Spin Voyage: Oman's First and Only Female Gaming Center

Located in Al Sib, Spin Voyage dubs itself as the only gaming and entertainment center for girls in the country. Ever since 2021, it has hosted multiple entertainment and gaming events to highlight local talents. The catch is? It was not created by a gamer..

Owner and founder Saba Al Sinani laughed out loud when I expressed my shock after she disclosed that she wasn’t into gaming when she first founded Spin Voyage.

“I was not a gamer at the time -I opened a gaming center without playing video games myself ” confessed Al Sinani. Instead, she was inspired by a frustrated friend.

“One of my friends, who is a female gamer, asked why don’t we have a place where we can all meet and play.”

Gaming centers are very common in the country, however, Saba explained that girls do not feel often feel comfortable in them.

”Gaming centers are mixed, usually have more boys than girls. Those centers are not as neat and comfortable.. rarely do girls go” she elaborated.

“When my friend asked the question, it hit me!”

Immediately after, Saba, an International Business and Service Management student at the German University of Technology at the time started working on the idea.

Fast forward to 2022, and Spin Voyage has become a hot spot for girls and women to come together.

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Challenges

However, the beginning was not easy. The young entrepreneur faced a set of challenges in her journey. One of which was opening the business right before the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Saba recalls preparing for the grand opening in March of 2020.

“ We opened on March 9th of 2020. In six days we closed the center. It was a slap to the face as a young entrepreneur.”

Al Sinani shared that during those six months she thought the business, like many businesses at the time, was going to be shut down. However, she persisted.

“ We had to give it a chance.”

In fact, she credits that time as the reason why she rediscovered her love for gaming.

“ I was a gamer when I was younger, specifically in middle school but then I stopped.”

“ Even when I opened the center I never used anything in the center.”

However, with everything shut down she found herself spending time playing video games.

Another challenge Al Sinani faced, was introducing the original concept of the center.

The Spin part of the name, referred to a service the center used to offer: virtual reality spinning classes.

" I am fitness coach, and I wanted to include something that was related to me" explained Saba.

In fact, before starting the center, Al Sinani, who became a certified fitness trainer at 17, worked in the fitness industry for four years. However, she quickly realized that customers did not too keen on feeling sore after attending the virtual reality spinning classes. Coincidentally, at the same time a few customers expressed interest in a private karaoke room, so she decided to switch the spinning room to a private karaoke box.

"Sometimes we have to give up on something, to allow something else to be successful."

Al Sinani's advice for young female entrepreneurs ? "Be unstoppable. If you have an idea plan it , work it and make it happen!"

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Community

The center today offers a wide variety of gaming and entertainment options. Gaming consoles, board games, playing cards, a movie room, and a karaoke room to mention the least. The center, however, views itself as a community hub rather than just an entertainment center.

“We really wanted to support all Omani talents, whether they are artists, musicians, gamers, or singers.”

The center has hosted a couple of live musical events, in addition to a couple of friendly e-sport tournaments. However, Saba believes that there is still a stigma surrounding female gamers in the community.

“In Oman, there are no known female gamers, they exist, however they are not known.”

She believes the stigma stems from outdated stereotypes that video games are only for guys.

However, Al Sinani is a huge believer in the capacities of local female gamers and hopes that the center can provide that type of support to them.

You can learn more about Spin Voyage through their Instagram page or by contacting 98235483.