Monthly Archives:June 2020

LEVEL UP PLAY-ONE: A Career in Esports

LEVEL UP PLAY-ONE: A Career in Esports

Malaysia’s games industry has grown considerably in the past few years, with upcoming titles such as No Straight Roads and Bake ‘n Switch gaining global recognition. To celebrate their achievements and encourage further advancement of the industry, LEVEL UP PLAY-ONE moved its yearly gaming event online; hosting educational webinars, gaming tournaments, and showcasing game demos by local developers. Esports was also a recurring topic throughout the event’s activities, with their first ‘Esports Jobs Career’ webinar focusing on the competitive gaming industry and the employment opportunities within.

The panel was made up of three employees from the esports company Epulze; Pontus Lövgren, co-founder of Epulze, and Alvaro Sanchez and Richard Garcia, both tech managers and broadcasters at Epulze. Lövgren and his brother founded Epulze with the goal of making esports events a norm in both their community and the industry as a whole. The organization dedicates themselves to everything esports-related, from tournaments, broadcasts, events, and even acting as a talent agency for esports athletes and personalities.

“Esports is growing immensely, in kind of every direction.” Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, where a lot of other sectors are slowly beginning to die out. “Esports is, in a lot of ways, the future.” Epulze’s biggest service is its online platform, where gamers can join daily tournaments and leagues for a chance to win money. The company currently owns offices in Sweden, Brazil, Ukraine, and Malaysia, with the Kuala Lumpur office currently undergoing renovations for its own broadcasting studio.

Becoming a part of the industry is a lot simpler than most people think, with a majority of people starting out as gamers who then transition into an actual career. You don’t have to be an amazing gamer to find work in the industry either, with other positions in administrations, sales, marketing, and management still looking for people to fill in the gaps. The trio agree that people should follow their passions – finding their strengths and seeing how they can contribute to the industry. 

The infrastructure available in Malaysia has made its transition into esports effortless, with its countless internet cafes and LAN gaming centres providing both PC and mobile gamers the opportunity to play anytime, anywhere. Malaysians themselves show a lot more willingness to participate in esports, both as content creators and spectators, compared to people in the U.S. where the line between casual gamers and professional gamers is well-defined. In Europe, gaming events are treated as a subclass – held only in specific places such as game hubs which are then only accessible to specific audiences, In Malaysia, gaming events are often held in public places like shopping malls and convention centres, with the government also taking great strides to support the growth of the industry (through programmes, grants, funds, tournaments, events, etc). “Europe has a long way to go to catch up to Malaysia’s perspective.”

The misconception that you’d need otherworldly gaming abilities to be a part of the gaming industry is, thankfully, pure hokum. If you have the passion for it, then you may be exactly what Malaysia needs to bring itself to the next level. Our country may soon be the central hub for all things gaming after all, so take a chance on yourself, and make that dream a reality.

Kendrick’s Surprise B-Day Bash!

Kendrick’s Surprise B-Day Bash!

The blood 👊, sweat 💦, and tears 😭 you’ve poured into Captiv8 have not gone unnoticed, Kendrick! We’re only halfway through 2020 and the challenges we’ve faced as a company are unlike any other. ⚔️ But in true Kendylife fashion, you took on every challenge with a smile. 😁

surprise, kendrick!

CAPTIV8 wouldn’t be what it is today if we didn’t have an Elementalist like you at the helm. 🧙‍♂️

Happy birthday, boss! 🎂🎉

Social Groove Solutions Wins Lenovo Legion Contract!

Social Groove Solutions Wins Lenovo Legion Contract!

Want to hear some exciting news?

We are very proud to announce that our humble agency, Social Grooves, managed to grab the international giant, Lenovo Legion! What’s more, we’re not only in charge of the Malaysian social media, but we also create the content and analyse the data for all the countries involved with Legion within the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region! 🎉

To clarify, we do everything for Legion Malaysia, and other involved APAC countries will follow our example. Aside from content creation, we generate reports, work on creative development and many more.  It’s true, Marketing-Interactive themselves said so here!

captiv8 in marketing interactive lenovo legion
captiv8 in marketing interactive lenovo legion

Have we mentioned how privileged we feel to represent such a big client, and for the whole APAC region to boot? Because we really are! With so many countries that have their own little cultural differences and nuances, being able to cater to their different needs will make all the difference.

We’re definitely up for the challenge and hope to continue providing exemplary service to both our present and future clients. Go team Social Grooves! 🙌🎉We at SocialGrooves.com are pleased to serve. To learn more about who we are or for any inquiries, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Playstation 5 – Design and Specs Revealed

Playstation 5 – Design and Specs Revealed

With COVID-19 canceling major events, including gaming conferences like E3, developers and publishers are taking matters into their own hands by utilising online platforms to get their products out. On June 11th, Sony went live to more than 3 million viewers flocking to their YouTube and Twitch channels to be a part of one of the biggest events in gaming history; The PS5 reveal.

Hundreds of thousands of viewers were already in the livestream chat more than half an hour before the actual premiere began. Finally, after months of speculation, the questions bouncing around in everyone’s minds would be answered; what are the specs on the new console? What games will be available? How will it look?

As expected from any new console release, photos of the new Playstation flooded social media mere seconds after it was revealed. The PS5’s sleek two-tone design is reminiscent of a gaming console sent from the future – its controller and accessories (which include a charging station, 3D wireless headset, HD camera, and media remote) following the same white and black colour scheme. Like its predecessor, the PS5 can be placed both horizontally and vertically with vents for heat dissipation on its top and USB-A and USB-C ports on its front.

The console will also come in two different versions; the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition. The only difference between the two is the lack of a disc drive on the Digital Edition, which is noticeably slimmer in appearance as a result. For the tech-savvy readers out there, take a look at the PS5’s full specs below:

  • CPU: AMD Zen 2-based CPU with 8 cores at 3.5GHz (variable frequency)
  • GPU: 10.28 TFLOPs, 36 CUs at 2.23GHz (variable frequency)
  • GPU architecture: Custom RDNA 2
  • Memory interface: 16GB GDDR6 / 256-bit
  • Memory bandwidth: 448GB/s
  • Internal storage: Custom 825GB SSD
  • IO throughput: 5.5GB/s (raw), typical 8-9GB/s (compressed)
  • Expandable storage: NVMe SSD slot
  • External storage: USB HDD support (PS4 games only)
  • Optical drive: 4K UHD Blu-ray drive

In terms of the games that will be available, Grand Theft Auto 5 was the first game on the very long list of reveals Sony had lined up for the livestream. Other notable titles include Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales, Demon’s Souls, Resident Evil 8: Village, and Horizon: Forbidden West. Sony has also announced that an “overwhelming majority of the 4,000+ PS4 titles will be playable on PS5”, so those of you still hesitating to abandon your PS4’s, probably won’t be any longer.

As of today, the Playstation 5 does not have an official launch date, though Sony assures that it will be released globally in time for the 2020 holidays. The price of the PS5 also remains a mystery, with many predicting that it will fall between $400 and $499 (which makes the PS5 cost about RM1700 – RM2200 in Malaysia), though this is still an ongoing debate. 

Whether you’re a competitive gamer or a casual one, the Playstation 5 may be the next console you see in every household. No harm in saving up so you can be ready for pre-orders.