The inaugural Games Con Middle East, the ultimate gaming festival in the region, opened today at ADNEC and continues over the weekend until November 25. HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, Chairman of Miral Asset Management, CEO Aldar Properties, Chairman of Aldar Academies and Chairman of Image Nation Abu Dhabi, and HE Saif Saeed Ghobas, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, cut the ribbon at the convention, officially beginning proceedings for the three-day event.

The opening speech was delivered by Informa Exhibitions Managing Director of Trade and Consumer Middle East, Peter Hall, while Suzy Pallett, Informa Exhibitions Group Event Director for Trade Consumer Middle East, led the VIP and press tour.

The event showcases a packed agenda of cosplay, e-sports, tournaments, competitions, masterclasses, and chances to play unreleased 2018 games and meet international gaming celebrities and voice actors. With the first day being a huge success, fans are invited to partake in all the fun and excitement for the next two days.

Entertainment Stage

Gaming is all about entertainment, and there was plenty of that on the Entertainment Stage. Beginning all the action for the weekend was “Who’s the Better Builder? Minecraft Face-Off against King Madness.” Following that, YouTube sensations Vikkstar and Zerkaa discussed and showcased the eagerly anticipated latest reincarnations of FIFA 18 and Crash Bandicoot, while the evening saw fans attempt to beat Ahmed Al Nasheet, the FIFA Video Game Ambassador. Some were just outclassed, but others made it a tough contest with some nail-biting final minutes against the FIFA football maestro. Brina Palencia also took to the stage for the “Did I Promise You a Show or Didn’t I?” interview, where the voice-over actor gave the audience a flavour of her many talents, and discussed the intricacies of some of her most famous characters. 

Facebook Spaces

Facebook has joined forces with Games Con to demonstrate its new virtual reality technology, Facebook Spaces, along with popular content creators including ‘Fly with Haifa’ Josh ‘Zerkaa’ Zerker and Ahmed Al Nasheet who were beaming Games Con live around the world today using the new VR powered social media, and will be doing so via their Facebook pages for the duration of the convention.

Facebook Spaces uses Oculus Rift to give users the ability to build a digital avatar of themselves and host a virtual hangout session. Here, they can interact with up to three of their friends in the same way they would if they were next to one another, allowing users to share photos, watch videos together and participate in a variety of other VR activities with their friends in real time.

Tournaments

For those with a competitive streak – which at Games Con is pretty much everybody – the Tekken 7, Injustice 2, and Street Fighter 5 tournaments drew a crowd of steely competitors and fans. With some of the games not yet released to the public there was much discussion amongst fans after they caught their first glimpse of the improved gameplay. The Catan table-top tournament also got underway, as did the MSI versus VIVE VR devices in a comparative competition.

Workshops

Throughout the weekend there is also a full schedule of workshops aimed at budding game developers, as well as those who have an interest in what it takes to put some of these incredible experiences together. Some of the largest crowds attended “The Art of Game Design and Communicating Ideas” led by Nayef Al Blooshi from After Work Games, while earlier in the day “Art Directing Mobile and Console Games” by Ubisoft’s Hani Abu Ghazelah, and “Meet the Pokemon Go Community in the UAE” led by Po Go UAE’s Saeed Al Khaja also proved exceptionally popular.

Meet & Greet

Attendees lined-up to meet their heroes throughout the day, who answered questions, posed for pictures, and signed merchandise. Nasr E-Sports, YouTube sensations Vikkstar and Zerkaa, voice-over actor Brina Palencia, and voice of Resident Evil’s infamous Albert Wesker character, DC Douglas all proved exceptionally popular amongst fans.

Joining these talents on Friday and Saturday are Ali A, Chloe Hollings, Clare Siobhan and Yalla eSports’ Klasu, Otterpanda, Saeed, Dizzy and Moeleley.

Coming up in the weekend

With a full schedule of tournaments, entertainment, workshops, meet & greet and more, fans are invited to gear up for an action-packed weekend!

Tickets on Sale

Tickets are sold on the door for the following prices.

1-Day Ticket: 100 AED

3-Day Ticket: 250 AED

VIP and Super VIP tickets are sold out.

For more information, visit www.me-gamescon.com

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