The Gulf is getting serious about gaming. Following successful new esports and gaming events in Saudi Arabia, the UAE has launched and announced several of its own.
Here's a round-up of the region's best so far, and what's still in store.
The Mena Gaming and eSports Summit
The Mena Gaming and Esports Summit concluded in Dubai on Thursday, the second major event of its kind to be held in the GCC this month alone.
Organised by Verve Management, in association with the UAE's Emirates Esports Federation, the two-day event saw speakers from across the world descend on Dubai's Conrad Hotel to discuss the latest trends in global esports.
Among the event's guest speakers was Matthew Pickering, who joined as chief executive of Power League Gaming in 2020 — overseeing a period of rapid growth for the company. Pickering said: “Esports and gaming are the fastest growing media verticals in the world; within this, the Mena region is the most rapidly growing geography globally."
The summit brought together developers, publishers, distributors, sports organisations, influencers, media outlets, leagues and competitions, to discuss the region's esports ecosystem. Asides from trends in programming and the impact of cloud-based and AI-powered technologies, participants explored the future of esports in the region.
The international gaming industry is forecasted to become a $340bn heavyweight by 2027, and Mena's gaming market is projected to increase by almost a fifth to more than $5bn. The region is home to more than 100 million gamers, and the world's fastest gaming market, thanks to a young, tech-savvy population.
Next World Forum
Mena Gaming and eSports Summit followed on from the Next World Forum, an event by the Saudi Esports Federation, which took place in Riyadh last week. The event brought together leaders from the gaming world to discuss future opportunities provided by the industry in Saudi Arabia. Like the Mena Gaming and eSports Summit, the event highlighted the young population in Saudi Arabia as a major driving force for the sector.
“We have a population of 34-odd million in Saudi Arabia and 63 per cent, or approximately 21 million, consider themselves gamers," Federation president Prince Faisal bin Bandar said. "So this is a community of gamers and what we are doing is something that they've been looking for and striving towards. This is not just a passion, but it's also a work path and it is what they want to do on a daily basis.
“They want the opportunity to work hand in hand with government organisations and the private sector to really build something that will showcase their skills on a global stage."
That approach is already bearing fruit, he said, noting Gamers8, a two-month gaming festival in Riyadh, and the annual esports charity tournament Gamers Without Borders.
Saudi mega projects, including Neom and Qiddiya, have also recognised the potential of gaming not just in entertainment but as a social tool — with Qiddiya's managing director Abdullah Aldawood saying the entertainment destination would have a neighbourhood "designed by gamers for gamers".
Games for Change
Building on the momentum, another major gaming conference is slated to take place next month, this time in Abu Dhabi.
The first Games for Change summit in the Middle East and North Africa will be held on October 11. The two-day event is organised by Games for Change and Abu Dhabi Gaming. It aims to connect 300 figures from Abu Dhabi’s gaming industry with international experts, to discuss best practices and innovations in gaming.
Held in partnership with the US Mission to the UAE and twofour54, the summit will include a series of talks, panels, workshops, networking events and an interactive arcade — exploring the business trends driving the gaming industry.
Participants will also hear independent game developers and entrepreneurs from around the globe share their experiences of the industry, as well as how games have been used to address social issues surrounding education, healthcare and climate change.
The Games for Change Summit is part of a partnership between Games for Change, the UAE and the US. This year, G4C teamed up with Aldar Education and Abu Dhabi Gaming to launch a virtual exchange programme connecting young people in the US and Mena, called Game Exchange.
Students around the world are designing games together that will address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals under the themes of human rights, sustainable societies and a healthy planet. Some of these titles will be exhibited as part of the G4C Summit in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi Blast World Premiere Final
Abu Dhabi Gaming has also partnered with international esports brand Blast to bring the Premier World Final to Abu Dhabi — where the world's elite Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams will battle one another for their slice of a $1 million prize pool.
Running from December 14 to 18, the tournament will see eight of the best teams go head-to-head at Yas Island's Etihad Arena. It is the seventh and final event on the annual Blast Premier tournament calendar.
Abu Dhabi's first Blast World Final will involve the FaZe Clan, who rose to the top of the ESL Pro League Season 15 and PGL Antwerp Major, face down NAVI, who won the Spring Final in Lisbon — with six more teams set to be confirmed later in the year.
Charlotte Kenny, managing director of Blast Premier, said the Counter-Strike World Final was the "ultimate" fan experience in esports and will bring its "electrifying, adrenaline-pumped" atmosphere to the city.
Anime & Gaming Festival, Al Ain
The Anime and Gaming Festival will be held in Al Ain Mall from October 7 to 9. The three-day event will celebrate several aspects of pop culture. It will include activities, exhibitions, cosplay parades as well gaming and esports tournaments.
Organised in partnership with Uprizing, the event is the first anime convention in Al Ain. It is free and will include performances by local musicians as well as panel discussions on anime and gaming. Esports tournaments will challenge players in Fifa 23, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Valorant and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Dubai Esports Festival
The inaugural Dubai Esports Festival will take place from November 9 to 20 — and will be the first international leisure event to be held at the Dubai Exhibition Centre following the end of Expo 2020 Dubai.
It will include a gaming competition that will pit some of the world’s best players against each other. The Initiate Summit, meanwhile, will bring together industry experts, esports stars and investors.
At the GameExpo, visitors can experience a range of video games, from retro classics to the latest big-budget releases. The events are organised by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism and Dubai World Trade Centre.
Gamers8
Gamers8 festival in Saudi Arabia featured a range of events and concerts every weekend for eight weeks and a prize fund of up to $15 million. The event was hosted by the Saudi Esports Federation in the entertainment district Boulevard of Riyadh, alongside concerts by international and regional artists, including Lil Pump, Balquees, Russ, DJ Snake, Nancy Ajram, Hamaki, Disco Misr, Alan Walker and DJ Axwell.
"The goal of Gamers8 is to bring the virtual world of esports and gaming out into the physical realm of Riyadh,” Prince Faisal said of the event. “With that in mind, the capital city of our country renowned for its enthusiasm and huge fervour for gaming is the ideal setting for Gamers8."
Scroll through images of Abu Dhabi's esports and virtual-reality hub Pixoul Gaming below
UNSC Elections 2022-23
Seats open:
- Two for Africa Group
- One for Asia-Pacific Group (traditionally Arab state or Tunisia)
- One for Latin America and Caribbean Group
- One for Eastern Europe Group
Countries so far running:
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Results
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 1,000m, Winner: Hazeem Al Raed, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 85,000 (D) 1,000m, Winner: Ghazwan Al Khalediah, Hugo Lebouc, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m, Winner: Dinar Al Khalediah, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi.
6.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Faith And Fortune, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Only Smoke, Bernardo Pinheiro, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: AF Ramz, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi.
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: AF Mass, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
Results
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
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Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
Second Test, Day 2:
South Africa 335 & 75/1 (22.0 ov)
England 205
South Africa lead by 205 runs with 9 wickets remaining
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
John Cena v Triple H
Matches to be announced
WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship are all due to be defended
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Third Test
Day 3, stumps
India 443-7 (d) & 54-5 (27 ov)
Australia 151
India lead by 346 runs with 5 wickets remaining
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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