Tiga endorses e-Games conference

Commenting on the gaming industry, Eng. Mohammed Al Ghassani, Director, KOM, said: "The majority of creative products are information-based. Indeed, the rapid advance of digital technologies and the globalisation of communications networks have made the creative sector one of the fastest-growing in the world. Add to that increased Internet penetration in the region, a surge in the number of broadband users and the introduction of superior gaming concepts, and it's no wonder that the Middle East's RO40 million gaming market is growing at a rate of 40% per annum and many in the industry expect this growth to continue until 2010."

"KOM's interest in gaming is relatively straightforward," said Al Ghassani: "creative industries are unique among businesses in that they're capable of delivering value in economic, artistic and social terms. They generate high quality jobs, project the identity of communities, promote linguistic and cultural diversity, open minds and can be highly profitable."

Many of today's most successful companies are broadcasters, publishers, entertainers and games designers and they are growing fast. In the world's advanced economies these sectors are showing annual growth rates between 5 and 20%. "In the 1950s the world's biggest companies were all industrial manufacturers and raw materials suppliers: Ford, Standard Oil, General Electric, Philips, General Motors. Now there are some completely new names in the list of top companies: Time Warner, Disney, Bertelsmann, News Corporation - television broadcasters publishers and entertainers. Today, culture is big business," commented Dave Pender, Marketing Adviser, PEIE.

The organizers anticipate that the combination of hands-on, interactive workshops delivered by the likes of: Sony, Nokia, Sun, Java, Macrospace, Gamer.TV, GameLab London, Immersive Education, Arabia Anti Piracy Association and Al Bawaba, plus faster processors, wireless consoles and the recent boom in mobile phone gaming, will result in attracting delegates from across the region to e-Games. The day day gaming extravaganza has also been endorsed by Tiga, the UK-based Independent Games Developers Association. "We're delighted to have received such a prestigious seal of approval", remarked Hisham Al Zubaidi, Head, Marketing, KOM.