Students and industry converge at Dubai’s first Education & Gaming Summit
The Dubai Esports & Games Festival (DEF) hosted its inaugural Education & Gaming Summit as part of this year’s citywide programme, bringing together students, university representatives, recruiters and international games firms to discuss career pathways and skills development in the gaming sector.
Bridging education and industry
Organised by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, part of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, the one-day summit targeted students and recent graduates aged 16 and over. The event aimed to move beyond consumer culture and tackle the practical steps needed for young people to enter roles across development, creative production, esports operations and related media functions.
Programming centred on a mix-and-match networking format, CV clinics and internship information sessions designed to connect talent with recruiters and employers. Attendees also took part in hands-on workshops that examined topics such as the use of artificial intelligence in game development and introductory sessions on creating playable experiences.
Speaking about his experience at the summit, attendee John David, a student at Metaverse Training Age Institution, said: “The gaming industry is growing rapidly, especially in the last few years and to see so many people here at the summit was great. I had the chance to network and have access to recruiters which is very beneficial which will help me in the future when I graduate.”
Industry voices and academic perspectives
Panel sessions featured representatives from both regional and global organisations, including DMCC, Pixel Perfect MENA, Bandai Namco, Tencent’s Level Infinite and TikTok LIVE. Participants discussed how Dubai positions itself within the broader gaming ecosystem and what companies seek when hiring locally.
Educators at the summit stressed the role of formal programmes and hands-on learning in developing employable graduates. Iyad Alsabouni, Program Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Game Design at American University in Dubai, framed games as a creative medium where education can move students from consumption to creation: “Education plays an important role in helping students move beyond being consumers of games to becoming thoughtful creators of meaningful interactive experiences.”
Other institutions reinforced the collegiate pathway into esports and gaming careers. Al Mujtaba Suliman, Student Life Admin Support at the University of Wollongong in Dubai, described the university’s effort to build a platform for student players and for roles across media and operations. Anna Tookey, Head of Games at SAE University College Dubai, emphasised industry-linked education and portfolio development as central to producing the next generation of creators and developers.
What the summit means for Dubai’s games ecosystem
DEF launched in 2022 with the explicit goal of supporting Dubai’s emergence as a regional hub for esports and interactive entertainment. The summit added a recruitment and education-focused layer to the festival’s portfolio, which already includes tournaments, expos and consumer-facing experiences.
Policy-makers and educators see three practical outcomes from this kind of programming. First, targeted events help surface local talent and provide employers with more visibility on entry-level candidates. Second, tailored workshops and CV clinics can narrow the skills gap between academic credentials and industry requirements. Third, public-private engagement raises the visibility of careers beyond professional play, including roles in production, design, operations, marketing and platform partnerships.
For companies operating in or entering the region, access to a growing pool of trained graduates—which is increasingly exposed to tools such as AI and contemporary game engines—reduces hiring friction. For universities, closer industry ties can inform curricula, internships and portfolio-based assessments that better align with employer needs.
On-the-ground activity and collegiate competition
The summit coincided with GameExpo at Dubai World Trade Centre, which runs until 7 June in Exhibition Halls 5, 6, 7 and 8 as part of DEF’s citywide programme. Alongside panels and workshops, GameExpo hosts competitive showcases, including collegiate Valorant matches that aim to surface competitive talent from universities across the UAE.
Looking ahead
As Dubai continues to cultivate events and initiatives focused on gaming, the emphasis is shifting from consumer spectacle to industry capacity-building. That includes formal education pathways, practical training and direct recruitment touchpoints. The success of such summits will depend on consistent engagement from industry partners, measurable internship-to-hire pipelines and continued investment in hands-on learning environments.
For students and early-career professionals, the summit offered immediate value in networking and practical guidance. For stakeholders seeking to scale Dubai’s games ecosystem, it provided a template for integrating education, industry and competitive scenes in service of a broader economic and cultural strategy.
Note: The DEF Education & Gaming Summit was part of the Dubai Esports & Games Festival, which runs from 22 May to 7 June 2026. GameExpo is open at DWTC until 7 June.