Amazon University Esports, a leading organisation for the academic esports globally, has announced the launch of its new virtual world, University World.
The esports and education project is aimed at university students from 16 countries in 4 continents.
The web-based app is launched in UAE in partnership with MENA Tech Entertainment, an arm of the gaming and esports major GGTech Entertainment.
Mario Pérez, CEO of MENA Tech Entertainment, said Metaverse will become more accessible over the next few years as more industries begin to explore and invest in them, improving accessibility.
“This serves as the ripe time to introduce University World to the UAE, to educate people in preparation for what’s to come,” he said.
University World is a newly designed space where students and other audiences who want to access the space will be able to interact with each other, both in a central hall common to all countries, as well as in specific rooms unique to each nation.
Players will be able to communicate through the integrated chat and score points to win prizes through different mini-games and other multiple activities, enabling creation of a global community in a virtual space.
A promising future
Since the advent of technology, wider access to devices and their ever-increasing usage, virtual worlds have become increasingly popular in recent years.
According to a PwC report, the metaverse industry will contribute $15 billion to Gulf economies by 2030, with Saudi Arabia and UAE leading the way.
Dubai has set its sights to become one of the world’s top 10 metaverse economies via the Dubai Metaverse Strategy announced in January 2023.
The strategy aims to promote Dubai’s ambitions to multiply its blockchain presence and support more than 40,000 virtual jobs by 2030 too.
Supporting the student esports community
University World aims to enhance the user experience for Amazon University Esports students, and bridge the boundaries to explore new ways to interact and test new products in a virtual environment.
The organisation said the new initiative is developed with the support of top-level publishers and brands such as Riot Games, Ubisoft and HP Omen.
Besides the UAE, the web-based app is available in six countries such as Saudi Arabia, Spain, Italy, France, Germany and the UK.