The 2nd annual Dubai World Game Expo was held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from the 27th to the 29th of October. The event was organized to bring together the best of the gaming industry and gamers; hardcore and enthusiasts alike.
Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, the event featured major players in the international gaming sector which included Epic games, Crytek, Sony Computer Entertainment to name a few.
The event focused on the gaming technologies in use by participating companies with the latest next-generation hardware being showcased. Gamer got a peek into promising upcoming games which were still under development.
The Expo acknowledged the emergence of the Middle East as an emerging market with huge potential. With increasing telecom infrastructure and accessible internet resources the young gamers here present a perfect opportunity in terms of market potential that remains untapped and is ready to mature in the years to come.
Nurshaun Sreedhar, a high school graduate and gaming enthusiast present at the expo said it gave “great insight into what the next few months held in store for gamers”, adding that he felt the event “focused more on the needs of the industry than gamers themselves”. Disagreeing with the above opinion, Paurav Shah, a college freshman said that the event “satisfied the needs of both the gamers and industry professionals equally”, his own being a chance to “play games yet to hit the market”.
The recent economic recession has done little to affect the growth of the gaming industry, with industry veterans predicting a further increase in sales; reaching 13 billion dollars by the end of 2011.