” - with just 3 Facebook livestreams held on each day - but the programming will pack a punch for those who enjoy comics and pop-culture.

Here are the list of the confirmed guests, who are based in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines:

* ROD ESPINOSA - Eisner Award-nominated comic book creator, writer, artist
* KELVIN CHAN - Art Director at Kinetiquettes, artist, comic book creator 
* KASIMIR POH CIESLAK - Actor, stunt performer
* PEPS GOH - Actor, fight coordinator
* SHIAN WEN - Videographer, editor, producer
* SAMARASKETCH - Illustrator, comic book artist, entrepreneur
* ILI ISA - Game concept artist, illustrator, cosplayer
* ATTY - Blogger, gamer, pop-culture geek

In addition, local movie reviewer JEDD JONG and author WAYNE RÉE will be take on the role as moderator for a couple of sessions.

More details on THE VERY SMALL GEEK FEST's event schedule, guests' profiles, and giveaways, will roll out on the Red Dot Diva Facebook Page or Twitter feed. Keep an eye out for more information in the coming weeks, and save the dates so you can join us for a rush of endorphins on 5 and 6 December.


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Facebook Event Page - https://www.facebook.com/events/1597131070493927

Experience "AUTUMN" the unusual 12-hour live instalment for HBO's Third Day series (3 Oct, 4:30 PM)

Unlike the islanders of Osea in HBO's psychological thriller THE THIRD DAY, there are no changing of seasons in equatorial Red Dot Island. Many of those who live here have not experienced autumn before, but now you would have an opportunity to do so.

Later on, at 4:30 PM (3 October, Saturday), there will be a special 12-hour theatrical event dubbed “AUTUMN”, where you can immerse yourself in the world of THE THIRD DAY'S Osea Island via a livestream on HBO Asia's Facebook page. The island exists in real life, by the way. So does the old Roman-built causeway that can only be navigated at low tide for approximately only 4 hours a day in every 12.

The cinematic broadcast features the show's cast including lead actors Jude Law, Katherine Waterston and Florence Welch. The audience will be able to watch events unfold on mysterious Osea Island in real time in one single day, in one single take. This sounds like such a unique, trippy experience that Red Dot Diva is making plans to log on and see what this is all about. What will the Osea villagers be doing during these 12 hours? Will they be making creepy eye-contact with the camera?

Red Dot Diva and Filmmaker Perry Lam to Discuss about Genre Films in Singapore

Do you love genre films, and wonder why they rare exist in Red Dot Island? Will the short lived TV series VR Man be the only local fictional superhero ever to be realised on screen?

Red Dot Diva and award-winning film-maker Perry Lam will attempt to answer these intriguing questions at a Facebook livestream entitled ENDANGERED SPECIES: GENRE FILMS IN SINGAPORE this Saturday, 26 September at 1 PM Singapore Time (GMT +8).

Diva Previews the SACRED GUARDIANS Comic - It's Soul Food for South-East Asians!

Holy Bak Kut Teh! The prequel comic to the local tokusatsu SACRED GUARDIAN SINGA project will be having its launch tomorrow, 12 September 2020 on local leading publisher AsiaPac Book's Facebook page!

The virtual launch party for the comic entitled SACRED GUARDIANS will begin at 3 PM. Writer Aydeel Djoeharie and artist Alan Bay will be appearing at the livestream (moderated by AsiaPac's Chong Lingying), ready to share their creators' journey in bringing this book to fruition.

“Writing Sacred Guardians was both challenging and fun. With inspiration from American and Japanese superheroes, the story blends in Southeast Asian history, heritage, cultures as well as positive values to create an exciting, relatable story for our young (and older) readers,” said Aydeel Djoeharie, who written and directed several film projects before.

As for the book's artist Alan Bay, “Sacred Guardians was a special project for me not only for its story and characters but because it also helped me get through the pandemic as I spent most of time staying at home and working on it.”

Just before tomorrow's launch, the five SACRED GUARDIANS poofed in unexpectedly into Red Dot Diva's lair with a present - a limited preview copy of the comic. They declined her offer to stay for tea, but said that she could share a little about their origin story to her readers.

Guest Host on Red Dot Diva's Next Facebook Livestream - Carlo Jose San Juan (MD) of Callous Comics

For Red Dot Diva's monthly Facebook livestream, she has moved beyond the shores of Red Dot Island to feature her first overseas guest - Carlo Jose San Juan (MD) of Callous Comics!

Yes, Carlo Jose San Juan is a medical doctor from Manila, the Philippines. He also churns out Callous Comics cartoons on an admirably consistent and prolific rate. As it turns out, Callous Comics is celebrating its 24th Anniversary this year, having shared numerous snapshots of physician Dr. Rianne Nicah's daily life, together with her Guardian Duck named Cal Duck, and her group of friends.

It has not been easy for Dr. Carlo as well as his main comic character Rianne during this on-going COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the tough challenges that have turned the world upside down, Callous Comics' outlook remains brave and hopeful.

The “A DOSE OF THE BRIGHT SIDE” livestream will set aside an hour of conversation where Dr. Carlo will share about his experiences navigating life with two interesting professions, and how he manages to remain positive during such difficult times. Red Dot Diva and her guest will also chat about the meaning of art during a worldwide pandemic and the rise of web comics in recent times.

Red Dot Diva Announces Local Writer Wayne Rée as Guest for Second Facebook Livestream

Last month, in an era where most people are staying at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Red Dot Diva decided to launch a Facebook livestream, hosting a zine launch party with local writer Joelyn Alexandra.

The live event turned out to be more fun and interactive than expected, as their friends joined the two online discussing about Joelyn's new “UNSTABLE UNIVERSE”, a fictional world that is set to expand from the graphic novel UNSTABLE FOUNDATIONS, published by COSH Studios in 2019. There were hiccups like awkward sound echos, and ‘uh-oh where did Joelyn disappear to’ moments, but the live session felt casual and cosy, as if a bunch of friends dropped by to yak about geeky stuff.

For the second installment of Live with Red Dot Diva, she has roped in fictional writer Wayne Rée, to talk about “HORRORS, REAL AND OTHERWISE”.

Red Dot Diva Kicks Off Facebook Livestream - Launch Party of Unstable Directions with Joelyn Alexandra!

Red Dot Diva is excited to kick off her first livestream, which will be hosted on her Facebook page on 27 June, at 1 PM Singapore time.

The “Uncovering Unstable Universes” livestream event is a launch party for a new zine called UNSTABLE DIRECTIONS by local writer Joelyn Alexandra.

Joelyn writes mainly urban fiction, and her stories have been published by Two Trees, Math Paper Press, Ethos Books, and Buku Fixi. She also managed her own self-published indie zine, Pulp Toast, with saw a run of 4 issues that contained "snackable stories" about gaming, non-heroes, and the human condition. She has also participated in talks and writing workshops at various events, including Singapore Writers Festival, Read! Fest 2018, All In! Young Writers Festival, and Singapore Comic Con.