Why UAE Brands Must Rethink Gaming as a Wellness Platform
82% of UAE gamers use gaming to manage stress and anxiety, reshaping how brands should approach in-game advertising with empathy-first strategies rather than transactional tactics.
A new report from Dubai Media and Livewire has found that 82% of UAE gamers use gaming to manage stress, anxiety, or depression, repositioning the medium as a frontline mental wellness tool rather than pure entertainment.
Gaming's Role as a Wellness Platform
The Power in Play report, based on an online survey of 601 UAE residents conducted between August and September 2025, found that reliance on gaming for mental health coping rises to 92% among Gen Z players specifically.
The report surveyed a cross-generational sample including Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X, with 12% identifying as Emirati and 88% as expatriates or students.
Dubai Media and Livewire frame gaming as a "cultural heartbeat" for community and stress relief, recommending brands treat in-game environments as spaces requiring empathy-first approaches rather than purely transactional advertising.
In-Game Brands Outperform Social Media
The report found that up to 70% of surveyed UAE gamers consider in-game brand presence more relevant than brands appearing on social media platforms.
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Gamers respond positively to brands that offer unique in-game experiences and reward player engagement. During financial hardship, UAE gamers also prioritize spending on gaming hardware and new games over coffee, movie tickets, concerts, and streaming subscriptions, indicating a recession-resilient consumer segment.
The report also challenges common assumptions about who plays games in the UAE. Of the country's 7.3 million gamers, the majority are millennials and Gen X, not young tech enthusiasts. Additionally, 75% use mobile phones as their primary gaming device.
Cultural Representation and Identity Gaps
The report highlights a significant identity dynamic: 64% of UAE gamers avoid the "gamer" label, with only 22% of women comfortable using it despite 44% identifying as gamers in practice.
Cultural representation also emerges as a brand loyalty driver. Some 64% of UAE gamers say cultural elements matter in their gaming experience, rising to 80% among ethnic minority players. The report identifies a gap between the UAE's rich multicultural population and the limited cultural representation currently available within gaming environments.
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UAE Gaming Market Trajectory
The UAE gaming market is projected to reach US$2.39 billion by 2033, supported by the government-backed Dubai Program for Gaming 2033. Gaming subscription revenue in the UAE is separately projected to reach US$676 million by 2030, growing at a compound annual rate of 12.5%.
The UAE's wellness economy, valued at US$34.1 billion and having grown 58% between 2019 and 2023, provides broader context for gaming's mental health positioning. The MENA gaming market overall stood at US$17 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach US$42.6 billion by 2033.
The full Power in Play report is available through Dubai Media and Livewire's research channels.
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