Egypt’s CIT Minister says keen on stimulating creativity in digital games industry

Egypt - Minister of Communications and Information Technology (CIT) Amr Talaat said that the ministry is keen on providing an environment that stimulates creativity in the digital game industry. He explained that the digital games industry is huge and all its elements are based on technology, knowledge, creativity and creative thinking. In a press release issued by the ministry on Wednesday, Talaat pointed out the capabilities that Egyptian youth have to be creative and innovative in this promising industry. He also highlighted the ministry’s efforts to enrich human resources in the digital games industry and develop youth capabilities in the fields of designing and programming games and digital arts. The ministry also works on encouraging them to manufacture electronic games that call for moral values and aim to help students acquire knowledge. Talaat mentioned this in a speech he delivered during the conclusion of the activities of the Global Game Jam, which was hosted by the Game Development Academy, in the Game Programming, and Interactive Media and Game Art, at the Information Technology Institute’s (ITI) headquarters in the Smart Village. It was held for the eleventh year in a row, from 3 to 5 February, as one of the activities of the International Game Developers Association, Egypt Chapter. Talaat pointed to the ministry’s keenness on investing in technical training for young people in light of the state’s vision to invest in minds, as it is the ideal investment to achieve a renaissance in all fields. He said that training courses are provided through ITI in all the technologies and skills required by the digital games industry, and a digital academy was launched through which specialized courses in this industry are made available on the “Maharah Tech” platform, in addition to the establishment of a specialized college in digital arts at the Cairo University. He explained that courses will be available free of charge in disciplines related to the digital game industry through the Institute of Information Technology in all branches of Egypt’s Digital Creativity Centers. He also pointed out that an initiative was launched to equip young people with the skills required to join startups in the field of digital games, as well as training employees of startups in the economic aspect, which includes developing their skills in the areas of marketing, pricing, and preparing feasibility studies and target markets. He said that work is underway to develop the Telecom Egypt Club, which aims to not only be a social sports club but will be distinguished as a castle for digital games in Egypt. The club will comprise halls specialized in digital games and an incubator for companies working in digital games. Competitions for digital games will also be held inside it. He noted that the club has a team specialized in digital games that has been able to achieve tangible successes in the competitions in which it participated. This forum is the largest global event in the field of developing electronic games, as it is held at the same time in more than 100 countries. The number of registered participants in the edition of the forum this year has reached more than 500 participants who got together to create a game over three days. For her part, Heba Saleh, Head of the Information Technology Institute, indicated that the electronic games industry is promising. She explained the efforts made to enrich electronic content in the digital game industry, as well as the most prominent training programs offered by the Academy of Game Development and Interactive Art at the Institute in the disciplines of the electronic game industry through global partnerships. Saleh pointed out that the specialized grants provided by the institute for four months in two tracks: the developer of augmented reality games, the XR Developer, and the designer of augmented reality arts, the XR Artist, at the institute’s headquarters in the Digital Egypt Creativity Center at Cairo University, in addition to new services for young people at the institute’s headquarters in Knowledge City to introduce the field of the gaming industry in Egypt. During the closing activities; the Minister of Communications met with the partners of this system, including the developers of electronic games, and several representatives of start-ups working in this industry in Cairo and the governorates. He also met with ITI trainees who are professionals in programming and designing digital games, models of owners of game studios, and models of trainees of other technology grants. The meeting dealt with the visions and ideas of young people and their aspirations to develop their capabilities in this industry, as well as the efforts of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to develop the electronic games industry, and support startups operating in this industry. The meeting shed light on the size of the electronic games industry, studios, and startups, whether graduates of the institute or workers in the sector. The projects and products of a group of studios operating in this industry in Cairo and the governorates were reviewed. They use gaming technologies, metaverses, and global engines to serve the entertainment axis or support the education sector and other sectors. It is worth mentioning that the Academy of Game Development and Interactive Art at the Information Technology Institute is the first of its kind in the Middle East, which offers specialized programs in the game industry. The academy achieved a record in the “Guinness Records” for being the largest site that includes the largest number of participants in the world in one place, in 2016 and 2018. The academy offers rich online content about the skills and specializations of the electronic games industry on the Maharat Tech platform and grants its graduates international certificates in specialized programs in partnership with UBISOFT. © 2022 Daily News Egypt. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

Egypt’s CIT Minister says keen on stimulating creativity in digital games industry

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