- 5 months ago
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00Hi, congratulations, by the way, Mohonad. You have become viral thanks to you owning your roots, creating a game with Omani roots in it. Did you expect it to go viral?
00:14Yeah, I did not expect that, actually. It was a very small overview of my game. So it was only for my friends or you can say like for a few people, but it went viral. Yeah. So I'm surprised with that, but I'm also happy about it.
00:31Right. What made you create a game that is sticking to your roots? Because when I think of games, especially video games, I think of more American westernized, you know, the landscapes, etc. So is it because you're Omani, you wanted to pay back a paid forward to your country?
00:50Yeah. See, here in Oman, if you want to be big here inside Oman, like a big Omani developer, so you have to do something that is related to your country. So that's what I did. It's not actually my work to do like something traditional here or Omani or something, but I tried it.
01:08And all the games which I made, it did not get any like views or something except this one, which I made it like an Omani character in an Omani environment. So yeah, it was, it was, I planned it actually to make it like go viral here in Oman, but it also went viral outside.
01:32Okay. So I just wanted to ask you, isn't this indicative, the fact that it has gone viral also indicates that people want to play games with characters that look like them?
01:42Like how do you see Arab characters play Arab characters, not Western actors play Arab characters? Do you think it's hit a nerve because of that?
01:50Yeah, because they rarely play games that they see Arab characters or Arab environments. So when they saw this, they saw that it's an opportunity for Arabs to like develop games and have like, it can go wildly.
02:05So they were very happy and they were excited and waiting for this game to play it. And they were using it as a, and like an, something that it is coming from Arab to the world. And everyone was sharing this.
02:24So yeah, I think everyone is waiting for a game that has an Arab character and Arabic environment.
02:30I love that. And Mohamed, Mohamed, I love the fact that you also had a landscape that looked like Oman. Oman looks so much like where I'm from. That's in India, South India. It looks like Salala, the palm trees, the landscape. I'm truly an Oman kid. Like this is your homage to Oman.
02:51Yeah, again, excuse me.
02:53Is this your tribute to Oman, the place that you grew up in, the country that gave you something?
02:58No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's actually, I'm, I'm following a story for this game. So it's based on some part of Oman, which is a desert and that has an osis, small osis.
03:10So the player will start from there and he will go to some places. So it's some place, a small place, a place here in Oman, but I don't, it's, it's not like that I was there or something.
03:24I only took photos from the Googler.
03:27I like that. You're so basic in your thing. Did you always want to be, how difficult is it to be a video game developer? That's authentic. That's different.
03:38Did you always want to be one? How did your parents react to being told you want to do this?
03:44See, before I started actually game development, uh, seven years before. So, uh, when I finished college, my parents were waiting to like, I was, they were waiting for me to work in some place.
03:59So I started working on game development. I was making games, sharing them. They were not that excited, but when they saw that my games were going somewhere, they started helping, helping me actually.
04:11And, uh, they also helped me to make my own company, which is a very small company, so I can share my games also.
04:17Uh, but yeah, they accepted it actually. And I was very happy about this because, uh, it's a little bit hard to be here in Oman, a game developer, because it's not that, uh, known here.
04:31You cannot find a game development company inside Oman. So it was a hard choice, but, uh, I'm still making like progress in this.
04:40Right. Uh, so can I ask you after your real, did you have interest from other companies to perhaps help you see at the end of the day, you are not an Island. You need support system, say a Saudi company or a UAE company or an Omani company seeing, okay, listen, this boy has promise. He has got an idea. Let me back you. Is there been such kind of progress after your real went wild?
05:05Yeah, actually a lot of companies reach out to me, like saying, uh, that they want me to be in their, uh, company.
05:14So I've refused many actually, even a companies outside of mine, because I was focusing on my own business. I was sure that I can be like a much better or bigger. This is what I hope, uh, it happens.
05:27Uh, so many reach out to me, yeah, but I'm still like trying
05:35to keep it to myself. So I, I want to be the one who has the company and, uh, making games here in Oman.
05:42So you want to be your own boss. I like these new guys. Uh, they don't want to be in a corporate. I'm sorry, not interested. Is that how you look at it?
05:52Yeah.
05:53You want to be your own boss. Tell me something.
05:56Oman, would you also look at creating something similar with Dubai, with Saudi, uh, Alula region, uh, in Dubai?
06:03Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course. Of course. Yeah. I'm planning to go, uh, worldwide. So yeah, I'm not just planning here to like be, or making games here in Oman. Uh, I'm planning to go, yeah, to UAE, to Ryab, and also like many places here.
06:21Uh, so yes, I'm, I'm looking forward to, to increase it.
06:27I love it. One of the, tell me something for all those who've just begun gaming, they don't, they, like you said, it's a very tough field. You don't know where they're going to, it's a lot of hard work before you hit the big league.
06:38One viral video will, what's your advice to them in all your years of like hustling so hard? What did you learn?
06:46Um, see, uh, I've learned that, uh, actually it is very hard here to become a game developer because there's not, not much supporters and not much companies that support also this kind of stuff.
06:58So what I did that, uh, I've tried to learn more about this, uh, game development. I tried very hardly. And also I did not stop. It was boring sometimes because you are working on something that is not, uh, going somewhere.
07:15So it's failing, failing, failing, failing, but, uh, like we have to keep this inside ourselves. We have to go on. We have to like complete this because we cannot just sit and wait for something to happen. We have to do it until it happens. So yeah, we should keep, keep on going in this, uh, field, uh, and, uh, we might reach somewhere widely, inshallah.
07:39Right. Mohanad, are you also supported by your other friends from Oman or are you a single unit? How many hours have you been developing?
07:49I've actually made a community in, uh, discord that has, um, uh, like more than 100 Omani developers. Uh, they were not, uh, like they were, uh, not known when I started making games and, uh, uploading them to Instagram.
08:05I started seeing someone coming to me, like I'm a developer also. I'm a developer also. So I, I gathered them all and I made a community. So anytime that comes work to me, I cannot do it. I send them to them so they can do it like a freelancing stuff.
08:21Uh, and yeah, and we are now trying to build a big community and, uh, make a bigger game for the, for Oman.
08:30Um, it was, yeah, I love that, you know, Oman is a very beautiful country, but it's also unlike Dubai, which is all everywhere, which Abu Dhabi, because of its concerts, Oman is, you know, very peaceful, et cetera.
08:44Do you think you have got Oman on the map through gaming?
08:48I hope, I hope because, uh, a lot of companies now outside Oman know that there are, uh, game developers here inside Oman.
08:57So we're trying to take some people from here and here. Also, they tried to take me, but I'm still like, yeah, I want to build myself here first, build my company.
09:06And then I might, uh, in the future, I don't know. I'm still like planning many things.
09:12Manit, can you, uh, can you pay bills with your game developing? I'm asking this because, um, uh, in journalism, it's very difficult in the beginning.
09:21It's like hotel management, very tough. The money is less. Uh, it's difficult to stay afloat. How difficult is it to build a career? Can you, does it pay your bills or do you ask your dad for money?
09:35No, no, no, no. Uh, actually it pays bill and a lot. Uh, I started this journey in game development.
09:43I was not planning to, to like get money from it until I read this, this age. So I had to do something.
09:50So I worked freelancing, uh, in some websites. So company from, from around the world came to me, like make this game, small game.
09:58And I was getting money from it. Also, I was selling my games to some companies. So I was getting also money.
10:03Uh, it's paying bills and actually I'm, I'm, I'm buying my future, my, uh, dream car. And also I'm trying to make something.
10:12So it's paying bills and more. Yeah.
10:15Good, good. So you can buy your dream car. What is it? Maserati? Can you ask?
10:19No, no.
10:20It's, it's, uh, it's, it's actually my childhood car. It's a Chevrolet, uh, not Chevrolet. I mean, uh, Dodge Charger SRT.
10:31It's a, it's a, it's a sporty car. Yeah. It's not the young people car. It's very, it's making my young people happier now.
10:38I love it. How, uh, listen, what was your background? Like, did you study this, um, uh, formally or did you just, it was your interest to learn it along the way?
10:47I did not study any of this. I started using YouTube actually. Uh, so I was, uh, I downloaded an application to create in a game.
10:55Uh, so I went to YouTube. I was, uh, I was learning from it, uh, from that because here in Oman, we don't have like a college that supports or that has, uh, game development subjects.
11:07So I learned it all by myself, like in two years. And then I went by myself to learn more. And also I, I made like some, uh, you can say some that I'm learning some people now to how to create games and develop.
11:26Are you telling me your school was YouTube? That's like my son saying he's studying German in Duolingo. And he's doing that. He's actually understanding. You studied everything through YouTube.
11:39YouTube actually had many, uh, everything I want. So there was many tutorials there. There were many, like, uh, some things so, so I can learn from it.
11:50So, yeah, everything I learned is from YouTube. And every time I say this to someone, they don't believe it because they say this needs a degree. This needs a college to do, to get this kind of, uh, uh, experience.
12:04But I say, no, it's only YouTube. They did not do anything else.
12:08So you don't have a college degree in this. You are good. So, no. So after you're 12th, what did you do? Just studied?
12:16Yes.
12:16Gaming?
12:18No, no. I studied actually computer science.
12:21So you have computer science and then you go to YouTube and you learn gaming and you become a full-time gamer.
12:28Exactly. Yes.
12:29Are you an engineer or is it a degree? Is it a bachelor?
12:32It's an engineer. Yeah, a bachelor.
12:35So you're a bachelor's in computer engineering. I love this. Your parents must be like, what is my child doing?
12:41Looking into this.
12:42Yeah. I'm also now, I'm also now, uh, completing my study, uh, in, uh, cyber security.
12:48So I'm also standing now and also, uh, a game developer. So yeah, my, my family actually is very, uh, acceptable in this. So they are happy also.
12:59I love that. I love that. And do you, uh, how has the other gaming communities helped? It's a big world, right? The gaming conventions. They are a big nerd community, as you call them. In the dark, you play. You guys have your own rhythm, et cetera. Have they been very supportive? Is that one way to learn about it? Apart from, of course, YouTube?
13:19Yeah, yeah, yeah. Here they were very supportive. Uh, so when you find like a small community here in Oman or any place in, uh, in the online internet, uh, we discuss many things. So we learn from each other. So yeah, it's very helpful and useful actually.
13:37Lovely. Lovely. Lovely. Thank you so much. Is there anything you want to add? What a wonderful, you know, what, uh, what is impressive about your journey is the fact that you learn everything through YouTube. You are an actual portrait of the young guys going viral because of your belief, right? See, it's not, you must have wondered at some point, what am I doing with my life? I have a degree. I'm doing this. What did you do during those dark times when you doubted yourself?
14:03Well, I actually, I actually sleep a lot and also game a lot. So when I, I feel bad, I, I game.
14:12You game. I sleep a lot. I'm one of the people that the stress gets to me. I go to my car and I sleep.
14:18I do that sometimes. Yeah. Sleeping fixes some things.
14:22Exactly. Sleep is your best friend. Monad, I really hope you go viral again. I hope your game and you become your own boss. Don't sell out. Okay. Don't sell out.
14:30Yeah, I'm trying to keep it for myself. Yeah.
14:33Exactly. You have done, you have come this far with seven years after learning from YouTube. Don't sell it to a client. Be your own boss.
14:40No, no, no. I will not. Yeah. This is what I'm trying to do. And yeah.
14:43Maybe you will see it in the near future.
14:46Right.
14:47This is all going.
14:48Yeah. Monad, when you become a millionaire, no? Let's do a story on how he, how Monad became a millionaire through YouTube videos.
14:56Yeah.
14:57I'll stop spending money on my children's education. I just paid their fees today.
15:01I'm telling them, sit at home, learn through YouTube.
15:08Yeah. Actually, YouTube has everything. So yeah, you can use it in the right way.
15:13Done. Done. Monad, thank you so much for talking to me.
15:15Welcome. Thank you. Thank you.
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