Calling all UAE girl gamers: Registrations open for e-sports festival

Dubai - The GirlGamer Esports Festival will be in held from December 12 to 14 at Meydan One.

Gamer girls from across the Middle East are rejoicing the launch of the Middle East's first and largest GirlGamer Esports Festival.
Registrations are now open for the first all all-girl gamer team and players from the Middle East on www.girlgamer.gg/dubai/gcclol, organisers told the media at a Press conference on Monday.
The GirlGamer Esports Festival will be in held from December 12 to 14 at Meydan One. A total of nine teams, consisting of five players are expected to play at the festival. The teams will compete in two different games, CounterStrike Go and League of Legends, however, the Middle East team will only be playing League of Legends.
"For players who cannot find one, we will help them form a team," explained Paul Roy, CEO of Galaxy Racer Esports, a Dubai-based company which aims at providing local players with a platform to showcase their e-gaming talents on an international platform. The girls are encouraged to register as individual players and as a team. Organisers said at least 20 million people are expected to watch the live stream globally.
"Depending on the numbers of registrations, there could also be qualifying rounds," said Telmo Silva, founder and CEO of Grow Up Esports - the e-sports association from Portugal that launched the GirlGamer Esports Festival. The event is being organised by 10X Media, an initiative by the Government of Dubai Media Office; Dubai Ladies Club; Grow uP eSports; and Galaxy Race.
Registrations fall into two categories: UAE Nationals and UAE Residents (Individuals who want to apply to be part of a League of Legends (LoL) team and existing LoL female teams of five); and, nationals and residents of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait where existing LoL female teams of five (individual players cannot apply).
The deadline for registrations is November 12.
Girl gamers excited
Madiha Naz, an aspiring gamer and one of the first female gamers to register for the event said, girl gamers did not have a platform for e-sports in the UAE before this event.
One of the top League of Legends players in the world, Madiha, said: "This is a very exciting time as I've been playing League of Legends for six years. I started off gaming by playing football and would go to gaming cafes with my friends to play e-games. Many times, I would be the only player at the café."
Abdulla Mansouri, team leader at 10X Media, commented: "We seek to engage talented youth in the growth and development of this industry. The GirlGamer World Finals tournament positions Dubai as a hub for the global e-Sports industry and supports its strategy of transforming its media industry with future-oriented projects."
Lamia Abdulaziz Khan, director of Dubai Ladies Club, said: "As of 2018, female eSports enthusiasts grew to 46 million globally, while female viewers and audience reached 73 million. Competitions like the Girl Gamer Esports Festival will help more girls pursue careers in the STEM field."
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Dubai