By Nawara Fattahova

A group of young Kuwaiti gamers came together on social media and formed 'Gamer Snack' to provide gamers with information and news about new videogames, latest technologies, movies, youth activities and gaming conventions. Gaming has become a medium of entertainment the same way as movies, soap operas and other pastimes. Those interested in videogames can stay updated about everything related to gaming through the various channels of Gamer Snack.

Mohammed Al-Mutairi

"We started as amateurs with a blog in 2013 founded by my brother Khaled Al-Mutairi. Later we thought of presenting the experience that we gained during these years to the public. When we started, only English blogs were available in this field," Gamer Snack co-founder Mohammed Al-Mutairi, a computer engineer and graphics designer, told Kuwait Times.

Soon enough, Gamer Snack started getting popular. "Our team became influencers in GCC countries and the Arab world. Local and even international companies working in the technology sector started contacting us to give us updates on their new products exclusively to review them before they reach the consumers. They also invite us to their events, which we cover for the benefit of the public," he said.

Gamer Snack gained public trust and a high number of followers on various social media networks. "We started on YouTube, on which we today have over 1.6 million followers. We then spread to other social media including Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Facebook. We received a subscriber award from YouTube when we reached 100,000 subscribers, and another when we hit one million followers," Mutairi said.

Gamer Snack has other accounts on social media on movies and technology. "We present interesting and informative content for the youth. Unfortunately, in Kuwait, exposure is not very wide, and not many people here know about us, although we are popular internationally. The media in some countries in the GCC and the West have interviewed and carried reports about us, but in Kuwait they don't pay attention to us," he rued.

"We have organized many videogaming events and competitions. Our team has attended many local and international events and fairs, to which we were invited by the most famous tech and videogame companies. We have done professional coverage of these events that we presented to our followers, who lived the experience as if they attended it," Mutairi said.

In Kuwait, almost every home has gamers. "We are specialized in all kinds of videogames including PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox. After this space got larger and social media became popular, companies in this field became more diverse in their advertising. We are more professional than other social media influencers, and this is the reason we receive invitations from international companies to cover their events and products. We do the coverage from an Arab perspective to reach our followers in Arabic. Videogames on mobiles are covered on Mobile Snack. This account specializes in mobiles, tablets and laptops and the games on these gadgets," explained Mutairi.

"The team started with two people - me and my brother. Today there are 10 people working on a daily basis. We have more people working during events. Our team is available for the public anytime. We will answer any question by people related to our content. The content on Gamer Snack is in Arabic presently, but we have a new English Instagram account and are currently working on translating all the videos on our Arabic accounts," he told Kuwait Times.

"We heard news that soon there will be an official team of gamers formed by the public authorities of youth and sports. This national team will include professionals of various games, similar to those in other countries," Mutairi revealed. According to him, the cost of producing videogames today can reach the cost of producing movies. "Popular actors are starring in some videogames today. Even the shooting is done with cinema technology and design. Videogame accessories are bestsellers too," he concluded.