Everything You Need to Know About the Gaming Landscape: Business Models, Distribution Platforms and Beyond

What are the hot trends in the gaming sector? What are the most popular types of games? What’s new in monetization, and what is the role of telecom operators in this process? What are the best distribution platforms, and what is the optimal strategy for each? 

To answer these questions, today we are sharing the "Enabling Game Development" panel from the ArabNet Beirut 2013 conference.

And as a bonus, we're throwing in a hands-on workshop on Corona Labs, a cross-platform mobile development framework.

NEZAL Entertainment Releases City-Building Game Elmadinah

Game development house, NEZAL Entertainment, recently announced its new title “Elmadinah” on Facebook. This is the third game from the Egypt based companywhich kicked off its foray into online gaming with a simple tower game, which primarily served to ‘test out HTML5’, explains Mohammed Sanad, Marketing Executive & Game Designer.

Later on the company released Crowds Vote, a Rhythm based game that revolves around the Egyptian revolution. This time around the Nezal team gathered more experience regarding the technology as well as the marketing aspect of the business, and now the company is pouring its lessons learnt into its latest game: Elmadinah.

GameTako Announces 3rd Pan-Arabian GameJam: Game Zanga

GameTako just announced that it will be holding the 3^rd edition of its Pan-Arabian GameJam: GameZanga. The competition is a 4 daylong event that will kick off on the 14^th of March with the announcement of the “theme” around which Jammers will create their game.

The theme will be decided in a 2 stage voting process (already happening online) and will be announced on March 13. You need to register for the Zanga to be able to cast your vote, so if you want to have your say you should do so before voting closes.

Mobile Gaming Bends Norms in the Middle East

Video games are becoming more and more popular these days, especially as enhanced graphics and other simulations have transformed the traditional gamer stereotype of nerds and shut-ins into mainstream Facebook and mobile phone users. Yet while games have begun to resemble interactive movies, the Middle East has been making a name for itself for its rapid advances in the less technically impressive realms of mobile and online gaming; on top of that, it has been doing that with the support of users outside of the traditional market of young male techies.