Are you a gamer? Do you think you have what it takes to bag a substantial prize? Well, mark your calendar!

The first-ever edition of the Education City Open esports tournament will kick off on September 9 at Multaqa, Qatar Foundation.

The competition seeks to tap into the rising global interest in esports, encourage the growth of the sport, and also open up new job opportunities for the youth.

The free-to-enter competition, which will be held on the brand-new social gaming platform Showdown, will feature individuals competing in two popular games – FIFA 22 and Super Smash Brothers – for a chance to earn a whopping QAR 20,000 in cash prize.

The platform was created by Project Infinite, a company located in Qatar, with financial assistance from the Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Innovation Coupon.

Showdown offers a secure gaming environment as well as the ability to participate in competitions, allowing both professional and amateur esports athletes and gamers to construct and build their profiles as their careers progress.

“Showdown is a flagship product which will be publicly launched at the Education City Open, giving players the opportunity to have custom-made profiles and show their skills, achievements, and rankings,” Rabah Qunnaby, Project Infinite’s co-founder and CEO explained.

“[It will also provide] esports tournament organisers with the tools and technology to create, manage, and stream their tournaments while establishing and maintaining their brand’s exposure, and offering social features that allow people to follow other esports athletes and to be followed themselves.”

Showdown.me is now accepting registrations for the Education City Open esports competition until September 8.

The future of esports

The Education City Open comes after two online esports competitions held in July and August by QF and Project Infinite.

Esports is already a multi-billion dollar global industry, and the Middle East and North Africa region is seen as one of its key growth markets, according to Alexandru Roscu, manager of Engagement and Activation, QF.

“Our aim is for university students to be involved in esports and transform their skills and hobbies into possible future careers,” he said.

“We believe there are numerous professional paths for e-gamers in Qatar, including game designers, engineers, and influencers. At QF, we set standards for the excellence of each student in both physical and digital sports by encouraging them to participate so they can enhance their critical thinking, teamwork, strategy, and leadership skills.”

Project Infinite, which was established in 2018 by a group of gamers and tech entrepreneurs, supports ethical gaming, promotes Arab culture, art, and music inside the video game business, and provides cutting-edge technological solutions to the region’s esports scene.

“We realised that the esports market could not really be scaled up without solutions being found to some of the challenges it faced, and we set out to solve them,” said Deeb Mahmoud, the venture’s co-founder and chief technology officer.

“The magnitude of the esports boom in recent years is huge, and in this field, there are many potential players and pioneers in the MENA region. If esports athletes in Qatar and the region can be connected with each other and with sponsors, and the local and regional market is promoted in a systemic way, we believe Qatar can really earn a place on the esports map.”