Qatar's gaming culture levels up

Arab country investing heavily in esports with ambitions of becoming global hub for sector

World Cup host Qatar doesn't just have its sights set on soccer－it also hopes to harness its people's gaming skills as it launches into the burgeoning esports sector.

A digital army is at the ready in the gas-rich emirate, where many "majlis" rooms－communal gathering places attached to homes－have long doubled as video-game hubs for groups of friends, mostly young men.

"Our majlises have a lot of equipment," enthused Ibrahim Samha, who said the spaces are often kitted out with consoles for five or six players who lounge on cushions while engaging in virtual worlds and battles.