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AS ARCADES AND VIDEOGAMES TAKE OVER THE FREE TIME OF SCHOOL-GOING KIDS, ANUPAMA ARUNKUMAR TRIES TO FIND OUT THE CURRENT TRENDS OF THE GAMING SCENARIO THAT’S KEEPING CHILDREN BUSY
THE soaring mercury also means a slight change of game plan for many kids and teenagers. Instead of opting for the green grass under the scorching sun, they seek the dim, neon-lit corners of game arcades or the comfort of their sitting room – gleefully working their Nintendos and PS 3.
As arcades and videogames take over the free time of school-going kids, Mirror tries to find out the current trends of the gaming scenario that’s keeping children busy.
Bassem Abdullah, a student of Salalah College of Technology and a regular player at the arcades, finds gaming one of the best way to spend free time during summer. “We have a group of friends who regularly visit game arcades. We spend a great deal of time even during weekends in malls like City Centre. I love all the popular arcade games, and games on wrestling and racing always excite us. I would say it is time well spent. It involves concentration and also eye and hand coordination. And it helps improve speed with regard to our action as well as decision,” said Bassem.
While a group of kids do find the arcades scenario a little dull in Oman, a lot of them find comfort in settling for their home systems for gaming. “I do go out to arcades. I love to hang out in City Centre or CCC, but I feel there is a lack of new games in the Oman market. They don’t bring new exciting games that the young adults could also enjoy, because I know for a fact that there are lot of guys like me who would want to try out new games in arcades that they can play with their friends,” said Khalifa Al Hinei, a student and a game enthusiast. Coming from a family with a lot of members, he finds football games his cup of tea. “I am a big fan of football. So I love playing football games online and on my PC. Since my friends and brothers share my passion for football and racing, we play a number of related games online,” he added.
The Oman gaming scenario is going through a humdrum of the usual fighting and racing games. CCC promises to breathe new life into the Oman’s arcades. Bringing for the first time in the Sultanate, a 3D simulator, Magic Games in CCC is all game for excitement. “We are going to have a huge 3D simulator called FlyMax from the US in our arcade here. With a capacity to take two people at a time, the simulator has three to four different settings which people will be able to enjoy,” said owner of Magic Games, Emad Al Dien Rezk Ahmed.
“We will also have a mini 3D simulator in LuLu. This will sure attract adults to game and have some fun. I do feel there is a general lack of excitement in the adult gaming scene and people should take the initiative in introducing variety games to the gamers in Muscat. There should also be opportunity for girls to try out their gaming streak. For example, the Fighting Bull we have here in CCC is everyone’s favourite. Whether it’s girls or guys, they love trying the bull and it’s sad to realise there’s not a lot of places in Muscat that provide fun for teenagers and adults,” he added.
If you want to explore the fun choices you can take home in the form of game CDs, there are plenty of options stacked up for grabs.
Shafaqat Hussain, shop manager of Geekay game shop in City Centre, Qurum, talked about the various gaming options that are worth your money and time. With his clientele ranging from kids to pre-teens and adults, Shafaqat says a lot of people visit his shop to try new games and get information on the games available. “There are a lot of new game releases that are being developed keeping in mind the interest of both young boys and girls and adults. A lot of Play Station games have updated their versions and then brought new series. Final Fantasy XXXI, MIB, Call of Duty, Battle field 3, Assasin’s Creed are some of the fast-moving games in town. And other all time favourites like Need for Speed and Fifa have improved versions in the market.”
Girls, who are mostly in their pre-teens, do keep track of the new game releases and enjoy a range of games that suits their interests and personality. “There is a whole range of games being developed keeping in mind the young girls’ interest and there is a lot of movement for popular games like Hannah Montana, High School Musicals, Imagine my Restaurant, Club Penguin, Dora the Explorer, Cooking Mama and Imagine Girl Band. These are usually games for your Nintendo and I also see girls getting racing and adventure-related games,” says Shafaqat.
“There are also exercise-based electronic games that are focused on the adults. We get a lot of demand for video games that engage young kids while at home. They also come in handy when you conduct parties at homes.”
anupamaak4@gmail.com
Oman Mirror |
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