As a teacher I’m tremendously excited by this initiative, which goes way beyond western “educational video games”.

Savvy Games Group, Saudi Arabia’s state-backed gaming conglomerate, has struck landmark agreements with the Ministry of Education to embed video game development and e-sports within the national curriculum.

This initiative represents one of the most systematic attempts globally to legitimise gaming as an educational pillar – and signals significant opportunities for publishers willing to diversify into interactive content.

The three Memoranda of Understanding establish game development as a formal component of secondary and tertiary education, coordinated through the National Curriculum Centre.

Savvy Academy will gain official accreditation, whilst games will be integrated into Madrasati, the kingdom’s national e-learning platform serving millions of students.

The partnership also encompasses the ‘Play to Learn’ nationwide competition and scholarship pathways through the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Programme.

A separate collaboration with Tatweer Educational Services targets game-based simulations and interactive educational content – positioning gamification not merely as pedagogy but as core infrastructure.

The View From The Beach

For Saudi publishers, this creates immediate demand for localised educational game content, curriculum-aligned development tools, and Arabic-language resources.

The accreditation pathway offers a regulatory framework previously absent in MENA markets, potentially reducing investment risk for educational technology ventures.

Should this model proliferate – particularly across Gulf states and emerging economies prioritising digital transformation – international publishers face a strategic inflection point.

Traditional textbook markets may contract as ministries procure interactive, simulation-based content. Conversely, publishers possessing IP portfolios, narrative expertise, and assessment capabilities possess transferable assets for “edutainment” partnerships.

The initiative follows Saudi Arabia’s 2023 AI curriculum integration, suggesting a deliberate policy arc toward technology-forward education. With the kingdom investing $38 billion in gaming through its Vision 2030 strategy, educational gamification appears positioned as both cultural priority and economic diversification mechanism.

In my school here in The Gambia we have neither books nor computer games, but turn every lesson into a game accompanied by YouTube video and improvised props to make learning the most fun it can be.

This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.