The Global Reach of African Audiences

During Africa Games Week in Cape Town, a panel discussion tackled common misconceptions about the games industry in Africa, focusing on success metrics and the authentic representation of African stories. The panel, hosted by Deborah Mensah-Bonsu, featured Teddy Kossoko of Masseka Games, Hugo Obi of Maliyo Games, and Eyram Tawia of Leti Arts. They addressed the concept of success in Africa, with Tawia emphasizing the importance of impact over financial gain. "Success is relative in Africa," Tawia stated. "Focus on creating a positive impact, and then find ways to sustain it before considering financial returns." Obi shared his evolving definition of success, which has changed as the African games industry grows. He noted that success is no longer just about a small studio with limited revenue, but rather about creating high-quality games with significant revenue and a large team. Kossoko highlighted the vast opportunities in Africa, with 54 countries and 1.4 billion people, 60% of whom are under 18. He defined two aspects of success: generating revenue to stay afloat and sharing African cultures and histories with the world. The panel then discussed audience engagement, with Mensah-Bonsu asking about balancing local and global audiences. Kossoko emphasized the importance of creating authentic African stories without adapting to Western audiences, while Tawia discussed the challenges of reaching African audiences due to diversity, illiteracy, and infrastructure issues. Tawia also noted the impact of global companies like Tencent and the film industry, citing Marvel's Black Panther as an example. He emphasized the need to preserve African culture in games and make it accessible to a global audience. Obi encouraged developers to think about their audience differently, focusing on people they know and creating games that resonate with them. He stressed the importance of proximity to the primary audience and understanding resource constraints. The discussion also touched on myths about African stories, with Mensah-Bonsu asking about the modern African narrative. Tawia highlighted the impact of Afrofuturism and predicted a shift towards more diverse and authentic African stories. In conclusion, Kossoko reiterated his goal of telling African stories through games, which can be a powerful tool for sharing cultures and experiences with the world. He emphasized the importance of finding common ground and spreading African stories globally, with the ultimate goal of people cosplaying African characters.