Aldanak

Apps are Boring now, We Need Something Bigger!

Gaming has undoubtedly started to become popular worldwide. The global aspect of gaming meant that more and more people could show their expertise while having fun. Gaming tournaments have become one of the highest paying in the world, which confirms that gaming has taken over. In 2019, “Bugha” at the age of 16, won 3 million dollars only from one competition. You get it now? Gaming is big. However, we are not here to talk about Esports, that’s for another time. This article is about gaming in Qatar, not necessarily competitive gaming but the fascination with games in general. When Virtuocity opened at Doha Festival City, young boys and girl flocked the place playing some of the most popular games at the moment like Fortnite, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, Dota 2 and League of Legends.

A closer look at Virtuocity, the area is filled with PCs with ready to go gaming softwares.

So, if all these games have dominated the market, is there any room for local games to thrive in a highly competitive market?

To clarify, I am not talking about the games you play competitively in tournaments and such; I am talking about regular games that you play on your phone when you are trying to avoid saying hi to someone or when you are bored in class.

Several games have popped up on the App Store or Google Play that are made by Qatari developers. Games like Beyond Solar, Jumpo and Deadly Trap are all made by indie game developers where most of the downloads are coming from Qatar. Despite the number of downloads being demanded, but why are the developers not leading the gaming market in Qatar, considering how popular it is here? For Beyond Solar, for example, there are several reviews, more than 50 to be specific and almost all were five stars. Users were praising the smooth software and according to Gary_Cally_pro, “ridiculously good graphics”. So why are the ratings and reviews relevant and why do you readers care. Well, they are related because, for relatively “smaller” game, the reviews are exceptional. Even though we do not know if all the reports are accurate, since almost all had five stars, we technically cannot accurately know how well the game is doing. The smaller and recently developed games in Qatar do not compete with the ones abroad like the United States because of the relatively lower market here.

Even though Beyond Solar is a Qatari made game, it had more than 70+ ratings in the United States App Store and only about 11 for the one in the Qatari store. The numbers are relatively low throughout both countries but it also raises the question of why is the game more popular abroad? If developers here want to make a name for themselves or try to make it in this competitive field, their competition is with games abroad and not ones locally made, this allows them to branch out some more and not limit themselves to a specific group.

Screenshot of ratings and reviews for Beyond Solar in the Qatari App Store.

Screenshot of ratings and reviews for Beyond Solar in the U.S. App Store.

So, what next?

“I wouldn’t mind playing a game that is made by a Qatari developer, but the thing is, I only like competitive games and not apps,” said Sultan Al-Awajan who is part of the clan CyRx. Here is the thing, yes, it is good that people here are creating their own games. Yes, they are starting out small by creating applications. How about in the near future, we see a game made by a Qatari developer that could be played online and competitively. These competitive games are undoubtedly popular, we have streamers and gamers supporting them as well. What we are missing is for that to be here, we have the resources and we have the people, we just need the game developed.

Sultan Al-Awajan, logging in to his usual account to practice for his upcoming tournament.

I am sounding hopeful because Qatar is in fact starting out small with the applications but in order to become popular, a competitive game would not hurt.

Does Qatar Foundation Actually Care About Saving the Turtles?

Excessive plastic usage is so harmful to our environment that we need to take initiative now!
Since Qatar Foundation is responsible for teaching the youth, it is important for them to raise awareness of the issue.
Torba Framers Market is one of many initiatives that Qatar Foundation has to help promote sustainability and less plastic waste.
Individuals are also responsible in being mindful of their plastic consumption and to look for alternatives to decrease their plastic usage.

As we all know, excessive plastic consumption is a big deal! With increase in population, our demand for plastic has increased tremendously. We all know why we need it, it is cheap, versatile and resourceful. How do we know when it is necessary to look for alternatives?

We know the dangers in the future, we know the extent of damage of our actions but barely anyone is taking initiative. Marine life is drowning in plastic waste and the least we could do is attempt to care.

Hygienic products being sold in reusable packaging which fits Torba’s guidelines.

This is how Qatar Foundation comes into the picture. We’ve all probably seen the trash cans scattered around Education City that cater to different items of trash. Almost all of the universities on campus have them, dividing the garbage into metal, paper, glass, general and most importantly, plastic. This initiative helps students, faculty and staff to sort out their garbage and this also plays a big role in Qatar’s National Vision 2030. The development plan aims to transform Qatar into an advanced society capable of achieving sustainable development. One goal of this plan is to achieve an environmentally aware population.

Divided trash cans scattered around every campus in Education City.

“It is so important for the younger generation to care about what they are doing before it is too late,” said Juhaina Al-Lanjawi, a youth ambassador in the Arab Youth Climate Movement in Qatar. “I think it is Qatar Foundation’s duty as a school to teach the students about how important plastic waste is and what we can do to minimize it as much as possible,” said Al-Lanjawi.

Fridge at Farmers Market showcasing local foods and condiments in glass jars.

Qatar Foundation hosts a market every Saturday from November to April called Torba Farmers Market. Here, their aim is to promote healthy living and sustainability. Vendors sell local produce, cold-pressed juices and “everything-free” food like dairy-free, gluten-free and nut-free. All these promotional efforts come in short; however, if they sell their product with plastic, right? It would be ironic to encourage healthy living and a happy life if you are intentionally making no efforts to help mother nature. I spoke to one of the food vendor’s owners and she gave me some insight about the application process, “they ask you questions about the degree in which packaging is environmentally friendly? Or they have you explain how you will serve your product to reduce all waste including plastic,” said Fatima Ibrahim, owner of 3nb Leaves.

“I have noticed that most of the items sold contain little to no plastic packaging,” said Noof Al-Naama, a regular customer at Torba. Even though some plastic is still used, their attempts to limit it as much as they could still help people be mindful and shows that we could still go on with our day to day lives while using as little plastic as we could, said Al-Naama. Even after Torba’s efforts to cut down on unnecessary plastic usage, some slip ups still happen like serving plastic straws with iced coffee. If it is so easy to switch from a plastic cup to a paper one, switching to paper straws should not be that big of an issue as well. Considering most restaurants at Qatar Foundation ban the use of plastic straws, Torba should not be the exception. “I was kind of surprised by the straw because when most people think of the easiest utensil to switch to, it would be a straw,” said Al-Naama.

Noof Al-Naama, taking a picture of her coffee.

Noof Al-Naama, seen enjoying her cup of coffee where Torba missed the simple step of providing the customer with a paper straw.

As a student, you can take matters into your own hands because every little change is still change, even the baby steps matter. Anto Mohsin, a professor at Northwestern University in Qatar has taught in some of his classes about the issue of plastic. He said that some of his students have comprehended the seriousness of plastic waste and have switched their regular water bottles to reusable ones. Another initiative includes using reusable plastic bags and food containers. Even though they are still plastic, they are more durable and will last longer, said professor Mohsin.

Produce being sold in baskets and jam in glass jars, ironically, a plastic lid is placed on the table.

We know the extent that plastic plays in the current situation of our environment. What we can do as a society is to be mindful of our waste and try and do our best to be as resourceful as possible because if that does not work, we do not have a planet B.