A initiative aimed at inspiring young Saudis to produce their own blockbuster games features a museum of video game history, from the first Pac-Man through PlayStation 5.As part of Gamers8, an eight-week festival of eSports events in the Saudi capital Riyadh with a $45 million prize pool, consoles and arcade games spanning the last 50 years are on exhibit.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made no secret of its love of video games and eSports, which is thought to originate with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a devoted Call of Duty gamer.The Savvy Games Group, which is controlled by the Public Investment Fund and is a subsidiary of the Kingdom, received a $38 billion investment strategy from the Crown Prince last year.
The national gaming and eSports strategy is emphasizing local game development more and more as it gains traction, promising in its official document to transform the Kingdom into “an Eden for game developers” that can create fresh games “promoting Saudi and Arabic culture”.
This is where the nearby “game labs” and museum come in: Over the course of Gamers8, over 3,000 people—mostly Saudis—flocked to the website to take intensive training in things like coding and animation.
Developer Mohammed Al Fakih stated, “In the past, Arabs were only buying games, not developing games,” as he practiced his craft in a studio one evening this week.”Now there is a chance to create games, design your own concepts, and bring them to life in accordance with regional customs and traditions.”
