A look at how Saudi Arabia's gaming scene has dramatically evolved, especially for women, as the country loosens gender restrictions on esports
In April 2012, three college juniors — Felwa, Tasnim, and Najla — waited anxiously on the campus of Prince Sultan University in Riyadh. Tweets: @mehrnadeem3 , @telliotter , @mehrnadeem3 , @mehrnadeem3 , @cengizyar , @mehrnadeem3 , @mehrnadeem3 , and @moncherrriii Tweets: Mehr Nadeem / @mehrnadeem3 : In 2012, three female students at Prince Sultan University - @Frelkitsune, Najla and Tess - decided that they were tired of being excluded from the annual Gamers Day convention and launched the first ever gaming convention exclusively for girls in Saudi @GCONEvents. https://twitter.com/... Tori Elliott / @telliotter : I love stories that subvert our expectations, and @mehrnadeem3's piece this week paints an intimate picture of how Saudi girls are creating their own gaming culture. @restofworld https://restofworld.org/... Mehr Nadeem / @mehrnadeem3 : My childhood in Riyadh was marked by two things: the wave pool in my compound, and Pac-Man World. Growing up in Saudi in the early 2000s, video games were a staple, especially on hot days. However, since then, both Saudi Arabia and gaming have changed dramatically. https://twitter.com/... Mehr Nadeem / @mehrnadeem3 : In the first year, close to 3000 Saudi women attended GCON and over the next few years, the convention held a unique place for Saudi's community of female gamers. For the likes of @moncherriii and @wafamss1, it was a rare chance to cosplay and meet a community of gamers like them Cengiz / @cengizyar : Roughly 70% of Saudi Arabia's population is under 30, and gaming is an emblem of a generation. Now women are fighting for their turn at the controller, and the region's booming video game industry has taken notice. @mehrnadeem3 reports + 📸@tasneemalsultan https://restofworld.org/... https://twitter.com/... Mehr Nadeem / @mehrnadeem3 : Following MbS arrival, laws around gender segregation began loosening and the country, now outward-looking, began developing an economic policy that was oriented towards its future generation. Within 10 years, Saudi hopes that gaming/esports revenue will constitute 1% of the GDP. https://twitter.com/... Mehr Nadeem / @mehrnadeem3 : The place and experience of Saudi female gamers has subsequently shifted in this new landscape. @GSMoqbel, who attended her first GCON in 2013, now leads the organization, charting the path for Saudi girl gamers in a terrain distinctly different than what her predecessors faced. https://twitter.com/... @moncherrriii : I'm so happy to be featured in this article written about female Saudi gamers and dreamers ♥️ It's still a huge dream of mine to pursue VA and give young Saudi girls someone to look up to. The world is changing and so are we! You can, girl! ♥️♥️ https://restofworld.org/...