Many friends and acquaintances tell me that their children—young and old alike—are obsessed with video games. Some shout in frustration at the noise, others praise their sons for being “brilliant” in untangling the puzzles of these games, while a few dream of channeling that obsession into creativity—imagining their children not just as players but as creators of games. They want them to join the ranks of the world’s technology pioneers. Why not?!
Let us pause for a moment at these cries of fear. For many parents, a child’s obsession with gaming is seen as a dangerous sign, a slippery slope toward addiction. Addiction that grows into obsession—where games become the highest priority, outranking all else. The sheer intensity of play can bring negative consequences: health problems, psychological strain, social withdrawal. These fearful cries are real, but they reflect only the empty half of the glass.
But why dwell only on fear? The smartphone, too, has often been called an addiction. And yet, if we redirect our children’s energy within the same field—if we train them to become creative producers of technology—the fear transforms into safety, even opportunity. In other words: let us look at the full half of the glass.
Why not imagine a new reality? Why not introduce courses or even entire university majors in video game design? Why not teach our children to create not only entertainment games but also educational content through gaming? Our Arab societies are poor in this field; our universities lack it altogether. If such a specialization existed, we could transform today’s obsession into tomorrow’s vocation, shaping a generation of game creators rather than mere consumers.
The enthusiasm of our youth is currently wasted, channeled into endless playing without purpose. But what if that energy became a drive to build rather than merely to consume? Let us elevate our thinking to that of the makers in this technological age. Let schools offer activities that train students to create games or digital content. Let universities nurture this passion through dedicated programs. Let competitions—local and international—become arenas where our students innovate rather than obsess. Only then will our youth become creators, not captives of their screens.
This is a call to those responsible for education and media, and to the organizers of events and conferences: let us activate the vision of game creators. Let every young Arab dream of studying such a subject at school or university, of learning to make what they love. Let video games become tools of learning and reflection rather than traps of obsession and wasted time.
