If there's a Saudi Arabian woman leaving an impact on indie game development, as well as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, it has Noor Alkhadra. She is the founder and CEO of London-based WeGeek, and co-founder of Robonetica. As an innovative entrepreneur, she is also quite passionate in coding and hosting events. In addition, she runs her own YouTube channel dedicated to game reviews and walkthroughs.
Currently working and living in London, the United Kingdom, Alkhadra primarily has a career in gaming. In fact, what pushed her towards pursuing a career in game development was her fond memory with her elder brother, who was an advent game collector. Through him, the two siblings would game together, and the hobby would only become more influential on Alkhadra as her brother traveled abroad for his studies.
Growing up, in fact, Alkhadra would pursue a BFA in 3D modeling and game design at Academy of Art University, the same degree earlier pursued by her brother. With her new knowledge in art design, in 2016, she would go on to launch her start-up company, WeGeek, in London. As a pioneer in revolutionizing offline gaming, the company prides itself in hosting over 20 social events, including Twitch streaming of eSport events featuring titles such as "Tekken 7" and "Overwatch." In addition, WeGeek also works on analyzing data that can ensure the success of both marketing and customer satisfaction strategies.
In 2018, Alkhadra began working for Roborace as partnerships manager. The company is known for producing the first autonomous car racing vehicle. In that same year, Alkhadra co-founded Robonetica, which is an AI and robotics platform that anyone can access through Supergames and hyper-real virtual reality (VI) events.
When she isn't coding or hosting events, Alkhadra also runs her own YouTube gaming channel, “Nour Torious Gamer,” making her one of a handful of Saudi women to delve into game reviews. Like many YouTubers, she reviews popular video games of the current generation, as well as featuring walkthroughs and making top lists.
Looking back, Alkhadra admitted that, as a woman in the industry, her accomplishments were no mere feat.
“I’ve always loved video games, being in the gaming industry for over seven years in multiple disciplines from business to entertainment. But, being a woman in the video game development industry was very uncommon, even in the US,” she said in a quote by Arab News.
“Initially, I did feel like I had to work three times harder to prove myself. Then, I stopped caring about proving myself and let my work speak for itself. Even on YouTube, I refuse to be called a girl gamer, I’m just a gamer.”
