The 3rd APRU MetaGame Conference is set to be live-streamed on 27 August, HKT (26 August, PDT) in partnership with The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and hosted by Cyberport Hong Kong. During the annual conference, scholars and industry leaders will examine the ways that global esports leaders can further their scope within universities, shape digital skills development, and the career pathways for students.
What were the executives’ thoughts on the conference?
Dr. Christopher Tremewan, Secretary General of APRU said, “We believe universities have much to gain by supporting esports as part of their education and research agenda.”
“Together with our network’s 60 universities and industry experts, we aim to contribute to building the esports ecosystem around the Asia-Pacific region. We are committed to developing a sustainable industry with a strong career trajectory which connects students, researchers and administrators across international borders,” Tremewan further commented.
“We intend this innovative technology and its social impacts will empower researchers and students to work with each other on solutions to global challenges for the common good.”
Peter Yan, CEO of Hong Kong Cyberport, said, “As the flagship for Hong Kong’s digital innovation, Cyberport is excited to join hands with APRU for the third straight year to offer the perfect platform for co-creating digital entertainment and esports in the Web 3.0 era.”
“Riding on the success of our previous collaborations with APRU, including two rounds of APRU Esports Fellowship Program, APRU Global Tournament and APRU Student Esports Paper Competition, the APRU MetaGame Conference will foster the application of new technologies, and the cultivation of talent in universities and the higher education sector, bringing a rather continuous impetus to the digital entertainment ecosystem,” Peter Yan further commented.
Professor Yang Wang, APRU Senior International Leader and Vice-President for Institutional Advancement at HKUST commented, “With the advent of the metaverse and blockchain technologies, the higher education landscape as we know it will be rewritten completely.”
“This will bring new opportunities and challenges for scholars, students, creators and universities, unlocking the next level of interaction and engagement in universities.”
What are the conference’s talking points?
As one of the biggest virtual education conferences and a spotlight event of Hong Kong Cyberport’s Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum (DELF), the 3rd APRU MetaGame Conference 2022 will incorporate the full ecosystem of esports, including high-level policy discussions, expert insights, next-generation learning, student competition, and gaming.
APRU has recently orchestrated the effort in bringing esports, a new form of edutainment and an integral part of the metaverse, to its university network. Top academics, policymakers, researchers, and students from North America, Europe, and the APAC are expected to join this all-virtual conference, marking a new milestone for the event, first introduced in 2020.
The event will kick off with a keynote address on edutainment and the metaverse by Prof Yang Wang, and feature three panel discussions on edutainment, collegiate esports, and the gamification of well-being, in which challenges, opportunities, and policies will be discussed.
Insightful findings will also be presented at the conference, followed by the announcement of a student showcase on digital art and original game ideas supported by Moon Lab, a blockchain-based startup that specializes in making mass adoption of blockchain technology possible. In addition, top Esports teams from the Asia Pacific region will face off in a Valorant tournament powered by PLANET9, the designated tournament platform.
