For most people, gaming starts as a hobby an escape from the day-to-day hustle of life. For those who had access to the handheld and computer-based games, they have grown up with games always at hand.
Over the years, gaming has grown from a niche pastime to a booming global industry, and Kenya is quickly catching up.
Evans Kiragu and James Ahere started gaming at a young age, but their interests went beyond playing to knowing how the games were created and shared with avid gamers.
“From way back, I used to play games on what we called a brick game. So after that, I got into playing PS 1, PS 2 and I think what drew me into video games was not just the fun of it, but my technical mind was trying to figure out, how can I also create a game?” said Evans.
Over time, Evans came to learn that when you create a game, it’s more of a world that you’re immersing players in.
In James case, he was intrigued by the storytelling element of gaming while his twin brother was more interested in gaming.
“If you look at the most famous games, like God of War, Greek mythology, I always wanted to showcase, you know, African expression through a game, its interactivity,” said James.
Evans went on to found Mekan Games while James is the co-founder of Weza Interactive Entertainment.
“To venture into game development, you need programming skills, and then game design. The visual part of the game through either 2D or 3D animation is also key,” said James.
With the evolution of technology, gaming development and gaming has also evolved into something bigger.
“As technology has gotten better, we’ve seen the 3D environments, worlds that players can interact with. Currently, we are talking about user generated content. Some of the biggest games out there are fun not because the developers made the game to be fun, but because the content created by the players themselves is something that’s enjoyed all over the world,” said Evans.
The key driver in this evolution is access to the internet and access to 5G to allow you to connect with the rest of the world.
Watch the video below to learn more about what you need to get into the gaming business.
