With the Middle East very much in flux after Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, it is worth noting this small step for peace: A group of competitive video gamers from Israel is in Saudi Arabia for the Esports World Cup that got underway Monday.
Even more noteworthy is this: Few in the region even know, let alone care, about Israelis being in the Muslim country during the seven-week event.
Saudi Arabia is still a long way from officially recognizing Israel. Yet its young people can certainly relate to all the talented gamers at the cup. An estimated two-thirds of Saudis identify as “gaming enthusiasts,” according to a 2021 report by Boston Consulting Group.
In addition, the Saudi government is spending big to build a domestic esports industry that can be an economic pillar to provide jobs for young people and diversify away from oil. In two years, the kingdom will play host to the Olympics’ first venture into esports as an official sporting event – relying only on nonviolent video games as well as ones that live up to Olympic values.
Saudi Arabia will, in fact, be the site of all Olympic Esports Games for a 12-year term. Its people might as well get comfortable now with having Israeli visitors.
As in many Mideast nations, Saudi leaders are racing to keep one step ahead of restive youth by implementing reforms. More than two-thirds of Saudis are younger than 35 years old. “Most young Saudis … grew up in a Saudi Arabia where fun was a dirty word,” wrote journalist Karen Elliott House in a new book, “The Man Who Would Be King: Mohammed bin Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia.”
“Thanks to the internet, these young Saudis saw – and sought – lives like youth elsewhere in the world,” she stated.
By some estimates, the global video gaming market is larger than the movie box-office and music industries combined. Yet for those who help organize the competitions, such as the Global Esports Federation, the sport is seen as a people connector.
According to federation officials, esports is “a force for good across diverse cultures.” It is also “among the most inclusive and accessible ways for young people to build skills and communities, transcending borders and backgrounds.” That may be why the mingling of Israeli players with other gamers in the Saudi capital of Riyadh is no big deal. It might even be an inkling of a different Middle East.
