Local, int’l developers to discuss trends in gaming industry at two-day summit

AMMAN — More than 700 local, regional and international experts and stakeholders in the digital gaming industry are scheduled to convene in Jordan on Saturday at the Jordan Gaming Summit 2015  to discuss the latest trends and developments in the industry.

Developers, programmers, designers, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and local and regional companies, as well as school and university students will participate in the event, which will be held on October 17 at the King Hussein Business Park in Amman and in Aqaba on October 18, according to the organisers. 

Saeb Al Hassan, director of King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD), which is holding the event, said in a statement to The Jordan Times on Tuesday that the fifth edition of the Jordan Gaming Summit — held under the theme “How to Grow” — includes holding a series of activities for the first time in Aqaba.

The activities are aimed at empowering young people in the field of digital game developments, he added.

Nour Khrais, chairman of the Jordan Gaming Lab, one of KAFD’s programmes, told The Jordan Times that holding the summit for the fifth time in Jordan demonstrates the country’s commitment to supporting the digital gaming industry and becoming a regional hub for it.

The digital gaming industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world in terms of revenues and technological advancement, with revenues expected to reach $80 billion by the end of 2015 and rise to $120 billion over the next two years, said Khrais. 

He said the summit will enable Jordanian developers to network with their peers in the industry, which will help them succeed in penetrating new markets across the world.

The summit provides an opportunity for young Jordanian developers and participants to exchange ideas with industry leaders and experts, which will reflect favourably on their skills, Khrais added.

Prominent speakers representing world-renowned companies in the industry are participating, including Maria Stukoff, head of PlayStation First — Academic Game Development at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe; Rachad Saddi, mobile apps consultant at Google covering the Middle East and North Africa market; Grant Chang, lead animator of Firaxis Games; Eric Holmes, creative director of DICE; Chad Foxglove, the lead FX artist on the core story team for Destiny from Bungie; Jana Karlikova, who is running Swedish non-profit games accelerator Stugan; and Alison Kelly, adviser of top media entertainment companies.

Topics to be discussed during the summit cover growth in the apps market, the mobile game industry, how to make money in mobile games, building quality games, Jordan games future and visual effects in games, among other issues.

On the sidelines of the summit, an exhibition will be held where companies and developers will showcase their projects and digital games to visitors and participants.

Launched upon directives by His Majesty King Abdullah, “The Gaming Lab” is a facility specifically designed to meet the needs of developers and companies.

At present, there is a gaming lab in Amman and another in Irbid that function as incubators for game developers. The labs have 4,000 young members.