From the retro Super Mario Bros and Pac-Man to Fortnite and the latest in VR…

Gamers of UAE, take note. There’s a three-day gaming festival taking place in Sharjah starting June 19 that you don’t want to miss.

Known as the Video Games Experience (#VGX), the gaming convention is hosted by FUNN Sharjah Media Arts For Youth and Children and organized by IGN Middle East, and will be held at the Sharjah Expo Center from June 19 to 21.

So, what can you expect? 

Well, apart from the swarm of other fellow gamers from across the country, you can also expect to catch the latest games, tournaments and other cool gaming activities for you to enjoy.

No matter what console you have, you will be able to try out the latest and upcoming games on all gaming platforms from the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, to Nintendo Switch.

Want to check out something more futuristic? You can try out the new virtual reality experiences in the HTC Vive zone.

Feeling a need for speed? You can race against other fellow gamers in a racing track styled after Mario Kart, or put your high-powered RC cars driving skills to the test in the Rocket League arena.

Or maybe you’re more into retro gaming? Take a walk down memory lane in the Retro Arcade area. Think along the lines of Super Mario, Sonic and Pac-Man.

Speaking of Pac-Man, head to the life-size Pac-Man maze where you can go through exactly what the bright yellow fictional character goes through as you try to escape a maze.

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A fan of the online video game – Fortnite? There’s a special themed area dedicated to the game for you to check out.

There will be themed slides here for the kids to pass their time while you fight off the zombie-like creatures. More fun can be found for the kids in the Minecraft dedicated zone where they can put their Lego building skills to the test.

There’s even a life-size claw machine, where participants will see themselves getting strapped in and lowered into a pit filled with all sorts of sweet goodies.

Head to the main stage area where you can partake in, or watch some friendly competitions taking place based on Mario Kart and Just Dance, and competitive tournaments in Fortnite and Street Fighter.

Think you have a future in the game development industry? You can participate in the Game Jam competition that’s held over all three days of the event. You can even attend game development workshops hosted by local and international game developers.

Tickets cost Dhs21 per day and are available at the door or can be purchased online here.

Video Game Experience, Expo Centre Sharjah-Hall 1, Al Khan Area, Sharjah, June 19 to 21, 9am to 9pm June 19, 9am to 10pm June 20 and 2pm to 10pm June 21, Tel: (06) 577 0000 ign.com

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