According to UAE-based Power League Gaming, female gamers represented 44% of the Middle East gaming market in 2020. At 69% of the total gaming population, women gamers have already outnumbered their male counterparts in Saudi Arabia.

To make the most of the social impact of games, the United Nations alongside young opinion leaders and government representatives from the Middle East has launched a new gaming app to promote gender equality. The game called WeRise has been developed by the youth and for the youth, as UN Women collaborated with more than a hundred young volunteers from six countries in the region. It’s an edutainment platform available in Arabic, English, and French, and includes competitions such as word puzzles.

The smartphone app is meant to bring societies closer, raise awareness about gender equality and amplify the voice for women’s rights, through the participation of the youth. The governments of Sweden and The Netherlands, joined forces with young people from Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, and Tunisia, to develop WeRise. It was created in line with UN Women’s regional framework that focuses on influencing behavioral change and changing norms to support gender equality.

Activities on the app will encourage young people to be agents of change in their respective communities, by challenging gender stereotypes as well.