DUBAI // Gamers young and old stared intently at the screen striving to control the ball, score goals and shore up their team’s defences during a tournament that promises big prizes for UAE football fans.
Enthusiasts queued up at Magic Planet in Dubai’s Mirdif City Centre yesterday afternoon long before the doors opened to allow the players into a room with 48 screens where they would compete by playing the Fifa 14 football video game on PlayStation consoles.
Hundreds more are expected to test their skills in the Power League Gaming tournament at Mall of the Emirates today, with the winners competing in Abu Dhabi on June 26. The Million Player tournament winners will drive home in new cars or win Dh1 million.
“It depends on your skill, it’s a test of how you pass the ball,” said Mohammad Jihad, 18, a Lebanese civil-engineering student at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), who drove from Abu Dhabi with two friends for the contest.
Mr Jihad won a gaming tournament last year and was confident about his chances.
“There is nothing called losing, you play to win,” he said.
One of his friends, Emirati Faleh Romaithi, said the three of them often played console games at each other’s homes and had competed in previous tournaments.
“We love the game,” said Mr Romaithi, 18, who is also an AUS student. “We play many tournaments against each other.”
Mahmoud Mehaisen, their Palestinian friend, said picking a strong team was crucial.
“The higher the skills of your players, the better your chance,” said the 19-year-old, who chose to play as Bayern Munich in his game.
All three of them qualified for the Abu Dhabi round.
Majid Al Hammadi, a 20-year-old Emirati, was also among Friday’s winners. He has been playing Fifa video games since grade 4.
“I love to play football outside but on the screen also it is very interesting,” said the chemical engineering student from Sharjah.
“I used to play five to six hours a day but now I play a maximum of two hours. I’m an Arab, so in the World Cup I hope an Arab team such as Algeria makes it past the first stage, or even an Asian team.”
John Lacey, the founder and managing director of Power League Gaming, said gamers were drawn by the chance to pit their skills against opponents.
“Some come here for fun, others plan to go serious and turn semi-professional,” he said. “Children have come in to play with their dads, and the great thing in Dubai is that so many different nationalities compete against each other.”
Some Indian youngsters could not resist the tournament despite their ongoing school exams.
“We studied in the morning and came here in the afternoon,” said Ahmad Abdul Rahman, 13, a grade 9 pupil at Our Own High School. Ahmad and his friend Yohan Mathai, who is in grade 11. They lost their games but said it was “a great experience to play”.
Pakistani Aamil Tabani, 22, said an injury had forced him to swap a real football pitch for a virtual one.
“I have always had a passion for football,” said Mr Tabani, who works in real estate and won his debut gaming encounter. “I take it as a hobby. But it is amazing seeing the level of gaming here, how people are dedicated to it and the amount of money being spent.”
rtalwar@thenational.ae
