I had the good fortune to work in the video game industry on iconic projects at Ubisoft, notably Prince of Persia and Raving Rabbids. This experience allowed me to develop a dual perspective: that of a player, but also that of a professional who understands the mechanisms, the constraints, and the ambitions hidden behind each game.
Today, this perspective allows us to pose an essential question: what place can Morocco occupy in the global video game industry?
1.) Making gaming accessible is a fundamental concept for the success of Moroccan and African e-sports
Cloud gaming is redefining the rules of the game. By removing dependence on hardware, it makes it possible to access demanding games without owning an expensive machine. It is a major revolution, notably for markets where the price of hardware remains an obstacle.
But this promise rests on a fundamental pillar: the quality of the network. In countries where fiber offers very high speeds with minimal latency, players operate under optimal conditions. Conversely, an unstable connection or high latency turns the experience into a competitive disadvantage.
The current offerings of internet service providers in Morocco have seen significant advances in recent years. However, in light of the specific demands of competitive gaming — notably in terms of latency, stability, and very high bandwidth — room for improvement remains. Bandwidth levels and quality of service, although improving, remain below the standards observed in certain international markets, notably in the Americas, Europe, and Asia, where very high-speed offerings reaching several gigabits per second are widely deployed.
Within this context, the continuous strengthening of infrastructure and the evolution of offerings constitute key levers for fully supporting the development of the gaming industry ecosystem in Morocco. In e-sports, a few milliseconds are not a technical detail. They decide the outcome.
Added to this is access to servers. Today, the majority of them are located in Europe. This means that, from Morocco, we play several thousand kilometers from the infrastructure. To play at this distance is already to begin the match with a handicap.
We must clearly build proximity with the various major publishers in order to explore the possibilities of creating servers in Morocco. A decision like this requires the participation of several sectors, the deployment of substantial resources, but also strong decision-making in line with the demands required by the competitive gaming sector.
For Morocco to truly exist on the international e-sports stage, three elements must be considered essential: access to cloud gaming, a high-performance network infrastructure, and the proximity of servers. Without these conditions, we are not playing in the same category.
2.) The major publishers are the fertile cores for the video game ecosystem
The video game industry was not built by chance. It took shape around major publishers that laid the technological, creative, and organizational foundations we know today. While the independent market now occupies an important place, it is worth recalling that it developed on these foundations.
The major publishers are genuine fertile cores: they train, structure, and disseminate know-how. The major publishers are not merely investors: they are schools, accelerators, and catalysts of talent.
Attracting these players to Morocco would represent a strategic turning point. Their presence would make it possible to create skilled jobs, to train talent, and to build a sustainable ecosystem. And above all, it could give rise to a strong local independent scene, capable of establishing itself internationally. Beyond infrastructure and investment, we must also carry a vision.
We must create an environment where projects can be born, as in the finest stories of Silicon Valley, where ideas born in garages ended up transforming entire industries.
“Video games are an industry, but above all they are the engineering of emotion”
Video games are an ideal terrain for this. A few individuals, driven by a powerful idea, can today create experiences capable of touching millions of players across the world.
The development of this industry cannot rest solely on institutional dynamics. We must encourage companies to invest, to support talent, and to believe in this potential. Video games must not be locked into a bureaucratic logic. It is a living industry, one that needs freedom, boldness, and risk-taking.
Finally, it is essential to recall one thing: video games are an industry, but above all they are the engineering of emotion. Every game that leaves a mark on players is designed to make them feel something: tension, joy, frustration, wonder. And this emotional dimension is at the heart of its success.
A great game is not born of a business model. It is born of an idea that touches the player. That is why this industry must be carried by players, creatives, and professionals capable of understanding and speaking to emotion. Technology and economics are tools. Emotion is the engine.
When I think back to the child who spent hours in front of his Atari 2600 until he burned out two consoles, I tell myself that it is often from passions like these that the most unexpected trajectories are born. And perhaps among today’s young Moroccan players are already those who will create the great games of tomorrow.
Written in French by Mounir Alami Laaroussi, edited in English by Eric Nielson
