e-Games big business

"Is the definitive conference for networked game development, including massively multiplayer online games, mobile and wireless games and devices, and online PC and console games," says Mohammed Al Ghassani, Director, Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) and organizer of the two-day gaming extravaganza.

The event is marketed internationally and provides a venue where developers, technologists and business professionals can network with colleagues, learn from industry leaders, stay informed about the latest tools, technologies and techniques and get business done in a relaxed atmosphere.

Those attending e-Games will hear from industry veterans and luminaries in a program offering 14 speakers in 7 workshops. Supported by the the Independent Games Developers Association and sponsored by Siemens, Oman Mobile, Nokia, Huawei and Al Bawaba.com, e-Games draws from an international audience with attendees, speakers and exhibitors from as far away as the UK, the US, Jordan, Finland, China, Singapore, Saudia Arabia and the UAE. Attendees will include decision-makers setting the standards and looking for insights to improve their businesses and they come to e-Games to get the opportunity to drill down to the key issues.

Hisham Al Zubaidi, Head, Marketing, KOM remarked: "The gaming business is booming, a recent survey carried out by IGN (http://www.ign.com), which profiled more than 5,000 consumers frequenting IGN.com and GameSpy.com websites found consumers spend more than US$700 a year: US$341 on console titles, US$233 on PC games and another US$140 on gaming accessories. The survey also revealed that games are played on an average of 20 hours a week; while 10% of the respondents spend 40 plus hours a week gaming."

Today's gaming industry is certainly big business. Recent figures confirm that the worldwide gaming market is valued at between US$30 and US$35 billion. To put those figures into context, the size of the gaming industry is now approaching the music industry, which is worth around US$38 billion and has already surpassed the motion picture industry in terms of box office revenue. In brief, gaming has emerged as a critical form of entertainment and leisure for the majority of 15 - 30 year-olds across the globe.

Hundreds of millions of consumer gamers use a variety of gaming platforms: more than 200 million play PC games, more than 140 million play console games, another 100 million play handheld games. Mobile and online gaming is now emerging, mainly through PCs, console devices and mobile phones. In addition, more than 60 percent of gamers are now over the age of eighteen. This widening age distribution means that gaming is not, as some may perceive, for Gen Y'ers - those born between 1981 and 1995 - only. Indeed, analysts predict that games will move very much into the mainstream - something that will see ordinary people playing games much more, particularly using mobile phones and TV sets.

"The Conference is dedicated to meeting the needs of professionals focused on networked game development including MMOGs, online and internet multiplayer games for PCs, consoles and mobile games," said Al Ghassani. Also, exclusive to e-Games is the Sony PlayStation Zone, a dedicated games area where people of all ages can play the latest games from Sony's vast catalogue.