Thamer, aka “Xzit”, is a local and international celebrity. With more than nine million followers around the world, the gamer and YouTuber has garnered legions of fans thanks to his irreverent commentary while playing GTA San Andreas.
An uncanny resemblance between him and the main character has certainly helped. But Thamer has bigger ambitions – and is set on encouraging investors in the kingdom to support the field of gaming, to allow a generation to turn play into a career.
First, he wants to see an increase in e-sports clubs – “this is what I’m currently working on”.
But everyone has to start somewhere. Thamer’s somewhere? Super Mario…
1 Super Mario World (1990)
A surprising pick for a man whose reputation has been built on one of the world’s more violent games? Sure, but what gamer didn’t come up with Super Mario?
Each outing of the franchise is packed with adventures full of colour and catchy music and, with World, a rescue mission.
In Thamer’s opinion, Super Mario World on the Nintendo is “the ultimate game” due
to its attention to detail, from its graphics to tunes. “This is the one that made me love games.”
2 Mortal Kombat 2 (1993)
The world-famous Mortal Kombat is a martial art fighting game with well-known characters and fatal finishing moves.
“Today, I am a fan of fighting games, and that’s all because of this game,”
he says.
“The excitement, competition, and finishing moves of Mortal Kombat are unparalleled. I still play it to this day, it’s one of my favourite games.”
3 Twisted Metal (1996)
Drive into hi-tech heavy metal combat with Sony’s Twisted Metal, where you can choose from a variety of armed and dangerous demolition derby-style racers to see if you can survive the insane battle rides that follow. “This game is the reason I love multiplayer games. I used to play this with my brother Aboud and we used to finish one part then move to the next,” he says, noting this game taught him how to be a team player and share victories.
4 Armored Core (1997)
Join this action game where you’re part of Raven Squadron, an elite group of mercenaries whose main weapons are gigantic humanoid mechs called Cores.
“This game changed my life and helped me develop language skills.
“At the time, I was young and English was a foreign language. I had a dictionary next to me to help me understand the game and it improved my English.”
5 GTA San Andreas (2004)
Thamer’s ticket to enter the gaming world. “I started from 2013 to 2019 and worked on sketches for different games. I was succeeding, but slowly.
“In 2019, one of my followers told me that I looked like the main character in GTA San Andreas. I decided to record a clip about this game and post it on Instagram. Since then my life changed, and I became famous not only in Saudi Arabia but in the world.”
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