RIYADH: Gamers8 in Riyadh is drawing gaming enthusiasts from all over the world, including American entrepreneur Dhar Mann and comedians Anwar Jibawi and Adam Waheed, who visited the Kingdom for the first time to check out the biggest event of its kind.
They attended the concert in the third week of the event that featured major artists like Afrojack, Wegz, Moayad Alnefaie, and Dafencii at the purpose-built venue in Boulevard Riyadh City.
Mann, who is a filmmaker best known for his YouTube productions, said that he was amazed by the local gaming community.
He added: “I can't believe how big the gaming community has become. The fact that there are this many people playing this many games, and Saudi is becoming like the epicenter. Not just of gaming, I feel like of sports in general, and of everything.”
Gamers8 has multiple venues for all sorts of games for adults and children.
Mann said that he came across classic games at the event that he grew up playing, and added: “I'm into the classic games. I love the old-school Super Mario, like Smash Brothers and Mario Kart. I saw that they had that here.”
Mann said he hoped to see more of the country in the future.
He said: “I definitely want to be in on the action, and I feel like this is just the ground floor of everything to come.
“I heard that they put all of this together in such a short amount of time and the skill that it’s at is unbelievable. So, I definitely want to come back. I want to explore the city.”
American-Palestinian social media star Jibawi arrived in the Kingdom with his mother, who is the star of many of his videos.
He said: “Gamers8 is honestly one of the coolest events I’ve ever been to and I have been to everything, like events in New York and LA.
“When I first entered I was just blown away. I had no idea it was going to be like this. I thought it was going to be like a convention. There’s so much to do I even want to extend my stay.”
Actor, comedian, and social media influencer Waheed said that Gamers8 had been amazing, describing it as “a gamer's paradise.”
He added: “It’s the biggest gaming event in the world. I don’t want to miss that.”
He was excited to see Afrojack perform, and said: “This is actually my first full day here, but it’s been really amazing.
“I went to the mall, which was so beautiful. We’ve been here at Gamers8, of course. So many different exhibits and things to do. It’s really amazing. I’ve been having a lot of fun.”
Waheed also plans to return to explore the Kingdom.
He added: “Yes, I’m coming back. For what? I don’t know. Hopefully something. I definitely want to come back and spend more time here.”
