About ten game design studios created the Pan Africa Gaming Group (PAGG), which comes to be a milestone with more than a hundred games "Made in Africa” and with the plan to put Africa on the map of the global gamming industry, which in 2021 was worth more than 300 billion USD, according to a study by the consultancy Accenture, informs the newspaper Expansion newspaper.
The agreement aims to share resources in order to create economic opportunities in the game industry, and since it was launched at the 2022 Africa Games Week, in Cape Town, South Africa, it already integrates studios from 9 countries and in the diaspora.
According to what was revealed to the press, in addition to creating games, PAGG intends to train the new generation of creatives, with incubators in each of the African markets.
"Together, we represent over 200 professionals and 8 languages. Our team has over 30 years of experience leading some of the world's biggest gaming companies including Ubisoft, Electronic Arts & Aardman Animation“, said Dawit Abraham, CEO of Qene Games, from Ethiopia, and spokesperson for PAGG, adding that all members of the network are committed to #GammingForGood.
The background is also to harness the power of games, so as to “create a positive social impact” in their communities.
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All African regions are represented in this network led by East African studios: DopeApps (Rwanda), Qene Games (Ethiopia), Khanga Rue (Tanzania) and Usiku Games (Kenya). West Africa follows, with three companies: Leti Arts (Ghana), Kayfo Games (Senegal) and Kiro”o Games (Cameroon). Southern Africa has one representative (Sea Monster, from South Africa) and North Africa another (Digital Mania, from Tunisia). Messeka Games represents the African diaspora.
PAGG is already developing and publishing local content for African players, bearing in mind that, despite the huge market, “there is still very little content” Made in Africa, as stated by Jake Manion, one of the group's creatives.
Pan Africa Gaming Group is creating a portfolio of games that “are fun, non-violent and gender-inclusive“, as well as presenting African heroes related to local culture, music and environments. 🇧🇷This allows our players to see themselves reflected in our games, which makes all the difference.,” adds Manion.
The network also wants to harness the power of gaming to solve some of the “challenges on the continent, including healthcare, education, women's empowerment, and climate change” and brings together two African game stores, Gara and AfroXomix, on the largest African platform for electronic publications. Through these, PAGG "will have a channel to distribute its games linked to dozens of payment platforms in Africa, including mobile money and credit cards”.
