A camel racing smartphone game was officially launched in the UAE on Apple Store and Google Play this week.
Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan lauded the game as being attractive to young people, but being educational at the same time.
The game was developed by a team of local designers and includes a multiplayer feature which allows users to play against challengers online.
Available in English and Arabic, the game also allows users to customize their camels for racing events.
The jockeys in the game seem to represent adult men, putting to rest controversy about the previous real-life tradition of using children to race camels due to their light weight.
Robots officially replaced child jockeys in the early 2000’s, when a law was passed to ban the use of child jockeys.
Of the game, Ibrahim Al Dabal, general coordinator of the government’s Khalifa Student Empowerment Program, added: “The game acquaints players with the traditional history of camel racing and the need to preserve it. It features awareness screenshots and graphics about patriotism, and promotes healthy eating habits.”
