We create the best gaming experience for children and adults

Behind every great game night, every shared laugh, and every moment of discovery, there’s a simple idea: play brings people together. Our mission is to create spaces where learning, creativity, and connection flourish through the power of modern board games. We believe in community, in curiosity, and in the magic that happens when people gather around a table with a shared sense of wonder. This project was born from that spirit.
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ABOUT THE CREATOR

Kitty B. Uijleman

On weekends, in a quiet villa community in Dubailand, a familiar soundtrack drifts from a renovated garage: dice skittering across tables, laughter spilling out the door, and the low, theatrical accusation that always returns in social deduction games—“You’re the demon.” This is Desert Meeples Board Game Club—a Dubai-based hub for modern tabletop gaming founded by Kitty B. Uijleman, a community builder, media creator, and tabletop game designer. What began four years ago as a simple invitation—come over and I’ll teach you a game—has grown into something structured and lasting: weekly extracurricular board game classes for children of all ages, designed to get kids off screens and confidently playing together around a table. Alongside the classes, Desert Meeples also runs regular weekend events and game nights dedicated to bringing the wider community together through play.

Today, Desert Meeples includes:

  • Weekly tabletop gaming classes for kids (all ages) that teach rules, teamwork, and critical thinking through play
  • Weekend game nights and community events that welcome families, adults, and newcomers
  • A dedicated play space—a renovated garage turned into a warm, organized game room with shelves of modern titles and multiple tables
  • A growing community built around learning-first hospitality: Kitty teaches the rules, guides the first round, and makes it easy for anyone to join in

A mother of two Dutcharatis and a former Emirates cabin crew member, Kitty started Desert Meeples with her own daughters in mind. Classic family titles worked at first, but curiosity led her deeper into modern board games: co-ops, clever party games, and strategy games kids could actually learn and love. Friends’ children became classmates, classmates became neighbors, and casual playdates became regular sessions—until the club outgrew the living room and moved into a dedicated playroom space.

Desert Meeples is also home to Desert Meeples Magazine—described as the first bilingual (Arabic and English) tabletop gaming magazine in the Middle East—created to connect the community across the UAE and the wider region year-round by spotlighting local players, creators, and stories, while helping new gamers discover the hobby.

Beyond community-building and publishing, Kitty is also the designer of Creepy Ghost—a game that has already captured the hearts of many—bringing the same welcoming, learn-together spirit from Desert Meeples tables into her own game design work.

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