Gamers8, a major esports and gaming festival, kicks off in Riyadh this week, on July 14th. The event will run until Sept 8th, when the world’s best-known and most successful Esports teams slog it out for a slice of the $15 million prize pool. The event also boasts a Formula One-style concert line-up, with performances by the Black Eyed Peas, Marshmallow, Nancy Ajram and more.
Esports and gaming are undeniably mainstream. Their popularity has risen to the extent that gaming threatens many physical sports in terms of active participation numbers and viewership. For example, a report by Greenman Gaming suggests that E-sports attracted a global viewership of 443 million in 2019, much of it located in Asia. By comparison, American football and rugby combined attracted around 410 million viewers. The future of sports, in general, is closely connected to Esports, and gaming will only grow in popularity with the emergence of the Metaverse and increasingly sophisticated and gamified uses of virtual and augmented reality.
No activity becomes extremely popular, though, without at least a few psychiatrists and psychologists suspecting it might be pathological when taken to extremes. Shopping, social media use, physical exercise and gaming have all been discussed, at one time or another, as possible behavioural addictions. In May 2019, however, the gaming discussion ended, and the World Health Organisation formally agreed to recognise gaming disorder as an official diagnostic entity.
Not every cyclist will fracture their skull. Not every gamer will develop a behavioural addiction
The diagnosis might be made, for example, when a person routinely puts gaming ahead of other priorities, whether social (eg, family) or occupational (eg, work assignments). A diagnosis is even more likely if such behaviour repeatedly has adverse consequences, such as irreparably damaged relationships, deteriorating workplace performance and job losses. Not all clinicians and researchers agree on this conceptualisation of gaming disorder. For example, some argue that problematic gaming is a maladaptive way of coping with underlying depression. Such debates aside, nobody contests the idea that excessive gaming can give rise to real-world problems for some people. Issues that some individuals might like help overcoming.
Including gaming disorder within the WHO’s international disease classification system has important implications. As a recognised medical condition – a behavioural addiction – it can now be covered by medical insurance. This move also means that healthcare systems need to provide services for those who may be experiencing problem-gaming. The UAE quickly responded to this, establishing a gaming disorder clinic at the National Rehabilitation Centre in Abu Dhabi in 2020.
It may be obvious but it is necessary to point out that gaming and gaming disorder are not the same. A person can have a very healthy and positive relationship with gaming. Gaming can help a person unwind; overcoming in-game challenges may also give them a sense of achievement. In many cases, games are social and can give players a healthy sense of belonging to a valued group. Several studies have even found that among male gamers, longer hours of internet gaming are associated with a reduced consumption of alcohol. In some cases, gaming is the lesser of two ills.
Gaming has benefits, but it can be problematic too. I think of it like this: not every cyclist will fracture their skull. Not every gamer will develop a behavioural addiction. However, the fact that some will experience adverse outcomes means we should be vigilant and attempt to minimise risks. Just as we advise or make it mandatory for cyclists to wear helmets, we also need regulations and public health initiatives to prevent the onset of gaming disorder. Such action is needed more than ever as gaming grows increasingly popular. More gamers equal more cases of gaming disorder.
Studies that have tried to determine the global prevalence of gaming disorder tend to suggest that around 3-4 per cent of gamers develop problems, with a gender ratio of about three males to each female. However, digging deeper, you find international and regional variations in those numbers. For example, the prevalence of gaming disorder appears to be much higher in Southeast Asian nations, with numerous studies reporting rates upward of 10 per cent.
Much of this prevalence research was done before the Covid-19 Pandemic. Lockdown was a great time to pick up the joystick, and many of us did. An article published in Frontiers in Public Health in February suggests an overall increase in screen time among young people, with gaming reaching an all-time high.
Beyond being inherently problematic, gaming disorder is also associated with several additional physical and mental health issues. For example, an article published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine and Therapeutic Sciences suggests it has links with anxiety, depression, sleeping disorders, musculoskeletal problems, vision issues and obesity.
Gaming is growing in popularity globally. This growth has heightened the need to assess the issue of gaming disorder, raise awareness about it and develop strategies to help prevent healthy gaming from morphing into a behavioural addiction. Events such as Gamers8, the Yas Gaming Festival 2022, and Middle East Games Con 2023 can help play a role here. Such events are an excellent opportunity for targeted public health outreach, where we can promote digital wellbeing and help prevent problematic technology use.
Manchester United v Liverpool
Premier League, kick off 7.30pm (UAE)
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
UJDA CHAMAN
Produced: Panorama Studios International
Directed: Abhishek Pathak
Cast: Sunny Singh, Maanvi Gagroo, Grusha Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla
Rating: 3.5 /5 stars
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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