Business Today Egypt | October – November 2023, Special Edition

Gaming
Strengths and Weaknesses
Abdel-Aal believes that Egypt’s strength lies
in the large community passionate about following
electronic sports, which is the largest
community in the entire Arab world. He provides
examples of Egypt hosting finals of highlevel
competitions, such as Super Doom and
Anusmia, as well as the League of Legends Arab
Championship. Regarding weaknesses, Abdel-
Aal points to the lack of support from the Egyptian
Esports Union compared to other countries,
which support professional teams and
facilitate many procedures for their players.
He attributes this to a lack of awareness about
the field’s potential in Egyptian investment and
the potential profits that the union or the state
could earn by exploiting the strengths of the
Egyptian community and its impact in this field.
Mohamed Ashraf, country manager at
GeekayEsports, agrees that Egypt has a large
human resource base that is passionate about
gaming and E-sports in its various specializations
and areas. He also highlights the scarcity
of specialized companies to guide interested
youth in working in this field, resulting in limited
innovative ideas and funding opportunities.
A Powerhouse for the Gaming Industry
Ashraf also recommends focusing on
infrastructure support and a database,
along with allocating suitable places for
training and activity practice
to achieve fair competition.
He also underscores
the importance of
encouraging investors to
provide financial support,
and motivating publishing
companies and small companies
in this field.
He suggests that the
government establish
training centers and
specialized companies,
organize
competitions for
talents, and allocate
a dedicated
residential and administrative
area with
qualified infrastructure for
programmers and players tailored
to the requirements of this field.
Esports host Zakareya emphasizes
the need for events, platforms, and
an Arab and Egyptian market that
serves the region and understands its requirements
to support Egypt as a purchasing power
and a market that has understood and appreciated
games for years. He added that the availability
of tournaments and partnerships with
regional and international organizations would
significantly help place Egypt on the world map
and support the region with players and professionals.
For his part, Refae highlights Egypt’s cultural
and artistic heritage and its potential in
the gaming industry. He underscored the interdisciplinary
nature of the field and the importance
of understanding the dynamics and
trends within the gaming industry.
“Financial support is needed to further drive
Egypt’s efforts,” he said, encouraging aspiring
individuals to maintain a playful spirit while developing
games and to seek mentors to nurture
their talents and spark creativity.
What’s Next?
Experts highlight the need for increased
support in the gaming industry, emphasizing
the importance of talent development and the
establishment of more organizations and tournaments,
in addition to capitalizing on Egypt’s
growing momentum in the gaming industry,
citing successful collaborations with international
gaming companies and organizations.
Anas Amin, project/community manager at
Riot Games, emphasizes that support is crucial
for increasing the output of the gaming industry,
highlighting the need for places for talent
development and the importance of establishing
more organizations and tournaments.
Amin states that if Egypt can effectively
cater for the demands of the audience,
it stands to gain significant
economic benefits,
leveraging its strong
purchasing power
within the region.
To foster the growth
of the gaming industry,
he suggests
establishing partnerships
and hosting
cultural conferences
that promote industry
development.
Amin also suggests
engaging the country’s
workforce through government-owned
enterprises,
considering the substantial
number of professionals collaborat-
32 November 2023 www.businesstodayegypt.com