Speakers have been announced for the upcoming KSA edition of the Digital Games Conference Middle East and Africa (DGC MEA).
The event, which is being held virtually from December 13-15, will focus on Saudi Arabia’s rapidly growing games industry and its ambition to be a global player in this sector.
Speakers include Salman Bin Bandar AlSaud, founder & CEO, Advanced Initiative; Dr. Essam Bukhary, CEO, Manga Productions; and Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman, Animoca Brands.
“The public sector is investing heavily here in Saudi, and there is a high awareness of the importance of technology transfer in terms of capability building in the field of video games,” says Dr. Bukhary. “I believe we’re now in the middle of a Saudi economic development miracle, and in 2030, we will tell the world our story.”
This edition of the Digital Games Conference will explore how Saudi Arabia’s developer academy investments, internet infrastructure, and vibrant esports scene are combining to position the country as a world leader in gaming. The six core topics this year are Gaming & Vision 2030, Indies & Innovators, Regional Esports, Health & Wellness in Gaming, Female Pioneers and The Metaverse.
“Because of the added dimensions of play-to-earn and digital ownership, the impact of the metaverse will far exceed that of mobile gaming, and this effect will be global,” says Siu. “The countries of the Middle East have an opportunity to take a leadership role by fostering the growth of the metaverse, not only by supporting organizations that are creating metaverses but especially by supplying the users and creators for this brave new world.”
Other sessions also include Robbie Douek, CEO, BLAST; Steven Huot, CEO, The 4Winds Entertainment; Adi Mishra, CEO, Zone; Doran Davies, CEO, Zero Latency; Jan Horn, managing director, SAE Institute; Ziad Samaha, VP business development, Khazna Data Centre; Nurettin Cetinkaya, CTO, Nokia Middle East; Hani Suwwan, business development manager, HyperX MENA; Rasha Alqahtani, award-winning gaming mental health pioneer; and Povilas Joniskis & Farah Tamer, Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
“There’s now a massive demand for data in this region, much of it driven by gaming,” says Samaha. “Our expansions are taking into consideration the adoption of these growing needs and our designs and construction are based around what we are going to expect in terms of data explosion in this region.”
The event will also feature the exclusive reveal of a research paper authored by Boston Consulting Group on the global state of gaming and esports, with a special look into KSA’s vibrant market and its potential.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Technology Express staff and is published from a syndicated feed)
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