Imagine this, you’re playing EA Sports FC 25 with a friend on a gaming console, and it’s getting competitive, as usual. The first half ends with the score at 2-2. Instead of resuming the second half on the console, the game is transferred to a football pitch, where you play a game of four-on-four with your friends.
This is the phygital vision, a way to mix the physical and the digital into one fun activity. The leading global phygital tournament, Games of the Future, is coming to Dubai next year.
Phygital International organises the Games of the Future, and its chief executive Nis Hatt, says the games are a good way to promote a healthier lifestyle.
“This is a great opportunity to incentivise our young audience, girls and boys, wherever they are in the world. Because we know that there are hundreds of millions, if not billions, of young people gaming every day in every country around the world,” Hatt tells The National. “No matter where it is, you will have a minister of health, minister of sport or minister of tourism that will sit and focus on this and this for us is really, really crucial.”
Gaming and esports remain incredibly popular, with many younger players preferring to game than play actual sports, but Hatt says there is a way to make them do both.
“When you look at the world population today, you will see that unfortunately, there is an increase in the obesity rate around the world. You have heart diseases, lung diseases, you get diabetes,” he says.
The Games of the Future is an annual tournament with 12 different events. The most recent games were held in Kazan, south-west Russia in March this year. Some of the games that were contested include virtual cycling, phygital hockey, football and martial arts.
Hatt says that they aim to have events or games that are purely phygital, but some events at the Games of the Future remain either purely digital or physical. But he’s also excited for new additions like drone racing to the roster, saying “you have the drone pilot who needs to navigate and manoeuvre around all these different points and then whoever comes first, obviously then becomes the winner, it really looks amazing because they have all these different colours in the sky”.
While the Games of the Future might sound like a modernised version of the Olympics, Hatt says that’s not what they’re trying to become. “Obviously, if the Olympics one day were to approach us and say, 'hey, we would like you to be part of it,' then who knows? We are always open for conversations,” he says.
“But at this point in time, we have our own concept, we have our own business plan, and we strongly believe that we have a very strong and very competitive product.”
As things stand, the next two Games of the Future hosts have been chosen, with Dubai hosting next year and Kazakhstan hosting in 2026. Hatt says countries are lining up to become hosts in the future, but he doesn’t discount years where they return to a previous host nation.
As well as taking on hosting duties next year, Dubai is also the headquarters of Phygital International, allowing the city to further integrate the phygital model into more events even outside of the Games of the Future.
Unlike the Olympics, where participants must carry the passport of the nation they represent, at the Games of the Future, participants can represent any of the 88 members of the Phygital community, which does not restrict participation based on nationalities or where an athlete resides.
“We don't focus on nationalities or genders or religious beliefs, everybody is welcome no matter what. open for all is open for all, for sure, men, women, boys, girls,” Hatt says.
Looking forward, Hatt says that they want to set up a Phygital University which also operates as a games factory where new games are conceptualised, tested for viability and eventually added to the Games of the Future schedule.
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Company%C2%A0profile
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MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final second leg:
Juventus 1 Ajax 2
Ajax advance 3-2 on aggregate
The specs: 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Price, base: Dh198,300
Engine: 2.0L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 280hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7L / 100km
