GAMEON'ASIA 2014, March 10-12, 2014, Singapore Polytechnic, Singapore, Conference Venue

Even before independence in 1965, Singapore was one of the richest states in East Asia due to its strategic location as a port. Its GDP per capita in 1965 was $511, the third highest in East Asia after Japan and Hong Kong. After independence, foreign direct investment and a state-led drive for industrialization based on plans by former Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Goh Keng Swee created a modern economy focused on industry, education and urban planning.

The first records of settlement in Singapore are from the 2nd century AD. The island was an outpost of the Sumatran Srivijaya empire and originally had the Javanese name Temasek ('sea town'). Between the 16th and early 19th centuries, Singapore was part of the Sultanate of Johor. In 1613, Portuguese raiders burnt down the settlement at the mouth of Singapore River and the island sank into obscurity for the next two centuries. On 29 January 1819, Thomas Stamford Raffles landed on the main island in Singapore. Spotting its potential as a strategic trading post for Southeast Asia, Raffles signed a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah on behalf of the British East India Company on 6 February 1819 to develop the southern part of Singapore as a British trading post and settlement.

Until 1824, Singapore was still a territory controlled by a Malay Sultan. It officially became a British colony on 2 August 1824 when John Crawfurd, the second resident of Singapore, officially made the whole island a British possession by signing a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah in which the Sultan and the Temmenggong handed it over to the British East India Company. In 1826 it became part of the Straits Settlements, a British colony. By 1869, 100,000 people lived on the island.

During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Malaya, culminating in the Battle of Singapore. The British were defeated in six days, and surrendered the supposedly impregnable fortress to General Tomoyuki Yamashita on 15 February 1942. The surrender was described by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history". The Sook Ching massacre of ethnic Chinese after the fall of Singapore claimed between 5,000 and 25,000 lives.The Japanese renamed Singapore Shōnantō (昭南島?), from Japanese "Shōwa no jidai ni eta minami no shima" ("昭和の時代に得た南の島"?), or "southern island obtained in the age of Shōwa", and occupied it until the British repossessed the island on 12 September 1945, a month after the Japanese surrender.

Following the war, the British government allowed Singapore to hold its first general election, in 1955, which was won by a pro-independence candidate, David Marshall, leader of the Labour Front party, who became Chief Minister.
Demanding complete self-rule, Marshall led a delegation to London, but was refused by the British. He resigned upon return, and was replaced by Lim Yew Hock, whose policies then convinced the British. Singapore was granted full internal self-government with its own prime minister and Cabinet overseeing all matters of government except defence and foreign affairs.

Elections were held on 30 May 1959 with the People's Action Party winning a landslide victory. Singapore eventually became a self-governing state within the Commonwealth on 3 June 1959, and Lee Kuan Yew was sworn in as the first prime minister. Then Governor of Singapore, Sir William Allmond Codrington Goode, served as the first Yang di-Pertuan Negara until 3 December 1959. He was succeeded by Yusof bin Ishak, later first President of Singapore.

Singapore declared independence from Britain unilaterally in August 1963, before joining the Federation of Malaysia in September along with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak as the result of the 1962 Merger Referendum of Singapore. Singapore was expelled from the Federation two years after heated ideological conflict between the state's PAP government and the federal government in Kuala Lumpur.

Singapore officially gained sovereignty on 9 August 1965. Yusof bin Ishak was sworn in as President, and Lee Kuan Yew became the first prime minister of the Republic of Singapore. In 1990, Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee as Prime Minister. During his tenure, the country faced the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the 2003 SARS outbreak, and terrorist threats posed by Jemaah Islamiyah. In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the third prime minister. Among his more notable decisions is the plan to open casinos to attract tourism.

Singapore Polytecnic
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By Plane

After clearing customs and immigration at the airport you can take the Changi Airport Skytrain which operates between Terminals 1, 2 and 3, and from there you can reach Singapore proper using the the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) network, with Changi Airport Station located underground between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 and directly accessible from both terminals. A direct, one-train service to the downtown and western parts of Singapore was initially in operation when the station opened on 8 February 2002 (then accessible only via Terminal 2). This was replaced by the current shuttle service between Changi Airport Station and Tanah Merah Station on 22 July 2003,when it was found that few passengers actually use this route, compared to the number of commuters who need to travel from the city to Tampines and Pasir Ris. Cross-platform transfers are therefore necessary at Tanah Merah Station to connect to the rest of the network.

Buses use bus terminals in the basement level of the three main terminals, as well as a bus-stop along Airport Boulevard which is connected by a sheltered walkway to the Budget Terminal, making a loop starting from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1, 2, and then the Budget Terminal, and back to their destination of origin.

Taxi stands are within the arrival halls of the three main terminals and just outside the Budget Terminal.

By Metro

MRT System, see above at Airport.

By Bus

Take the MRT to Buona Vista. From there (North Buona Vista Road bus stop directly outside the station), you can take bus 191 to Portsdown Road and get off at stop B10 (Opposite Fusionopolis). The bus ride only takes a few minutes and stops quite close to the school.

By Taxi

Turn left (if you are coming from the east) off of North Buona Vista Road onto Portsdown Road (you'll see a sign for "Temasek Club" as well). You will pass Fusionopolis on your right, while you should follow the road as it curves to the left a bit and then again to the right. You will see the school ahead (Pixel, as indicated on the map). Turn left onto Central Exchange Green and immediately left again to enter the carpark for the school.

By Car

See above (Taxi) for driving directions.

Stations are divided into two areas, paid and unpaid, which allow the rail operators to collect fares by restricting entry only through the fare gates, also known as access control gates.[72] These gates, connected to a computer network, are capable of reading and updating electronic tickets capable of storing data, and can store information such as the initial and destination stations and the duration for each trip. General Ticketing Machines sell tickets for single trips or allow the customer to purchase additional value for stored-value tickets. Tickets for single trips, coloured in green, are valid only on the day of purchase, and have a time allowance of 30 minutes beyond the estimated travelling time. Tickets that can be used repeatedly until their expiry date require a minimum amount of stored credit.

As the fare system has been integrated by TransitLink, commuters need to pay only one fare and pass through two fare gates (once on entry, once on exit) for an entire journey, even when transferring between lines operated by different companies.[73] Commuters can choose to extend a trip mid-journey, and pay the difference as they exit their destination station.