AboFlah and Miniminter lead esports line-up as Dubai's GameExpo returns

YouTube stars will join a tournament pitting the Middle East against the US

Dubai Esports and Games Festival has returned for the second year. All photos: Antonie Robertson / The National

The event at Expo City runs until Sunday

Retro arcade games are available to play

Cosplayers at the expo

PC gaming is on the rise

Artists sell their works in the retail zone

Vendors sell pop culture and gaming items at the expo

Cosplayers show up as Goku from Dragon Ball Z and Darth Vader from Star Wars

There is also an area for table games

Another cosplayer at GameExpo

Dubai’s GameExpo is under way, attracting cosplayers, gaming stars and families for the second year.

YouTube influencers Miniminter and AboFlah are the big names leading an esports tournament that pits internet personalities from the Middle East against ones from Europe and the US. The tournament begins on Saturday at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City.

It is part of Dubai Esports and Games Festival, which started on Wednesday and runs until Sunday.

Meanwhile, for those looking for things to do on the ground, the expo is split into different zones. One is retail, where local artists and vendors sell gaming and pop culture items.

Mahmoud Ismaeel, the owner of UAE Anime store, sells anime-related merchandise.

“We focus on the most popular anime shows, and we see a rise in popularity when one of them becomes more famous after a film of the same anime is released," says Ismaeel. "We recently sold more after Netflix unveiled the live-action One Piece show."

He added: “We sell a lot of replica katanas [an anime sword]; they look good on display. Many people use them to decorate their gaming set-ups.”

The event is popular with young fans, and many showed up in cosplay as their favourite characters.

Spark Makki, a father of two, came with both of his sons in cosplay. One dressed as Darth Vader and the other as a character from Dragon Ball Z.

“It’s the first thing they wanted to do, the cosplay,” he says.

Makki says he was happy the expo offered lots of gaming options that have piqued the interest of his sons, something he is familiar with as well. “I was just like them when I was younger," he adds.

The gaming expo also includes a tabletop zone, where fans of board games can sit in groups and compete against each other. The same zone also has a small racetrack for battery-powered cars that whizz by, as well as a Gundam model-making station.

Large businesses were also present, such as Geekay, a popular electronic games vendor in the region that had a large booth at the expo.

Geekay’s area manager, Hammad Qaiser, says: “People who come in cosplay like to purchase figures of their favourite characters."

Anas Al Masri, who handles distribution for the company, also notes the PC gaming market is rebounding after the pandemic and says it is "becoming better and better".

There is also a retro zone that houses a collection of classic arcade games such as Crazy Taxi, Mortal Kombat and Pac-Man.

The festival began with a two-day industry summit on Wednesday welcoming various gaming and tech companies from around the world.

The festival’s director Muna Al Falasi previously told The National: “The reason why we have launched the Dubai Esports and Gaming Festival is to position Dubai as a gaming hub in the region and to bring in investment from the international market.”

The gaming expo concludes on Sunday. Tickets start at Dh39 for a one-day pass..

More information is available at dubaiesportsfestival.com