How Middle Eastern governments can help games developers

With the global economic crises dominating the world’s financial status, some industries have been harder hit than others. But what are governments doing to help the games sector?

Youth are finding it harder to find a good paying jobs, putting extra strain on governments as the levels of unemployment rises.

Ergo, it is vital for governments to support new untapped business ventures, giving youth employment opportunities that can be beneficial nationwide.

ArabicGamers asked Lara Noujaim, the marketing manager of Beirut-based studio Game Cooks about the support they had received from the government.

"There was no support from our government when Game Cooks was first launched, however, this is no longer the status quo,"

"Mobile gaming is, up until today, considered to be a novel concept in the region, particularly in Lebanon," she told ArabicGamers.

When asked Noujaim whether the Lebanese government recognises the importance of game media and development for economy growth, Noujaim said “[t]here is a level of attention paid towards gaming industry, proving to be an opportunity for youth employment.

"The diversity of the talent pool and the exciting opportunities seem to attract more of the young generation. We are seeing a new generation of students and fresh graduates who know they can turn gaming into a career and they can’t wait to get started!"

Wherever there are opportunities challenges arise, one of which is exposure, and the gaming industry might be novel in the Middle East but it has lots of competition worldwide as we reported last week.

"One of the main challenges in any game development company can attest to gaming visibility, especially the app store is flooded with games and it is challenging to rank high with no advertising budget." Said Noujaim.

We will bring you the full interview in the coming days, so make sure you check back.