Escape from this dystopian future

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Exhibition at Singapore Discovery Centre to highlight need to prepare for future threats

Jan 24, 2020 06:00 am

Cyberscams, climate change and trade wars will be key concerns for Total Defence Day this year, which falls on Feb 15.

These topics are explored in an exhibition, which runs from Jan 21 to March 22, at the Singapore Discovery Centre (SDC).

Titled Will You Do You?, which plays on the millennial slang "you do you", referring to the act of doing what one believes is the right decision, the exhibition puts visitors in an escape room set in a dystopian vision of Singapore.

Mr Melvern Ong, 48, assistant executive director of SDC, said: "We wanted to shock people into contemplating what could happen if we don't take action and prepare today."

His team wanted to use the escape room format to convey these messages through games, he added.

Exhibits show a future where riots spark from fake news, greenery is lost and banks have collapsed due to cyber hacking. Players then work together to find clues planted in exhibits to escape.

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One clue is found by putting players in a cyberscam scenario. Players role-play by sending messages to a "fraudster" on a screen, exposing the public to how scams can play out.

Ahmad Al-Thaqif, 16, completed the puzzles with his classmates from the Institute of Technical Education College Central. He said: "It is a good idea to bring students here as it gives us a wider view of the world and how current issues affect us."

Research for the exhibition were done with the Cyber Security Agency and the National Environment Agency for several of the exhibits on cyberscams and climate change.

While the spotlight is on psychological, economical and digital defence, the other pillars of Total Defence have not been neglected.

Documentaries and stage productions about stories of the Singapore Armed Forces will be played daily, as well as a 4D military-themed ride.

Outside of SDC, Mr Ong said they will be curating truncated versions of the exhibition in public libraries and school assemblies, to reach an estimated 80,000 members of the public.

For the first time, members of the public can catch the Singapore Civil Defence Force's decontamination vehicle.

SDC will also hold other activities to educate the public on Total Defence.

Admission is free for all Singaporeans and permanent residents. Non-citizens and non-PRs can find the various pricing packages for the exhibition at www.sdc.com.sg.