Total Defence turned 40 in 2024 — and for the first time, it had a virtual world. TD@Singverse, developed by Finute with the Ministry of Defence as part of the Total Defence Sandbox initiative, brings all six pillars of Total Defence — Military, Civil, Economic, Social, Psychological and Digital — to life as playable experiences inside our digital twin of Singapore.
Six pillars, six ways to play
Players undergo military training and defend Singapore, respond to emergencies as a Community First Responder, keep essential services running, and learn to spot digital threats — each pillar expressed as gameplay rather than doctrine. A gamified version of ScamShield teaches scam awareness; the SCDF myResponder app lives inside the in-game phone; and the new virtual CMPB (Central Manpower Base) gives pre-enlistees a one-stop hub to explore their National Service journey, launched in conjunction with the official opening of the real one.
Recognition
- Over 3,500 players joined in the first week of launch in February 2024, supported by ACCORD's Educational Institutions council
- Mentioned in Parliament by Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Zaqy Mohamad at the Committee of Supply 2024
- Exhibited at the inaugural Total Defence Convention, where SMS Zaqy encouraged Singaporeans to try it
- Recognised with the ACCORD Total Defence Advocate Award for SMEs 2024
Forty years on, Total Defence's whole-of-society message hasn't changed. What has changed is where society's youngest members can be found — and TD@Singverse meets them there.