The UAE is quickly becoming one of the most technologically-advanced countries in the world. The country has embraced new tech, industries, and businesses in the hopes of boosting its economy, tourism, and global position in the world of innovation. And one of those industries is the gaming industry, which the country is heavily investing in, hoping to become the next global hub for gaming.

The online gaming industry is seeing incredible growth all over the world. Contributing factors to this growth include accessibility, variety of games, number of games available, promotions and bonuses, social gaming, global tournaments, and gaming events. In particular, online tournaments and events like the Winter Series tournaments, for example, are huge draws for gamers.

The UAE is taking this all a step further with new competition venues, gaming startups, educational investments, and more. Below, we’ll take a closer look at all the steps the country is taking in its goal to become the gaming center of the world.

New Venues for Tournaments

Dubai is currently planning an eSports stadium, which is a part of the government’s 10X initiative. They are hoping that a state-of-the-art gaming facility will establish them as a major hub for the gaming industry. Since online gaming of all types — but especially eSports — are increasingly global, it makes sense that a gaming venue could be a huge draw for international gamers and tournaments.

Plus, the UAE’s more central location between the big gaming hubs like China, the United States, Europe, and South Asia make it all the more likely that the UAE will succeed in its efforts. It would make it a great location for hosting eSports events and festivals, which can attract millions of gamers to Dubai, thus boosting the economy.

Investments in Mobile Gaming

Mobile gaming is one of the largest sectors of the overall gaming industry. In the UAE, however, mobile gaming is the most successful part of the industry. More than 80 percent of smartphone users in the country play mobile games. With all of these mobile gamers, demand for mobile games, in addition to new features and tech, has seriously increased in the country. They especially want games that are relevant to them and designed by their own developers.

In order to meet demand, game developers in the UAE have been more focused on mobile games than other types of games, leading to far more new releases and major advancements in mobile gaming.

Game Development Startups

New businesses in gaming development are cropping up all over the world, especially in response to the huge demand for gaming and new gaming experiences — particularly in mobile gaming. And that includes the UAE, with startups focusing on all types of gaming tech besides mobile like VR, AR, AI, and so on.

One of the most successful companies is Bleeding Edge, which has its headquarters in Dubai. Besides Android and iOS game development, which are its biggest sectors, the business also focuses on blockchain, Steam, Windows, and Facebook game development. Another prominent developer is Juego Studios, which has offices in Dubai in addition to the United States, India, and the United Kingdom.

Degrees in Gaming

A huge number of universities in the UAE are adding on gaming development majors in order to further invest in the future of the industry and meet the growing need for qualified individuals. With such rapid advancements in technology, the gaming tech of today will look nothing like the gaming tech of tomorrow. There needs to be gaming developers who can handle that.

Degrees in game animation, general game development, game design, and computer science (with a gaming focus) are becoming commonplace, where individuals are trained in the latest technologies. There are even business degrees offering eSports classes and concentrations, as well.

Gaming in the UAE

The UAE is really covering all of its bases when investing in its gaming future. The country is training the future developers, encouraging new startups, and investing in venues and new games. It is well on its path to becoming the next global gaming hub.