Abu Dhabi wants to be a video gaming hub

The geeks are coming to the capital as three video-game publishers aim to set up in the emirate this year. Arabs adore playing and Abu Dhabi wants to be a gaming hub for the region. To nurture the industry, a 'gaming academy' is being planned by the twofour54 media centre. Ben Flanagan writes Abu Dhabi has yet to produce its own Mario or Sonic the Hedgehog, but it is only a matter of time before the emirate's fledgling video-game industry reaches the next level. Three gaming publishers are set to open their doors in the UAE capital this year, bringing with them more than 50 geeks set on making the next Tomb Raider, Angry Birds or Gran Turismo. "I really do think that bringing a bunch of gaming companies together is great for the cross-pollination of ideas," says Mohamed Haj Hasan, the co-founder of Jawaker. At the beginning of this year, Abu Dhabi Media, which owns and publishes The National, launched its own gaming division, Karkadann Games.And in August, the emirate's media hub twofour54 announced it had invested more than US$2.5 million (Dh9.1m) for minority stakes in two Arabic online gaming companies, Tahadi Games and Jawaker. The move by twofour54 was more than just an investment: the terms of the deal encouraged the companies to relocate to Abu Dhabi, in an attempt to build a gaming hub in the emirate. To nurture this fledgling industry, twofour54 is even planning its own gaming academy to help to breed a next generation of coders. Wayne Borg, the deputy chief executive and the chief operating officer at twofour54, says another gaming deal is in the pipeline. He says Abu Dhabi is emerging as "the Middle East's leading Arabic gaming hub".The popularity of video games in the Arab world is indisputable. According to a survey by Arab Advisors Group, 65.3 per cent of internet users in Saudi Arabia play games online. That is an audience of 7.4 million, of which 12.9 per cent - or 958,000 - are paying users, Arab Advisors says.But whether that means Abu Dhabi can play the role of a games hub for the region remains to be seen.Not surprisingly, those in the industry are confident Abu Dhabi will one day rank alongside Kyoto, home of the gaming giant Nintendo, or Redwood City in California, where Electronic Arts is based.David Ortiz, the general manager of Karkadann Games, reels off a long list of gaming hubs around the world, from Los Angeles and London to Istanbul and Tokyo. He says Abu Dhabi has a "promising" chance of being added to this list. "I think it's just going to continue to snowball. I'd say Jordan is the other big hub in the Middle East right now." Mr Hasan confirmed that the twofour54 investment deal involved registering a new company in Abu Dhabi. "They're trying to create a gaming culture and infrastructure at twofour54." From / The National