Games MEA speaks with Carol Anne Dias, Regional Sales Director – Middle East & Africa at AOC about the gaming market in Middle East and their initiatives to target this growing market.
What would you like to say about the Gaming landscape in the region?
The advent of Mobile Gaming and its influence on youth has contributed in a big way for developers and made gaming a real buzz word in the Middle East region. Countries like Saudi Arabia are clocking big time especially as the country lack modern mediums of entertainment and high purchasing power, the youth is more inclined towards console gaming or PC gaming that is also driving the Gaming monitor sales in the kingdom.
Even on the regional level, the popularity of gaming is fueling the growth of Gaming Cafes, which stands good for our business in the years to come.
How would you compare the Middle East with the mature markets like China, Japan, Europe and US?
Middle East is still on the nascent stage of development if you compare it to the mature markets, but it surely is one of the fastest growing regions for Gaming in the world. As, several companies have come forward in past few years to invest in local gaming teams and players that is encouraging huge number of local Arab youth population taking up Gaming and eSports is seriously and even professionally.
Recently, Saudi teenager, Mosaad Aldossary lifted the FIFA eWorld Cup trophy and the winning amount of US$ 2,50,000. Such examples are also driving the gaming industry in the region and we are sure a boom in the coming 2-3 years from here on.
Being a display specialist, what do you have to offer to the Gamers in the region?
We have seen double digit growth in our sales, since we started selling our Gaming range of monitors in Middle East. We believe we have a lot to offer with best line up of gaming monitors in the business,
starting from basic G series (75hz) models for beginners to the Agon 3 range (including curved monitor in 240 Hz), and going forward we will have 0.5 ms response time in our monitors as well which will enable FPS gamers a distinct advantage in playing and competing these games.
What are the new technologies or innovations have you incorporated in your latest gaming monitors and how does that help Gamers?
As mentioned earlier, AOC was the first brand of gaming monitors in the market to introduce 240 hz with 0.5 ms response time for gamers. We are constantly upgrading our range of gaming monitors to suit and meet the demands of gamers by incorporating latest technologies and innovations in the field of gaming, so that gamers can enjoy the utmost user experience.
Which monitors are favoured by Gamers in the region and how is the demand for Curved Gaming Monitors?
24 inch in the basic size that contributes the major chunk of sales for all brands, this is because most of the games played in this region are FPS games and its best served to use this size monitor to focus and play. We have witness growing demand for bigger screen sizes and saw an upsurge in the curved gaming monitors market, so we plan to more models in the curved category with bigger screen sizes ranging from 24 to 35 inchs.
In recent times, apart from PC Gaming, even Console Gaming is going for Gaming Monitors, how do you see that market and what models of monitors do you have to offer in the region?
We have specific gaming console monitors in our range that meets the demands and meets customer requirement. Our 24 inch gaming monitor is popular with FPS gamers, whereas 32 and 35 inch curved are used by racing gamers as they would like wide viewing angle to play. Similarly, we have monitors with 144 Hz are the best bet with new X box console that can also reach up to 144 Hz
How closely are you working with the Gaming community in the region?
We are closely engaged with the gaming community in the region as we continue to invest in supporting various gaming tournaments in different locations in Middle East. Recently, we participated in Gaming competitions with partners like Calyx that was done in the De warehouse in Dubai, where in AOC was the primary sponsor and all matches were played on our 27 inch monitors. it had 16 teams participating from different countries in the region and final was played between teams from UAE and Lebanon with a Grand Prize of 50 K AED.
AOC was also one of the prime sponsors for Battle of the Cafes and in the coming days we are also present at Middle East Games Con 2018 in Abu Dhabi, the biggest gaming event in the region to showcase wide array of our of Gaming monitors.
As the gaming market is growing at a reasonable pace, how are you trying to keep pace with it?
Gaming is the future and would be the biggest chunk of our business in terms of revenue grosser for us. We plan to have team AOC who will go and participate in gaming competitions specifically for this region that will enable us to grow our brand image as well as enhance our image as a serious gaming brand.
We are primarily partnering with niche players in gaming, whether its retail or distribution and not just only for UAE but all across the region. To make our presence felt in markets like Oman, Qatar and Kuwait we have tied up with specialised players to sell our brand and in days to come we are confident we will be able to grab larger market share.
What are the new technologies in the world of Gaming display and what special can users expect from AOC Gaming this year?
HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology and 0.5ms response time are the 2 key factors that is driving the innovation in the gaming display, as it focuses more on clear picture quality, enhanced color quality and projection. AOC was the brand of monitor in the world to unveil 0.5 ms response time gaming monitor and now we plan to expand our portfolio beyond monitors and introduce AOC brand of peripherals such as Gaming Mouse and Gaming Keyboards.
