JEDDAH: It is time for all geeks and gamers to leave their rooms for a venue with much bigger screens at the PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds) tournament at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
The tournament, which started on June 15, is perfect for gamers. It is shown to the crowd attending the event with 50 seats to accommodate the players.
Ahad Uz Zaman, 20, won the PUBG match held between 50 people. He told Arab News: “I am still a student and I spend most of my time playing PUBG. My mom scolds me a lot, asking me why I play this game all the time so I am glad I could put my PUBG skills to some use and make her happy.”
This tournament was not just for PUBG players — there was something for all gamers. Tournaments were held for competitive video games such as Tekken, Super Smash bros and Fifa. Mohammed Al-Jefri, who won the title for the world champion of Tekken 7 in 2018, was on hand to organize Tekken tournaments. “I have been playing Tekken since I was 12-13 years old. Never did I think I will be able to use my talent in playing Tekken to become a champion but I took the chance when it came to me.”
FASTFACT
• PUBG is an abbreviation of PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds.
• All the PUBG matches will select players who will compete in the semifinals and finals of the tournament.
Jeddah-based YouTuber, Salman Imdad Kalyanvi, was found vlogging the event to immortalize it on YouTube.
He told Arab News: “This is my first time attending Jeddah Season, and I can say that there is a tremendous change in comparison to the previous events that were being held in Jeddah. I am very excited to see more events and have fun this season.”
Abdulla Hazmi, a crowd organizer, told Arab News: “This event is going very smoothly and it makes me very happy — I feel like this is a very good way to celebrate the geekism in Jeddah. All the popular games are here and you can find cosplayers and fans very happy here. I am not even a gamer myself but I feel good vibes all around.”
More female gamers are joining in and winning in the tournaments, said participant Lujain Mohammed, 29. “I have been playing PUBG for a year now, it is my first time participating in a competition,” she said. “My video game addiction started from when I was a kid. That’s the thing about video games; once you get addicted there is no way out, even if you are a grown up.”
Some gamers couldn’t participate in the tournament but were still passionate about PUBG. Fahd Mohammad, 30, told Arab News: “PUBG is so popular because it’s very addictive, not monotonous. Every match is unique and PUBG keeps adding different modes to keep the game interesting. I like it because you are always playing with different players from all over the world, which helps you connect, and because it is a fun way to spend time with your friends while being distracted from the daily routine life.” Amani Al-Ghoraibi, 26, who is also a big fan of PUBG, said: “I think it’s popular because it’s a fun game that people can play anytime, anywhere and you can play with your friends or even on your own. It reminds us of the popular RPG or shooter genre that PlayStation or Xbox players usually play. I like feeling the thrill and fun of the gameplay itself. Playing with other people from around the world is also a very unique experience and makes me feel like I’m part of a community.”
When Al-Ghoraibi heard about the tournament being held she said: “I think it’s a wonderful idea! There are a lot of PUBG enthusiasts who would absolutely love to get together and share this gaming experience.”
Her brother, Rayyan Al-Ghoraibi, 19, said; “PUBG is popular mainly because it is free but also because it makes you meet up with new people and cooperate with them to win. I think it’s amazing that they are holding things like the tournaments because it shows that they care about gamers.”
