An interesting opportunity is coming to town for aspiring game developers. Two big guns, Animation SA (ASA) and Adanian Labs, are proudly collaborating to host their first game jam at the ASA Incubation Hub at Constitution Hill, Braamfontein, which is the first for South Africa.
Game Jam will run from Friday, 8 to Sunday, 10 April.
ASA is an industry association representing the interests of animation, gaming, and virtual reality professionals. Adanian Labs’ mission is to provide a platform where African tech start-ups can thrive and access all the key resources that allow them to launch and grow sustainably.
Bendon Murgor, Adanian Labs co-founder, says the Game Jam event is the first of its kind to debut in Johannesburg.
“This event is one of a few partnerships we are working on, including hosting an event in Cape Town, and the Game Jam will be an annual event in Joburg and Cape Town. It will also travel around Africa every year,” says Murgor.
This year’s event will host approximately 20 aspiring game developer interns from across Joburg, giving them an opportunity to showcase their ability to design games within the context of gamification.
Game Jam aims to get graduate game developers or individuals interested in game design and development to explore the world of gaming as a career prospect. The event hopes to arm them with “survival skills” to consider outsourcing gamification work whilst they develop their main game or passion.
“It is hoped events such as the Game Jam will encourage graduates and young game developers to consider the prospects of earning a living while working in their dream job as game developers. The event aims to highlight the various career opportunities that exist within the space,” says event organiser, Xolile Vundla of ASA.
During the three-day event, participants will be tasked with creating an educational game using various techniques adopted to create fun ways to engage younger players. Participation in the event will enable aspiring gamers to gather additional information on working in the video game and gamification market, learn where they would like to position themselves in the market, and get support that helps them develop or sharpen the game development skills required for their chosen speciality.
In the process of creating a gamification product, participants will be judged on their ability to balance game design principles with the needs of non-entertainment clients.
Adanian Labs is also committed to growing the gaming ecosystem because it will allow young Africans to build games that will compete globally. Create and inform edutainment.
“The Game Jam is also part of collective efforts to allow African developers to participate in the new digital world of tokenisation, game metaverse, and tech ecosystem,” adds Murgor.
Gaming is hot, and the world game market, a billion-dollar industry, is steadily growing. At the end of 2020, Newzoo, a video game data, analytics, and market research institute, reported that there were 2.69 billion gamers in the world, with an average annual increase of 5.6% year-on-year steady growth. This year’s figures are forecast to reach over 2.81 billion gamers, which will earn the global games market an estimated $189.3 billion.
The five small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMME’s) in the ASA Incubator will each receive four or five interns from this Game Jam, and the event is an opportunity for applicants to demonstrate their level of skills. It will be used as a final assessment before placement in the internship programme.
Written by Brümilda Swaartbooi
07/04/2022