Muna Al Falasi, Director of Esports and Games Strategy at DFRE, explains how DEF 2026 is accelerating talent development, innovation, esports, and entrepreneurship to support Dubai’s ambitions of becoming a global gaming hub.
Dubai is steadily strengthening its position as a global destination for gaming, esports, and digital innovation, with the Dubai Esports & Games Festival (DEF) emerging as a key catalyst in supporting the emirate’s ambitions under the Dubai Economic Agenda D33.
DEF is helping through a combination of esports competitions, educational initiatives, talent development programmes, industry engagement, and startup to support and shape a vibrant ecosystem that extends beyond entertainment to encompass innovation, skills development, entrepreneurship, and economic growth.
Muna Al Falasi, Director of Esports and Games Strategy at Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), discusses how DEF 2026 is nurturing future-ready talent, creating opportunities for local creators and startups, attracting global gaming companies, and reinforcing Dubai’s vision to become a leading hub for the gaming industry.
Interview Excerpts
How is DEF 2026 helping position Dubai as a global hub for gaming, esports and digital innovation in line with the UAE’s D33 economic agenda?
Dubai Esports & Games Festival 2026 supports Dubai’s ambition to become a global centre for gaming innovation, talent, investment, and digital economy growth, in line with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33. As part of this, DEF is playing a key role in strengthening Dubai’s position within the gaming ecosystem by bringing together international gaming companies, developers, publishers and esports organisations to help boost this growth.
Across 17 days, DEF brings together citywide gaming activations, esports tournaments, education-led initiatives and GameExpo, its flagship event, to connect audiences with the breadth of Dubai’s gaming ecosystem. GameExpo 2026 also provides a platform for families, students, professionals, creators and gaming enthusiasts to play, compete, learn and engage with the industry. The event also focuses on highlighting Emirati gaming developers through the GameForward initiative and opening pathways for young people to enter the thriving gaming industry.
“Today, gaming is more than just having fun and we are seeing more children and adults engaged in these activities that are entertaining for all while also learning new skills that will help them in their everyday lives.”
This year’s edition also arrives at a pivotal moment in which dedicated committees are accelerating the development of Dubai’s film and gaming industries. One example is the Dubai Gaming Committee, which represents an opportunity to advance its gaming sector and strengthen the emirate’s position as a global media hub by attracting and identifying talent, widen opportunities and support startups.
Through these combined efforts, gaming talent such as athletes, professional clubs and international gaming brands based in Dubai can develop themselves further and have access to opportunities that not only benefit themselves but also Dubai’s local economy.
What role do you see gaming playing in equipping UAE youth with future-ready skills such as creativity, problem-solving and leadership?
Gaming is no longer only a form of entertainment. Instead, it is increasingly recognised as a powerful tool for developing future-ready skills that are relevant in education, careers and everyday life. The complexities of modern gaming help young people build a broad range of capabilities that translate directly into real-world scenarios. These skills include communication, teamwork, creative thinking, strategic problem-solving, reaction time and hand-eye coordination.
“At this year’s DEF, education is one of our core pillars – and especially how it fits hand-in-hand with gaming. This is demonstrated through our Educational Engagement Programme and the inaugural Education & Gaming Summit.”
For instance, the Dubai Culture Imagination Heroes competition is focused on innovation and problem-solving, providing an opportunity for students aged 5 to 17 to design their own original characters and the worlds they inhabit through drawings, digital art, physical models or short video concepts, with the finals being held at GameExpo in front of thousands of visitors.
Additionally, the Game Changers challenge spotlights innovation and problem-solving that will see finalists present their concepts to a panel of industry judges at GameExpo.
While the programme will foster innovation and help develop future-ready skills, the challenges have been designed to educate the younger generation by utilising their creative thinking and working as part of teams to help solve real-world problems.
How will the DEF Education and Gaming Summit help bridge the gap between academia, industry and emerging gaming careers in the region?
The inaugural free-admission Education & Gaming Summit starting today is an important platform as students and professionals from both local and global gaming industries will converge for networking and career pathway opportunities.
Integrating gaming with education helps create a more interactive and enjoyable learning environment for both students and teachers. Today, there are a large number of educational institutions that are embracing the use of gamification when teaching young students and this bodes well for the future of the industry.
Furthermore, as the regional gaming ecosystem continues to grow, the Summit helps students and emerging professionals better understand the career pathways available to them,offering a space to network and meet with experts, recruiters and decision-makers while enhancing their understanding of the evolving gaming ecosystem.
“Together with CV clinic reviews, these efforts can open opportunities and foster relationships between educational institutions, students and gaming developers.”
What are your long-term plans to attract global gaming companies, developers and talent to contribute to Dubai’s digital economy growth?
Our long-term objective is to strengthen Dubai’s position as a preferred base for global gaming companies, developers, publishers, esports organisations, and creative talent. DEF is the ideal platform to demonstrate its ambition and importance as it showcases the incredible pool of talent and companies based in the emirate, while also highlighting the popularity of gaming.
Staging DEF is only part of our ongoing efforts; the government created the Dubai Gaming Committee to reflect its commitment to advance the sector and strengthen Dubai’s position as a global media hub by attracting talent and widening opportunities. The Dubai Program for Gaming 2033 further channels strategic investment into talent development, content creation and gaming technology infrastructure.
How is DFRE ensuring that DEF 2026 creates sustainable opportunities for local content creators and startups within the gaming ecosystem?
We have carefully planned this year’s DEF 2026 to ensure there is an opportunity to spotlight local talent and organisations.
One example is The Narrows, supported by Dubai Culture, which returns as a curated creative marketplace at GameExpo. It focuses on local and Emirati artists, designers and creators, giving them direct access to thousands of festival visitors.
Furthermore, GameForward is a new accelerator programme endorsed by Dubai SME, in strategic partnership with Dubai Culture, designed to empower Emirati game developers and strengthen Dubai’s emerging game development ecosystem. The programme culminates at GameExpo, where finalists pitch to a panel of gaming leaders and investors for the opportunity to secure grants and post-programme global scaling support.
Together, these platforms reflect DEF’s commitment to ensuring DEF creates positive impact by empowering local talent, creators and startups with the tools and knowledge to succeed and thrive.
Source: Tahawul Tech