Dubai: Video gamers swamped an exhibition at Dubai Festival City this weekend for an advance preview of the hottest new electronic games before they hit store shelves around the world.
The crush of young players at Games 2010 (Games Alliance Middle East Show) suggests a thriving electronic gaming industry in the Middle East.
The three-day show wraps up today.
Nitin Mathew, Marketing Manager of Red Entertainment, a founding sponsor of the Games 2010 said the growing electronics entertainment industry is lucrative.
"We estimate the entire industry is worth $750 million (Dh2.7 billion) regionally, of which hardware is about $600 million," Mathew told Gulf News in an interview at the show.
Red Entertainment joined forces with Sony Playstation, Microsoft Xbox and Pluto several years ago to create Games 2010 as a front line opportunity for young gamers to test new gaming platforms and games long before commercial release.
"When we created this, we didn't want to show games that were already out now," Mathew said. "It's about the games that are highly anticipated, games that have not been released. This is an important show because we want consumers to catch a glimpse of what's in store in a few months and later on in the calendar."
The multi-sponsored gala event took off and has proved to be a yearly highlight for serious video game consumers, said Mathew, whose company distributes products for video game publishers such as Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Sega, Warner Bros, Take 2, Square Enix and Eidos.
Preview
At Red Entertainment displays at the show, young gamers were spellbound while playing the hottest titles yet to come ranging from Fifa 11 and Medal of Honour to Fifa11 and Guitar Hero; Warrior of Rock.
The game that Mathew predicts will eclipse all others commercially when it is released in coming months — Call of Duty; Black Ops — was not made available for preview.
However, Mathew said the Call of Duty video game will be "the big 800-pound gorilla coming your way very soon. My prediction is that it will be the biggest game of the year because it will be available across all platforms."
Sony PlayStation is also eyeing the Middle East gaming market with big financial gains in mind following the release of its new PlayStation Move platform September 9 in Dubai.
Tim Stokes, Sales and Marketing Director for PlayStation Division, estimated that gaming in the Middle East is worth up to $1 billion or "two per cent of the global market" of $45 billion in total international sales.
Despite recessionary times, PlayStation saw its Middle East Division post 10 per cent growth in 2009 and believes this year will see increased revenues on the heels of the release of its new Move platform.
"Things like Move open up a new demographic," Stokes told Gulf News, noting his company "had a very good reaction. People liked the games, they liked the price."
The new Move starter pack comes with controllers, a camera and a starter disc featuring new games that are directed by the body movements of players.
Stokes said new Move games such as Sports Champion, Start the Party, Kung Fu Rider and Eye Pet have proved popular and are selling well.
The push toward motion, or movement-inspired gaming of late, fits in well with the Middle East market where "culturally, a lot takes place in the home with big families. It's a very conducive market for gaming."
New car games
PlayStation, he said, is looking at "investing in more local content. We're working with a developer in Jordan for three new car games for the PlayStation Portable. With Move, we're going to localise it into Arabic to appeal to kids and parents who are less used to English."
Not to be outdone, Microsoft Xbox is teeing up its launch of its new Kinect hands-free platform November 10 in the UAE which also promises social gaming for the family as well as standing by its hardcore gamer subscribers.
The Kinect platform represents an entirely new trend among gamers who want a hassle-free, user-friendly experience free of controllers.
Aman Sangar, Product Marketing Manager, said at this weekend's show: "You Are the Controller."
He said Games 2010 "affords us an opportunity to launch technology that has not been seen in the region."
Some of the 15 new game titles showcased included Kinect Adventures, Dance Central, Kinect Sports and Kinectimals.
Sangar said another big draw for Xbox was its new game, Halo Reach, launched September 14.
"Retailers came to us and said it was the fastest-selling game ever," he said.
Microsoft Xbox has big plans for the Middle East as an emerging market and believes a vibrant young segment of the regional population is game for new Xbox video releases.
Amin Abbas, Editor of ArabicMEGamer, said from the sidelines of the Games 2010 that it's no accident that new video games appeal to the younger set where roughly half of the population is under 25.
"In GCC countries, we have a lot of young people so the future is bright for the gaming industry," Abbas said. "Youth want games that are exciting and fun — soccer, car racing and fighting are the games that kids and teens want."
