Arcade gaming fans and simulator enthusiasts are battling it out for top honours at the first-ever regional World Gaming Championships being held in Magic Planet outlets in Dubai.
Magic planet is a family entertainment facility that provides amusement for all age groups, featuring video and redemption games, family rides and thrill attractions.
The gamers now have the chance to put their skills to the test for more than just simple entertainment, said the mall officials.
"This year’s first ever Magic Planet World Championships will see a host of goodies up for grabs for its competition winners; prizes that include home theatre set-ups. Besides this, three lucky winners will walk away with Dh50,000 Mall of the Emirates shopping vouchers, a brand new car and Dh50,000 worth of travel vouchers," said the organisers.
This event will feature three very different games for contestants; each one based on either 'Deal, Drive or Determination ad .
The competition will progress over elimination stages until the grand final, which will take place on August 6 at Mall of the Emirates.
Those who wish to participate in the Championship and believe they have the luck can join 'Deal or No Deal,' which is based on the popular TV show of the same name.
The game involves rejecting numbered boxes containing differing values of money; the amount being revealed only after the box has been selected. Holding your nerve and dismissing the offers made by the game’s banker at various intervals means that you can walk away with lots of tickets in the last box.
"But then again, if fate has dictated you to be a loser, that final container may reveal just one ticket. The one winner whose luck is the best throughout the competition will be converting their on-screen tickets for real value shopping vouchers at Mall of the Emirates, worth Dh50,000."
Gaming fans who prefer to use their driving skills for the chance to win big prizes can take part in the driving contest; a track inspired simulated competition.
Using advanced graphics to recreate an impressive circuit scenario and controls that mimic the F1 experience, would-be Lewis Hamiltons can battle it out for the opportunity to win a brand new car. The player with the reflexes closest to a rally champion will be able to trade their mock skills for the real thing, when they drive away in a Chevrolet Lumina S.
The last of the three Championship contests will allow participants to show off their determination, as well as giving them the chance to take home another fantastic jackpot. In the traditional fairground High Striker contest, competitors hit a strike pin with a mallet to send a puck up the game’s tall tower.
The puck travels alongside a scale which reveals the player’s strength and if struck hard enough, it rings a bell at the top. At the end of the Championship, one strongman or woman who has scored the highest throughout will collect Dh50,000 worth of travel vouchers for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation.
“This year, we are hosting the first ever Magic Planet World Championships and are offering some incredible prizes for the winners,” said Silvio Liedtke, general manager of Magic Planet.
“As well as a Chevrolet car and two prizes of Dh50,000 worth of vouchers, we also have exciting prizes for the runners up,” he added.
“We are anticipating that this event will be a huge success, as gaming enthusiasts can now win great prizes whilst having great fun! We hope it will become an annual fixture in the Magic Planet calendar from now on,” he continued.
The Magic Planet World Championships 2008 is open to everyone at four UAE outlets; the Mall of the Emirates, Deira City Centre, Ajman City Centre and Modhesh Fun City, Airport Expo.
he games are restricted to those over the age of 13 years. Heats will take place between 1-8pm daily until July 28, with the semi-finals