Gaming interest peaked in Bahrain since start of Ramadan

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Staff Reporter

The interest in gaming has drastically increased in Bahrain and region, especially among children and youth, since the beginning of Ramadan and global brands are looking for innovative and creative concepts to reach the growing number of customers.

According to different studies, the number of gamers in the region are expected to reach 100 million by 2025 and many tech, telecom and gaming companies in the country as well as in the region are in the rush to capitalise this huge opportunity.

In a statement exclusively issued to The Daily Tribune, UAE based Power League Gaming (PLG), an insight and data driven, full-service gaming and eSports company, said the month of Ramadan brings an added opportunity for brands to target the gaming community as past research shows audiences turn to their mobiles, and specifically gaming, for entertainment during the Holy Month when working hours are cut, schools are on vacation and people find themselves with double the amount of free time.

Matt Pickering, Power League Gaming CEO, said: “For brands across industries, Ramadan is one of the most important periods of the year to reach consumers. The Gaming and eSports sectors, which have shown further sustained YoY growth, with estimates on the past 12 months at CGAR 13.8 per cent, annually peak during the holy month of Ramadan, creating an optimal ecosystem for brands to reach customers, the majority of this audience being Gen Z, a notoriously tough demographic resonate with.”

According to the firm, one of the brands, which has activated over Ramadan is STC Bahrain, exclusively targeting the Bahraini gaming audience.

“Bahrain has been one of the most significant players emerging as a regional gaming hub. The country has recognised the potential of the gaming industry and has built an ecosystem with ambitious companies ready to take full advantage of the Mena’s $5.9 billion gaming market.”

The statement said that PLG and the Bahraini digital enabler launched their second tournament to position the brand within the growing gaming audience during Ramadan.

“After analysis of data driven insights on the most popular games in Bahrain, the second tournament was a Call of Duty Warzone competition to maximise brand awareness in the gaming sector.”

The Mena region has an impressive and ever strengthening female gaming population, with many female Arab gamers proving they are more-than-a-match for their male counterparts in the $5.9 billion industry.

With 44 per cent of the MENA market identifying as females, they are an essential demographic to uniquely target, for gaming companies like the PLG. On the flip side, speaking to The Daily Tribune, a parent said he is worried about his children’s obsession with mobile and video games.

“My both children are obsessed with video and mobile games and we, parents, see this as a contemporary crisis in parenting. Gaming offers a huge challenge to parents as most of the children have no self-limits.”

According to psychologists, continuously playing games non-stop for hours could lead to a serious addiction, which has been termed as a gaming disorder.

“The game is designed in a way that each level is more complicated and complex than the previous one. This causes a player to push themselves to the limit in order to progress in the game. Therefore, playing online games with no restriction and self-limits leads many players to become addicted and are eventually diagnosed with gaming disorder. The gaming companies also emotionally compel the child to buy more levels and almost force in-app purchases.