[imagesource: Craig Kolesky / Red Bull Content Pool]

E-sports is booming in South Africa, shifting from just a lekker pastime to a legit career path for many of the country’s young gamers.

Since the first Telkom VS Gaming Masters in 2016, the country’s e-sports scene has significantly developed. The event, beginning as a small community of gaming enthusiasts, has transformed into a robust competitive arena, with players competing at both the national and international levels.

As the first Gaming Olympics is set to take place in Saudi Arabia next year, excitement is building, Newsflare notes. Even parents who were initially sceptical are now wholeheartedly supporting their children’s aspirations in gaming, like Naledi Sempe, whose 14-year-old son is a passionate gamer, hopes her son can break into the competitive leagues.

The number of gamers in sub-Saharan Africa shot up big time, from 77 million in 2015 to a massive 186 million in 2021. That’s nearly triple the number of players in just a few years, according to a report by Newzoo and Mzansi’s own gaming platform, Carry1st. The study shows that this growth has largely been driven by the rapid adoption of mobile gaming, with 95% of gamers in the region playing on a smartphone or tablet, as opposed to consoles and personal computers, per Africa Business.

“Africa is the future of gaming. Thanks to the massive influx of people coming online and a young and dynamic population, gaming in Africa is exploding,” says Carry1st CEO and co-founder, Cordel Robbin-Coker.

“Crucially, this applies not only to people playing games, but also those willing to pay as well”

Newzoo’s projections indicate that gaming revenue in Africa will surpass $1 billion for the first time ever this year, underscoring Robbin-Coker’s observation that willingness to pay for games is steadily improving across the continent.

In terms of the leading videogame markets on the continent, the study shows that Nigeria became the top videogaming market in Africa in 2022, overtaking South Africa by a small margin. Nigeria raked in $249 million from gaming activities, while South Africa earned $236 million.

Still, South African gamers are making huge inroads in the industry, which is small but totally thriving.

Studio manager at 24 Bit Games Nicolina Visentin-E’Silva, proudly waves at the “wall of fame” at the company’s offices, which displays titles the team has worked on, like the locally-flavoured Broforce and Cocoon, which was nominated for four Bafta Games Awards in 2023, per BBC.

“Since I’ve been here, I have definitely felt an increase in all things games.”

That growth has been noticed overseas even, with 24 Bit Games being bought by Californian game publisher, Annapurna Interactive. Part of the success comes down to the increased availability of junior level staff, who are being trained up by more university courses.

Plus, according to Ms Visentin-E’Silva, “South Africans are just a different bunch,” she says with a laugh. “We’ve always been adaptable. We are going to get the job done one way or another, and we’ll do it professionally.”

Arabella Rogerson, marketing manager at games studio Sea Monster, agrees wholeheartedly. She reckons South African game developers are pretty comfortable making games for both local and international players. Plus, the big drawcard? These developers come at a much more bargain price compared to the rest of the world, making them a real steal in the global gaming scene.

“It’s kind of like all eyes are on Africa as the next frontier of where a lot of creative influence will come for the world, which is an amazing space to be in,” she says.

While still in its infancy, with about 50 studios, according to the South African Cultural Observatory’s review of the industry in September 2022, the only way forward is up.

[sources:newsflare&africabusiness&bbc]