London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Meet the Saudi entrepreneur pursuing her passion of gaming

Meet the Saudi entrepreneur pursuing her passion of gaming

Women in Saudi Arabia have recently been venturing into new industries, making good headway with added support from their communities, including the exclusive club of indie game developers.

An ambitious dreamer and a gamer, Saudi entrepreneur Noor Alkhadra paved her way into the games development sector after years of playing games. She started gaming as a six-year-old thanks to her older brother and his treasure trove of games, and her passion grew after her brother left home to study abroad. Alkhadra was left with a goldmine of games and has not stopped since.

“Games help you believe in winning and never giving up. As gamers, the process of always finding a solution becomes ingrained in you,” Alkhadra told Arab News, adding: “Challenges become opportunities. A game is never made for you to lose no matter how difficult it is, it is meant for you to win and find creative and clever ways to do so. That habit is carried on with you throughout life.”

Her journey into game development began while studying for her bachelor’s degree in fine arts, specializing in video game design at the Academy of Art University. She continued her education, obtaining a master’s in technology entrepreneurship at the University of Central Lancashire in England, and kick-started her company WeGeek, a video game events company.


Tapping into an underdeveloped and underscored field, she launched her video games event company in 2016, where public engagement was an integral part of the company’s vision. The unique community-focused gaming events company included testing, competitions, showcasing indie game developers’ work, lightsaber shows, and more.

With over 20 events launched across London that focused on esports, gaming communities, and indie developers, Alkhadra partnered with companies such as Nintendo, Bandai Namco, Ubisoft, and Konami to further boost public engagement and give a better understanding of a game.

She initially wanted to start her company in Saudi Arabia. However, at the time, men and women were separated in events, and given that there are more male gamers than female gamers, it didn’t make sense for the young entrepreneur, so she opted for Britain instead until the time was right.

“I look to myself and say wow, these are companies to be respected and appreciated for what they provided to the gaming community over the years, and I’m lucky to have partnered with them,” she added.

In 2018, Alkhadra paved another path and joined forces with Roborace, the first autonomous car racing vehicle, which became WeGeek’s partnership manager.


She said that Roborace’s work is not far from the gaming industry. “They wanted to gamify the experience by having the car race with obstacles like in a racing video game, which is where I would come in. The CEO at the time was hired from one of the biggest gaming companies, Bandai Namco.”

In 2019, another avenue of development was starting, when she launched “Robonetica,” a platform that teaches teenagers how to code robots through video games in Saudi Arabia.

“I have developed a few video games when I was in university and later moved on to leading and overlooking the development of our Robonetica game: ‘The Red Planet Project’,” Alkhadra said.

“I was working on Robonetica in the period before COVID-19 emerged, it was closely related to artificial intelligence as the point of it was to teach the next generation how to code autonomous robots.


“We were aiming to give people access, enabling them to create their future rather than just being in the hands of the Zuckerburgs and Musks.”

To further her mark in the gaming industry, she launched a YouTube channel at the start of the year where she reviews games and tech devices, as well as providing educational tips on entering the sector, gaming news, and funny moments in the industry.

“I usually review the latest games when they come out. I focus on everything that makes a game good, such as character development, game mechanics, and storyline,” she added.

Being a woman involved in the indie gamer development industry helped her break an entrenched stereotype about gamers’ gender specifications.

“I’ve always loved video games, being in the gaming industry for over seven years in multiple disciplines from business to entertainment. But being a woman in the video game development industry was very uncommon, even in the US,” she said.

“I remember being the only girl in class, sometimes feeling uncomfortable in the beginning, but then I got used to it.

“Initially, I did feel like I had to work three times harder to prove myself. Then I stopped caring about proving myself and let my work speak for itself. Even on YouTube, I refuse to be called a girl gamer, I’m just a gamer.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×