Microsoft has announced, through its Africa Transformation Office (ATO), that it would be hosting a two-day conference called Xbox Game Studios Game Camp Africa.
The purpose of the conference is to honour and celebrate all game designers from across more than 50 different countries and regions.
The conference will take place on the 15th and 16th of July in 2023, and applications are being accepted as of right now.
As more individuals on the African continent gain access to the internet, the gaming industry is poised to experience meteoric growth across the continent due to the growing interest of the continent’s youth.
303 million people, or about 28 percent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa, are connected to the mobile internet, according to the 2021 GSMA mobile economy report. This number is expected to grow to 474 million by 2025, providing many more opportunities for gaming and local creators to grow and develop in the market.
According to a survey that was commissioned by Newzoo, the number of gamers in Sub-Saharan Africa has more than doubled in the last five years, and it is estimated that this region will be the fastest-growing globally for both mobile gamers and individuals who pay for games. In addition, the number of people who pay for games is expected to rise at the quickest rate in this region.
According to the report “The State of the African Games Industry 2022,” South Africa has the highest saturation of gamers, with 24 million people playing video games out of a total population of 59 million (40 percent). The percentage of the population that participates in gaming is highest in Ghana, at 27%, followed by Nigeria (23%), Kenya (22%), and Ethiopia (13%).
Game Camp is a programme that brings together a number of different Xbox activities under a single roof. It is a place where talent is recognised and game developers are given the opportunity to pursue their ambitions.
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Offers from Game Camp
Game Camp will offer four in-person locations for campers during the two days in Cairo, Johannesburg, Lagos, and Nairobi. While the camp, including lectures, panels, and workshops, is available online for all enrolled campers, Game Camp will host four in-person locations for campers for the two days. These locations will host viewing parties, host on-site panel sessions, and provide opportunities to interact with representatives from Microsoft and Xbox. In addition, groups or individuals who have games they wish to pitch are strongly urged to do so.
The Xbox Game Studios Game Camp initiative is currently in its second year and its fifth event. Its goal is to enable artists all over the world to realise their potential in the gaming industry by providing them with one-of-a-kind learning experiences from industry leaders.
Individuals must be of legal age, reside in any country on the African continent, and be actively studying or working in the field of software development, visual arts, 3D, music and audio, web design, narrative design, or professional project management to be eligible for participation. Visit Xbox.com to get the whole list of requirements for participation.
Remarks from Xbox’s CEO
“At Xbox, we’re on a mission to bring the joy and community of gaming to the world’s 3 billion gamers and we recognise that Africa is home to the largest population of youth in the world, many who love to play. In 2019, I attended the opening of our Africa Development Centre and met with tech leaders, educators, and developers from across the region to understand their vision for the future of game creation,” said Phil Spencer, CEO, Gaming at Microsoft.