Latest news with #OmaimaAl-Saad
Kuwait Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Gaming, Kuwaiti style: Developers showcase talent at NCCAL expo
3-day expo lets players test games, meet developers, shaping future of homegrown content KUWAIT: Young Kuwaiti game developers are getting the spotlight at the 'Made in Kuwait Video Games Expo,' which kicked off Friday at The Avenues mall as part of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters' (NCCAL) Summer Cultural Festival 17. The three-day exhibition features locally developed video games that blend modern gameplay with Arab identity and traditional values. Visitors can try out the games firsthand, share feedback directly with developers, and engage with the creative process behind these digital experiences. 'This event is the result of past game development competitions we held as a national cultural challenge,' said Omaima Al-Saad, founder and director of NCCAL's gaming programs. 'They brought together talented Kuwaitis - developers, musicians, artists, storytellers, and designers - to create games within 72 hours.' The games on display were born from those time-limited challenges, and many are still in development. According to Al-Saad, this allows players to give real-time input, building a stronger connection between game creators and audiences. 'This direct feedback helps improve the games while encouraging a culture of collaboration between developers and players,' she said. Looking ahead, Al-Saad announced another initiative: a 'Game Development Bootcamp' will launch later this month at Kuwait National Library. It will feature eight intensive training programs, led by specialists in the field, aimed at teaching the basics and skills of game creation. Dalal Al-Fadhli, Director of Culture at NCCAL, emphasized the broader goal of the exhibit: 'It's part of our mission to present cultural content that's both entertaining and educational - content that's free from violence and promotes national tech culture.' Al-Fadhli noted that the game development challenge ran for two consecutive seasons and drew strong interest from Kuwaiti youth. 'What you see today at the expo reflects the progress of our local programmers and designers,' she said. 'This platform highlights the talent of young Kuwaitis in a field that's growing rapidly worldwide. It also shows how they're capable of producing high-quality digital content rooted in their identity and values,' she added. — KUNA
Arab Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
'Made in Kuwait' expo puts local gaming talent in the spotlight
KUWAIT CITY, Aug 2: A large number of visitors flocked to The Avenues Mall on Friday for the launch of the 'Made in Kuwait' Electronic Games Expo, where the creativity and technical talent of Kuwaiti youth took center stage. The event, part of the 17th Cultural Summer Festival organized by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL), aims to highlight local innovation in the rapidly growing gaming industry. The three-day exhibition features a selection of video games developed by young Kuwaiti creators. These projects incorporate Arab identity and cultural values through original design and storytelling. Visitors were given the opportunity to interact with the games, offer feedback, and engage directly with the developers, in an effort to promote user-driven improvement and cultural engagement in the digital sphere. Omaima Al-Saad, founder and director of electronic game industry programs at NCCAL, explained in a press statement that the showcased games are the result of prior seasonal game development competitions. These tournaments, hosted by the Council as part of a national cultural initiative, brought together a diverse range of Kuwaiti talents — including developers, musicians, visual artists, writers, and designers — to form creative teams. Over the course of 72 hours, these teams collaborated to produce fully functional video games. 'The current exhibition presents the outcomes of these challenges to the public,' Al-Saad said, 'demonstrating the innovative potential and digital skills of Kuwaiti youth in this vital and growing industry.' She noted that most of the games on display are still under development, which allows for direct audience interaction and feedback, strengthening the connection between creators and users. Al-Saad also announced an upcoming initiative: the "Programming Camp for Electronic Game Creation", scheduled to take place later this month at the Kuwait National Library. The camp will feature eight intensive training programs designed to teach participants the fundamentals of game development, with guidance from specialized trainers in the field. In a related statement, Dalal Al-Fadhli, Director of the Culture Department at NCCAL, emphasized that the Expo is aligned with the goals of the Cultural Summer 17 festival. 'We aim to provide culturally rich, non-violent, and entertaining content that enhances technological awareness and national digital culture,' she said. Al-Fadhli added that the electronic games challenge ran over two consecutive seasons and saw strong engagement from Kuwaiti youth. 'The games exhibited today are a direct outcome of these successful competitions and reflect the advanced level achieved by local programmers and designers,' she stated. She described the exhibition as an important platform to spotlight emerging Kuwaiti talent in a globally booming sector, while reaffirming the potential of Kuwait's youth to produce meaningful digital content that expresses their heritage and values.
