Reine Abbas
{{short description|Lebanese video game designer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
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| years_active = 2003–present
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Reine Abbas is a Lebanese video game designer and artist who is one of the first female game designers in the Middle East. Abbas co-founded Wixel Studios in 2008, one of the first independent game studios in Lebanon.
Biography
In 2000, Abbas earned her Master's degree in Visual Arts from the University of Balamand.{{cite book |title=Women in Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play |publisher=DK Publishing |last=Marie |first=Meagen |date=4 December 2018 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0ad2DwAAQBAJ&dq=%22reine+abbas%22&pg=PA160 |page=160 |isbn=9780744019933 |access-date=28 January 2025}}{{Cite news |title=This Lebanese Woman Is One of the World's Most Powerful Women In The Region |url=https://www.the961.com/this-lebanese-woman-is-one-of-the-worlds-most-powerful-arab-women/ |last=Salman |first=Ranim |publisher=The961.com |date=16 September 2019 |access-date=27 January 2025 |language=en}} From 2002 through 2008, Abbas attended the DigiPen Institute of Technology, located in Redmond, Washington.{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Video Games: The Culture, Technology, and Art of Gaming |publisher=ABC-CLIO |editor-last=Wolf |editor-first=Mark J.P. |date=24 May 2021 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=URjOEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22reine+abbas%22&pg=PA1 |page=1 |isbn=9781440870200 |access-date=29 January 2025}} She later established the art department at DigiPen in Lebanon, serving as the department head over a period of 6 years.
In 2008, Abbas co-founded Wixel Studios, the first independent game studio in Lebanon.{{Cite web |title=Founder's Journey: Reine Abbas |url=https://www.arabnet.me/english/editorials/entrepreneurship/founders-journey-reine-abbas |last=Elias |first=Monica |website=ArabNet.me |date=19 December 2018 |access-date=29 January 2025 |language=en}}{{Cite web|title=These Five Women Are Destroying Gender Stereotypes In The Gaming World |url=https://www.girltalkhq.com/these-5-women-are-destroying-gender-stereotypes-in-the-gaming-world/ |website=GirlTalkHQ.com.me |date=28 March 2016 |access-date=31 January 2025 |author1=Girltalkhq }} The name "Wixel" was chosen as it stands for "weird pixel" in recognition of being the only game studio in the region at the time. The studio's first released game was Douma, where the player controlled government leaders as puppets, and was considered a "political football" at the time.{{Cite news |title=Lebanon's Wixel Studios expands from Middle East drama to games that fight kids' cancer |url=https://venturebeat.com/games/lebanons-wixel-studios-expands-from-middle-east-drama-to-games-that-fight-kids-cancer/ |last=Takahashi |first=Dean |publisher=VentureBeat |date=29 April 2015 |access-date=27 January 2025 |language=en}} Abbas took inspiration after witnessing political violence in Lebanon.{{Cite web |title="We can change children from consumers to producers and young entrepreneurs" |url=https://theirworld.org/news/international-womens-day-reine-abbas-inspiring-women-series/ |website=TheirWorld.org |date=8 March 2017 |access-date=31 January 2025 |language=en}}
Abbas is a co-founder and CEO of SPICAtech, a school that teaches young people skills needed to design and produce video games. Originating out of a request from her 4-year-old son to learn how to create a video game, Abbas was motivated by the popularity of digital games within the MENA region. One of the academy's goals is to encourage designers to create original video games rather than Arabizing existing games. Abbas also teaches a course on Game Design and Development at Lebanese University{{Cite magazine |title=Bolstering Lebanon's game development: Translating passion into a career |url=https://www.executive-magazine.com/entrepreneurship/bolstering-lebanons-game-development |magazine=Executive |date=27 April 2017 |access-date=27 January 2025 |language=en}}
Abbas regularly gives talks at workshops and conferences, and advocates for women to join the video game industry.{{Cite news |title=Gamer, mother, advocate: Meet the woman taking the tech industry by storm |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/special-reports/international-womens-day/profiles/2015/03/07/Gamer-mother-advocate-Meet-the-woman-taking-the-tech-industry-by-storm |publisher=Al Arabiya|date=7 March 2015 |access-date=31 January 2025 |language=en}} Abbas serves as associate professor at Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA) and Lebanese American University (LAU). She is also an instructor of Game Design at (LAU and the Lebanese University (LU).{{Cite web |last=Network |first=Digital Arabia |title=Digtial Arabia Network {{!}} Digital Arabia Network |url=https://digitalarabia.network/success-stories/reine-abbas |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Digtial Arabia Network |language=en}}
Awards and honors
- In 2010, Abbas won the "Innovation in ICT" Award, presented by the Women in Information Technology
- In 2011, Abbas was a speaker at TEDx Beirut
- In 2013, Abbas was recognized as one of the "5 most powerful women in gaming" by Inc. magazine{{Cite web |title=Lebanese entrepreneur named one of the five most powerful women in gaming |url=https://www.wamda.com/2013/05/lebanese-entrepreneur-named-one-of-the-five-most-powerful-women-in-gaming |last=Dalakian |first=Glen |website=wamda.com |date=21 May 2013 |access-date=27 January 2025 |language=en}}
- In 2019, Abbas was a finalist for the Cartier Women's Initiative which recognizes women entrepreneurs{{Cite web |title=Here are the 21 finalists of the Cartier Women's Initiative 2019 |url=https://www.prestigeonline.com/my/people/here-are-the-21-finalists-of-the-cartier-womens-initiative-2019/ |last=Michael |first=Maya |website=PrestigeOnline.com |date=7 March 2019 |access-date=31 January 2025 |language=en}}
- In 2019, Abbas was featured in Forbes
Abbas was selected as one of the World's 100 Most Powerful Arab Women two years in a row by Arabian Business.{{Cite web |title="I'm not only an entrepreneur, I'm an activist." Reine Abbas talks games and education in Lebanon |url=https://www.pocketgamer.biz/im-not-only-an-entrepreneur-im-an-activist-reine-abbas-talks-games-and-education-in-lebanon/ |last=Bradley |first=Dave |website=Pocket Gamer |date=21 October 2022 |access-date=27 January 2025 |language=en}}
See also
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbas, Reine}}
Category:Lebanese women artists
Category:University of Balamand alumni
Category:Video game businesspeople
Category:Women video game designers