Computer says go: the rise of gaming in the Middle East

Computer says go: the rise of gaming in the Middle East

The sector has massive audience potential particularly in the region through smartphone usage, which doubled in the Middle East and North Africa region between 2014 and 2019.. The UAE is taking strides forward in the fields of virtual reality (VR) gaming, having already invested in making it part of its location-based entertainment offering, specifically at The Dubai Mall, home to the world's largest VR Park.. Karim Ibrahim, CEO of Beirut-based start-up Robocom, is a proponent of VR, believing it to be the inevitable future of gaming, even though it has to achieve its expected status in the sector.. Ibrahim's company is one of five VR experience providers partnering with The Dubai Mall for its VR Park, and it will be the exclusive provider for Pixel Planet, a 4,000 sq m VR Park, esports academy and events space for gaming and technology at Abu Dhabi's Al Qana development.. Robocom is also the VR partner for another Pixel Planet due to open at the American Dream Mall in in New Jersey in the USA.. Ibrahim echoes Chams' concerns that an ecosystem which can allow the gaming industry to develop is not in place in the Middle East: "If we [in the Middle