MORE than 1,300 government school students have enrolled in Bahrain’s newly-introduced elective course Gaming 100, following its official launch by Education Minister Dr Mohammed Mubarak Juma at a gala ceremony held at the Education Ministry Hall in Isa Town yesterday.
Describing the occasion as ‘a special and exceptional day’, Dr Juma said the launch marked ‘the beginning of a new educational phase’.
“Today’s event is music to my ears,” he said. “Gaming 100 is a gateway to the world of video games, opportunities and future careers.”
The English-language course will be offered to secondary school students as an elective in government high schools, starting today, with private schools also able to adopt it as part of their curriculum from next semester. Around 700 students attended the launch ceremony.
Dr Juma confirmed that private schools can begin registering also from today, allowing the ministry to train teachers ahead of implementation.
“So far, 1,300 students from government schools have registered, which reflects the huge enthusiasm we’ve seen from students and parents alike,” he said.
The course was first teased on the ministry’s social media platforms using a retro-style gaming console displaying the title Gaming 100, quickly capturing public attention.
According to Dr Juma, the programme was developed by a panel of Bahraini experts to ensure its relevance and alignment with current and future educational needs.
“We carefully crafted the course to ensure its suitability and compatibility,” he said. “It’s part of our broader strategy to modernise curricula and equip students with tools that match rapid technological advancement.”
From consoles to modern platforms, Gaming 100 takes students on a journey through the history and culture of video games, beginning with the industry’s origins in the 1970s.
Students will explore the evolution of increasingly complex games and platforms and look at the sector’s failures too such as the infamous Atari ET cartridge story of 1982, when the company rushed development of an Extra-Terrestrial game for its platform in just five weeks to meet Christmas demand.
The resulting game was widely considered confusing, buggy, and one of the worst ever made. After massive sales failures and returns, Atari dumped and buried hundreds of thousands of unsold cartridges in a New Mexico landfill site.
The curriculum is divided into five chapters covering:
- Video game history and culture
- Game mechanics and genres
- Game engines, art, coding and prototyping
- Gaming and society, including ethics, esports and addiction
- Careers in gaming, from programming to graphic design and community building
A final project will require students to create their own game, from concept to a playable prototype.
“This is about passion, creativity and curiosity,” said Dr Juma. “Gaming today is a multi-million-dinar industry and a rare currency in human resources.”
Dr Juma revealed that Bahrain has filed for intellectual property and patent rights for the course material.
“As the first country in the region – and possibly the world – to introduce such a school course, we have ensured copyright protection,” he said.
“No one can copy the book without approval.”
He added that work is already underway on Gaming 101, which will focus more deeply on artificial intelligence (AI) in video games, noting that AI was first widely used in gaming before other industries.
The course mascot, ‘Mr Gamer’, accompanies students from the first chapter to the last, reinforcing engagement and learning continuity.
“Give this event its right,” Dr Juma said. “It’s the content that matters – and this content opens doors.”
Dr Juma said the creative concept is set to be reflected in new editions of core subjects, with educationalists already under instruction to develop the curriculum.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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