We look at the evolution of the region as a gaming and eSports hub and speak with gamers and business professionals from the field
Did you know? The United Arab Emirates will have the highest number of adult gamers by 2022, a new global survey shows.
Statista, a German database company, interviewed 45,650 people from 39 countries between April 2021 and March 2022 as part of their global consumer survey to learn more about gambling practices among people over the age of 18. 1,012 Emirates and residents participated, and 91 percent said they were gamers, with 73 percent playing games on their mobile phones.
That comes as no surprise given that there are tons of entertaining mobile games for everyone to enjoy. Be it the widely popular battle royale game PUBG Mobile, which has gained a lot of fans over the past 5 years, strategic role-playing games (RPG) like Clash of Clans, or the highly addictive puzzle game Candy Crush Saga.
In a metropolis like Dubai, an average of 1.3 million people use public transport every day, according to official RTA statistics from last year. Couple that with the aforementioned statistic and we can imagine how many are playing video games on their phones.
The smartphone gaming industry is huge, especially since games on portable devices are easily accessible and low or nearly free. On the other hand, there are those who prefer gaming, which is possible through console or PCs, the latter being a more expensive platform averaging around Dh6000 for a full-fledged PC gaming setup with a computer, monitor, headset and controller, keyboard and mouse, and a desk and chair.
Now that is an expensive hobby and you have to spend more and more to keep up to date with the latest technology. But if you ask us, nothing beats your very own video game room where you can spend hours in front of the screen taking on the mightiest monsters in Elden Ring or taking down other gamers in player versus player combat games like Call of Duty, Fortnite and more. .
PvP games pit gamers against other gamers instead of the game’s artificial intelligence (AI). This way of gaming became known in the late 90s and has only become more popular with several releases each year.
The Rise of Multiplayer Games
However, in the UAE, it took a while for gamers to enjoy multiplayer games as there were no dedicated servers that allowed for global gaming. Now the Middle East has its own servers and the gaming industry is bigger than ever and growing steadily. Now gaming is not even considered just a “hobby” and many consider it a viable career opportunity. And why wouldn’t they? If you tell someone who is super excited about video games that they can make money from it, they wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to give it a try.
“We’re in a part of the world where this is a new trend,” said Bisher Zumot (pictured above), a game content creator named Bibi Zumot. “There was even a stigma against people doing content creation and gaming because it wasn’t considered a real job. People thought, some still think that engineer, doctor, lawyer are his real jobs. But that is no longer the case.”
Bibi has been a content creator in the Middle East for about five years and mainly creates content on Twitch and Instagram. He is also entering the TikTok space with his creations, a platform where short videos are something unlike the other and more popular game content creation platforms such as YouTube and Twitch where creators usually stream their games.
“TikTok is not the ideal platform for games, but it is currently a trending platform,” says Bibi. “There is always a way, you just have to be creative and you can make a one or three minute clip about games or anything funny related to it. Ideas will always come, you just have to put them in a nice plan and execute them. Numbers will come naturally.”
eSports a booming industry
Many game content creators are also part of eSports teams. eSports, short for electronic sports, are multiplayer video games played competitively in front of spectators. These are professional gamers who have made a career in video games. A feat that requires a lot of time, effort and dedication to achieve. And everyone seems to want a piece of this multi-billion dollar industry.
The UAE has also started hosting eSports events that challenge local and international teams against each other in popular competitive games such as Counter Strike, League of Legends, DOTA, FIFA, Rainbow Six Siege and many more.
Last month, EMG 2022, one of Dubai’s biggest gaming extravaganzas took place in the city. It brought the best of eSports tournaments, gaming celebrities, cosplays, friendlies, anime music shows and much more to all game enthusiasts in the region.
The talking point of the event organized by eSports Management Group was the official Global Esports Tour CS:GO LAN tournament. Eight of the top professional eSports teams from around the world competed for a share of the $250,000 prize pool. The highlight of the tournament was how a local team Nasr eSports took on a world famous Ninja in pajamas in an exciting and competitive game of Counter Strike. While the former were knocked out, they made a huge name after putting up a great fight against the highly skilled opponents and winning one of the three rounds. However, Ninjas in Pajamas took home the trophy and $100,000 in prize money.
Nasr eSports is a gaming team from the UAE that has been around for six years. It has 50 players from all over the MENA region and Turkey. They participate in tournaments and competitions, regionally and globally, in 12 different games. We spoke to founder and CEO Lalit Vase and learned more about the vision of Nasr eSports.
“We are scouting talent and investing in them to prove they can make it on a global level,” said Lalit (pictured above). “Our goal is to build a base of next-generation eSports stars in the Middle East.”
But of course there are challenges in this particular region. Lalit reveals how the team was the best League of Legends team in the MENA region at one point and there were hardly any tournaments by the end. “Publishers need to improve their structure to determine how talents in the Middle East have a chance to go global,” he said, adding that “Brands and sponsors still lack confidence in investing and sponsoring talent.”
Thajudeen Kadhar, an avid gamer and also the head of marketing at EMG, stepped in to tell us more about the technical challenges this region faces. “Most challenges are aligned with ping issues,” he says. “If someone wants to become a pro player, they can’t practice at their maximum capacity because of ping issues.
Enjoy cosplay
EMG 2022 featured a huge array of games, including friendly matches spread across different areas in the Dubai World Trade Center. The games include League of Legends, Valorant, Call of Duty, Fortnite, FIFA, Tekken 7 and multiple VR games. The event was also a celebration for cosplayers and cosplay fans as there was an official EMG Cosplay contest with a $10,000 top prize.
Ewelina (pictured above), a Polish expatriate who has lived in Dubai for over seven years, is another influencer who goes by the name KiraDxb. She mainly creates cosplay and gaming content. She worked as a flight attendant and recently decided to focus on creating game-related content on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms. “I’ve always loved all things computers, games and superheroes,” she said, dressed as Wanda Maximoff’s alter ego Scarlet Witch. “I’ve always been so drawn to gaming. Maybe it’s part of being a very introverted person because I just love to sit and dive into imaginary worlds.”
In the past, girl gamers were a rare sight. However, now many girls are entering the gaming world and making up a large part of the industry as gamers and creators. “The new generation of girl gamers represent the right way of how a female gamer should be,” Kira said. “Now it’s all about skills, our knowledge and teamwork with other gamers.” We also asked EMG attendees about upcoming games and what games they are most looking forward to. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, God of War: Ragnarok, and Hogwarts Legacy are among the most anticipated.
Most Anticipated Games of 2022
God of War: Ragnarok
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Hogwarts Legacy
Overwatch 2
Saints Row
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