‘Projected Aqaba gaming lab to train aspiring developers in southern region’

AQABA — Young people in the southern governorates interested in learning how to develop digital games will be able receive specialised training in the field thanks to a gaming lab that will be opened in Aqaba in the first quarter of 2016.

The gaming lab, sponsored by the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD) in collaboration with the Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC), will provide school and university students in the southern governorates with the necessary skills to develop digital games through courses taught by experts in the field.

“The opening of the lab is part of our keenness to empower youths and provide them with new opportunities,” KAFD Director Saeb Al Hasan said in a statement to The Jordan Times. 

“The lab that will be opened in early 2016 will greatly empower young people in the promising industry of digital gaming.”

The lab is aimed at providing young people in the southern governorates with the skills to start their own businesses and start generating income, ADC CEO Ghassan Ghanem said at the Jordan Gaming Summit 2015, which concluded on Sunday.

“More efforts are required to focus on developing the southern governorates socially and economically, and the lab will play a role in inspiring young people to come up with innovative ideas and gain a skill that can generate income,” Ghanem said.

The lab will have a built-up area of about 500 square metres, according to Bashar Abu Rumman, vice president of the ADC.

“The lab will be close to schools and heavily populated areas to benefit a large number of young people,” he said. 

A partnership agreement for the lab’s establishment will be signed by the ADC and the KAFD soon, Abu Rumman added.

He noted that the two partners also plan to provide transportation for people from different areas in the southern governorates to receive training at the lab in Aqaba, some 330km south of Amman.

Nour Khrais, chairman of the Jordan Gaming Taskforce, said the lab will enhance Jordanians’ technological capabilities.

Noting that many young people in the south succeeded in developing digital games for several operating systems, he said demand on digital games will continue to rise amidst increased penetration of smartphones and Internet usage.

The Aqaba lab is the third gaming lab established in Jordan, including the labs in Amman and Irbid, according to Khrais. 

“Having talented and well-trained people in the digital gaming industry is crucial for making Jordan a hub for game development, and the lab can play a significant role in creating these talents,” he said.