São Paulo – Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily in technology, games, and virtual reality. As part of these endeavors to diversify the national economy, the country created the Gamers8 e-sports event, which started on July 14 and brings game exhibitions, lectures, championships, and virtual reality experiences, among other activities. The eight-week event is already considered one of the biggest in the world in the segment and takes place in Riyadh until the beginning of September. Brazilian entrepreneur Rodrigo Terra (pictured above) was invited to lecture on August 8 and is preparing to get to know this market more closely.
Terra is president of the Brazilian Association of Digital Game Developers (Abragames) and co-founder and Chief Technology Evangelist (CTE) of the Brazilian game development and virtual reality studio Arvore Immersive Experiences.
“Ithra, a cultural promotion institute linked to [oil company Saudi] Aramco, has a program called ‘Creative Solutions,’ devised to promote the development of new storytellers, game designers, and technologies, all of this fostered by the local system; it also prepares Saudi Arabia itself to be ever closer and a trailblazer in the area of technology, games, virtual and extended reality,” said Terra in an interview with ANBA. Ithra means “enrichment” in Arabic.
The entrepreneur held a mentorship on virtual reality for the Creative Solutions program last year and, through this contact, was invited to participate in Gamers8. “I will talk about Arvore, a little about the experience of making games, and virtual reality games in countries outside the traditional markets, which are the United States and Western Europe, in addition to Japan, South Korea, and China. The idea is to take this experience of making games outside these big markets, talking about the advantages and challenges,” said Terra.
As president of Abragames, he stated it is important to visit such an event. “Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are two hubs increasingly growing in the area of games, especially in consumption, due to e-sports and players with increasing interest. So it is very important and exciting; I want to connect with the ecosystem, I am already working with Ithra, and I will meet it on-site now. I am excited to go there and connect,” stated Terra.
Rodrigo Terra said the Saudis have been doing a fantastic job of attracting countries and entities from all over the world to learn more, open up, and understand what is being developed in the games and virtual reality sector. “The Saudi sovereign wealth fund has been making considerable investments in games; we have been following this movement; they really want to enter the competition strongly,” said Terra, referring to the United Arab Emirates, another Gulf country investing heavily in technology and games.
In addition to the lecture, Terra will showcase work from his studio, the game The Line, which has already been awarded internationally. “They are already showcasing it there with virtual reality headsets. We can say we have Brazilian expertise there,” he emphasized.
According to Terra, the event will help to understand better how the ecosystem works and bring it closer to Brazilian studios. “I see a tremendous potential there, not only for my company but to bring this ecosystem closer to ours. I will be there to listen; I think it is also a very opportune and exciting moment of rapprochement for bilateral relations; it would be interesting to make them work in the gaming market,” he said.
About Gamers8
Gamers8 Riyadh is organized by the Saudi E-sports Federation and features over a thousand activities and attractions, including comedy, magic, and live music concerts. The event will feature eight performances by international musical artists alongside many local and regional. Tournaments are being broadcast on event channels in over eight different languages.
Quick facts:
Gamers8
July 14 to September 8
Boulevard Riyadh City
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
