UAE gamers want in on multi-billion-dollar industry

From a brand new facility in Dubai, young gamers are hosting virtual regional eSports competitions sponsored by global brands as they shoot to become major players in the multi-billion-dollar industry.

Indian expat Saad Khan said he realised there was "huge opportunity" in promoting eSports in the region four years ago, when he saw people crowding into rapidly sprouting cyber cafes in Dubai.

That's when Khan, who has a strong background in technology, decided to found Gamers Hub Media Events (GHME) to host e-Sports tournaments in the Middle East and North Africa.

The global games and interactive media industry grew 12 percent to $139.9 billion last year, according to US-based data analytics company Nielsen.

Meanwhile in the Gulf, the gaming market is expected to reach $821 million this year, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia the biggest players, according to consulting firm Strategy&. 

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Ecosystem forming

GHME has partnerships with Intel, Dell Alienware, Lenovo Legion and Omen by HP, and last year it landed a deal with German luxury automaker BMW, which sponsors gaming tournaments in the region.

Dubai-based company Boss Bunny Games is now part of that "ecosystem", with plans to launch what the UAE says is the first video game inspired by Gulf culture.

Set for release later this year, the game will feature Emirati characters from the popular local children's cartoon "Freej", which revolves around four old Emirati women in full traditional dress, living in modern-day Dubai.

Reaching 'global audiences'

According to Robert Mogielnicki from the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, Gulf countries' appetite for eSports is part of a more general push for "home-grown industries" and "greater self-sufficiency".

"This is about more than just entertaining young people; it has to do with depicting Gulf societies as thriving and creative hubs worthy of an expansive global audience."

Agence France-Presse