- The Microsoft African Transformation Office is launching two-day skill camps for African game developers in Cairo, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Lagos.
- Developers will be able to take advantage of training initiatives either online or in person from the 15th to 16th July 2023, and even pitch game ideas to Xbox.
- To participate, you must be living in an African country, be of legal age, and be working or studying full-time in a game development-adjacent field.
Applications are now open for the Xbox Game Studios Game Camp Africa, a two-day conference providing learning opportunities to game developers across the continent.
Xbox personnel and external programme partners will facilitate workshops on various game development topics throughout the training. The two full days are themed “The Journey of a Game” and will offer multiple perspectives on the craft of game development.
The conference is being held through Microsoft’s Africa Transformation Office (ATO), and will run from 15th to 16th July 2023.
According to a press statement sent to Hypertext, the Xbox Game Camp unifies various Xbox initiatives in Africa under one umbrella where talent is celebrated, and game developers are empowered and upskilled.
In addition, there will be significant online learning components to the camp, which will allow participants to engage with focused training modules on topics that align closely with their skills and interests, before and after the event.
The camp will be held across four African cities, namely Cairo, Johannesburg, Lagos and Nairobi. Each city will host a two-day event where attendees can take advantage of presentations, panels, and workshops.
Camps will also offer viewing parties, on-site panel sessions and opportunities to meet with Microsoft and Xbox personnel. Furthermore, Microsoft says that teams or individuals with games to pitch are encouraged to do so.
To participate, either online on Microsoft Teams or in person, individuals must be of legal age, reside in any country on the African continent and be studying or working part or full-time in the field of software development, visual arts, 3D, music and audio, web design, narrative design, or professional project management.
“Now in its second year and 5th event, the Xbox Game Studios Game Camp programme aims to empower creators across the world to realise their potential in the gaming industry through unique learning experiences from industry leaders,” reads the statement from Microsoft.
“Through the inaugural Xbox Game Studios Camp Africa, in collaboration with Microsoft’s Africa Transformation Office, we have an opportunity to continue to deepen our relationships with talented developers in the region and help African games studios realise their vision and role in the global gaming industry,” said Phil Spencer, CEO, Gaming at Microsoft.
“At Microsoft, we are excited to enable African game developers and creators to build faster through access to tools and resources, and to help their games be discovered by players in Africa and around the world. We want to grow strong roots in this significant market for gaming and game development,” said Wael Elkabbany, Strategic Initiatives lead for Microsoft CEMA.
“The ATO and Xbox personnel will also combine efforts to identify game studios to invest in through our Startups acceleration programme and venture capital investment partners. I’m looking forward to seeing what innovative concepts this Game Camp produces,” Elkabbany added.
The State of the African Games Industry 2022 finds that South Africa has the highest saturation of gamers, with 24 million people playing across platforms within a population of 59 million (40 percent). In Ghana, 27 percent of people play games, with 23 percent in Nigeria, 22 percent in Kenya, and 13 percent in Ethiopia.
South Africa’s own game development field is still growing, despite the many challenges faced by developers. Small Cape Town-based studio The Brotherhood recently announced that its horror game STASIS: BONE TOTEM will be launching worldwide by the end of the month.
For more information, or for more participation requirements, click here.
[Image – Provided]
