The 13th Jordan Gaming Summit opened in Aqaba under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II, with Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Sami Samirat inaugurating the event on behalf of the King. Organized by the Jordan Gaming Lab, an initiative of the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD), the summit highlighted Jordan’s growing role as a regional hub for digital gaming and creative technology.
This year’s edition featured the global conference “Aqaba Connects Gamer Pocket”, bringing together game developers, publishers, and industry experts from the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the United States. The two-day event covered eight key tracks, including AI in gaming, extended reality (XR), indie development, mobile gaming, and global publishing strategies. For the first time, it also hosted advanced workshops on creative thinking and game design, expanding the summit’s focus beyond networking to hands-on learning.
The summit aligns with Jordan’s Economic Modernisation Vision, which seeks to transform Aqaba into a regional technology, tourism, and investment hub. It also reflects the country’s strategic push to nurture digital entrepreneurship and youth innovation through the integration of gaming and creative industries.
On the sidelines, the Jordan Gaming Lab signed new cooperation agreements with Turkey’s Digiage and Germany’s Ziska, aimed at expanding training and mentorship programs for students and developers. Additional sessions focused on AI tools, UX design, storytelling, Xbox publishing, and interactive development, providing participants with direct exposure to the latest tools shaping the global gaming ecosystem.
The summit followed a series of regional preparatory events in Jerash, Madaba, and Maan, which engaged young Jordanians in workshops blending art, history, and entrepreneurship, reinforcing KAFD’s commitment to learning through play as a driver of creative and critical skills development
