Jordan's Game Developers Join Ranks to Tap Sector Potential

From Jordan Times:

By Rand Dalgamouni

AMMAN - Six local gaming developers have officially joined forces “to turn Jordan into a regional hub for game developers”, receiving support from a key development fund.

The Jordan Gaming Task Force (JGTF) will work under the umbrella of the Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan (int@j) to develop the gaming sector in Jordan and support startups in the field.

On Thursday, the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD) signed an agreement with int@j to support the JGTF.

KAFD Director Tarik Awad stated that “the fund has been contributing to the ICT sector through supporting infrastructure and human capital development, and providing the right environment for it to excel, as part of KAFD’s mandate to drive economic progress and investment in Jordan”.

"There is great potential for the gaming sector in Jordan. Our goal is to organise ourselves and provide support for other game developers to get this field recognised in the local ICT industry," Nour Khrais, chairperson of the task force, said on Saturday.

He told The Jordan Times over the phone that there are around 11 active local game developers currently, but no exact figures are yet available on the actual contribution of the developers in the ICT sector in the Kingdom.

However, Khrais said some local ICT companies which develop games have not openly referred to themselves as game developers.

"Through this initiative, we are hoping that some of these companies will no longer shy away from the title of game developers," he told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

"We can consider Jordan a regional leader in the field of mobile phone games and online social interactive games," he said.

The task force aims to promote awareness of the game sector inside and outside Jordan to attract investors, promote game development as a career, and provide startups with guidance and mentorship, according to Khrais.

He said the initiative will include establishing the Jordan Interactive Gaming Laboratory, which will provide technical training, resources and equipment for startups in the field.

"Participants will learn the essentials of game design, from story to interface to sound effects," Khrais added.

The gaming lab will be operated by int@j's Oasis 500, under the task force's supervision.  CEO of int@j Abed Shamlawi said the initiative will help increase the number of game developers in the Kingdom and develop the ones already present in the field. “Currently, all the local game developers are startups. Through this initiative, we will shed more light on this new sector so new graduates will join the field. All this will benefit the local IT sector in the long run,” he told The Jordan Times.

“We as local gaming companies have been exchanging expertise and organising ourselves to develop the sector, instead of focusing on competing against each other. This has helped us secure the support to achieve this common goal,” Khrais said.