Introduction
Games have had a major impact on all throughout the world. From arcades to computers to consoles, game development brought an era of developers into the development world and has been capitalised on by aspiring programmers throughout. While this has been the case in most parts of the world, in Africa, there is little to no movement in game development despite a large number of technological aspirations. Growing up, I encountered various games on different platforms, from arcade to computer and console games. This led to a curiosity about how such programs are developed.
Exploration and Obstacles
Unfortunately, game development is not taught in most places in Africa, as we have no people with knowledge about it, and even educational institutions do not teach about it ( speaking for the experience in Tanzania), hence relying on self-learning. With my mind set on learning more about game development, I soon discovered how little I knew about game development, and sadly, there was no reliable source to learn about game development, as the only market for games in Tanzania is only a finished developed game, but no actual learning institution offered a study path towards game development. After a quick dive into game development, I learned that a game engine is required to help develop games. Most game engines are developed in C++, and as a PHP- and Java-based developer, I initially believed I could never develop a game. Fortunately, after extensive exposure from good research I found it doesn’t require C++ (well technically it does) to develop all kinds of games as there are simple games like snake, dice roller and number guess to develop without requiring a game engine and using all other different languages but it is important to note that, "A game engine will be required to assist in developing the games. Mostly, game engines are developed with C++, though you are not required to develop a game engine really, as you can use existing engines that use other programming languages, like C# for Unity, GDScript (which is inspired by Python) for Godot, and Lua (which is a very simple language) for Love2D.
Still, this requires one to do self-reliance studies, as despite offering computer science and other IT field studies, no learning institution offers game development teachings; there are no hubs or camps that offer such knowledge; furthermore, the gaming industry is still being viewed as entertainment more than a scalable industry. This leads to stagnation, as there is no market opportunity for a well-seasoned game developer; even when they have all the right knowledge, they lack a place to apply it. This leads to most of the developers looking for areas where their skills are valued in Western, European, and Eastern countries, further increasing the stagnation of games developed in African countries ( Speaking for the Tanzania case).
Not wanting to be limited to one country's experience while claiming to generally speak for Africa, I reached out to a well-seasoned developer from Egypt to get his view of game development in other countries from a proper perspective. Egypt is one of the few countries ( along with South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria) in Africa that has taken a step further in game development. They have various indie game studios such as Instinct Games, Rumbling Games Studios, Mad Hook, and others. Furthermore, some learning institutions in Egypt also offer more in their teaching, including various game development concepts, which gives a good foundation for one to engage in game development. Most notable is a program run by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology called ITI that has a 9-month game development track, making this the best place to learn game development in Egypt. While this has been a good step towards creating a good foundation for the game industry, multiple challenges still hold the industry back in reaching its full potential, such as a lack of seasoned senior developers who can train and bring up aspiring junior developers. The industry also demands major investments as it not only focuses on developers, but also needs designers, animators, artists, writers, a marketing team, and many more, making it a heavily invested industry with products that take time to be developed. Well-established game industries in other countries also hinder progress by attracting aspiring and seasoned developers to them, leaving the gap unfilled, hence driving the game industry further back. Most nations' infrastructure also hinders the industry's growth as it is still seen as a form of short-term entertainment and not something to be considered for a business venture, while it offers so much more in its artistic side by utilising its interactive storytelling, offering opportunities to actors and writers, and many more people of different fields other than developers.
Conclusion
Game development is still facing various obstacles in Africa generally, but that has not stopped various nations from trying and pushing back the presented obstacles. South Africa and Egypt are on top of their game ( literally). South Africa, through its stronger infrastructure, experienced studios, good animation talent, and proper equipment, has led to the development of various respected indie titles. Kenya, Morocco, Tunisia, and Nigeria are on the rise as well and claim their positions as the future of gaming development in Africa with their focus on technology advancements, game development camps, social impact, and educational games. Special thanks to Amr Abdalla ( the seasoned developer) for taking some of his time to grant me a good session to understand more about game development.
