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Game Development In the Heart of Africa
Peace Corps Online writes "The Internet has been credited with 'flattening' the world economy, giving anyone anywhere with the requisite skills the opportunity to build a game or create an app on Facebook. Now the Mercury News reports on a new game for the iPhone called iWarrior. It was produced by two 26-year-old developers in Africa, Eyram Tawiah (a Ghanaian) and Wesley Kirinya (a Kenyan), who created every element of their game — the mechanics, the graphics, the music — overcoming considerable obstacles to develop their first product. The game is 'a feed 'em up game, not a shoot 'em up,' says Tawiah, where you 'defend your village by feeding and driving away the animals before they crash it and feed on your livestock and garden!' with threats including thundering elephants, mighty rhinos, swift cheetahs, and crafty hyenas. The developers' company, Leti, which means 'star' in the Ewe language, was nurtured by the philanthropic arm of San Francisco-based Meltwater Group, an Internet business services company, which in 2008 founded the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology in Accra, Ghana. 'We believe talent is everywhere,' says the Meltwater founder and CEO."
"The game is 'a feed 'em up game, not a shoot 'em up' says Tawiah where you 'defend your village by feeding and driving away the animals before they crash it and feed on your livestock and garden!'"
Gotta call BS on this one. The gameplay is fundamentally the same as Galaga or Centipede; hostile stuff comes down the screen and you shoot it. On some levels here the backstory is "throw stones to frighten", on others it's "throw hay to distract", but the mechanics are identical. It's a shoot-em-up.
We know where leadership by an anti-intellectual "strongman" who scapegoats minorities and likes boisterous rallies goes
Another great indie game from countries with a lot less standard living costs is Mount&Blade from a Turkish developer and his wife. I love open sandbox games and had a lot of fun playing it back in 2008, and it seems like they have now published a multiplayer expansion pack. The great thing for the developers in these countries is that they can make significantly more than with an usual job in the country, and it's easier to fund their life as an independent game developer. It doesn't work the same way for those in the US or other countries where living costs are a lot higher.
Do people really think Africa is only peopled by savage tribesmen running around with grass skirts and spears? They have cities with computers and nearly everyone has a cell phone (copper landlines tend to get stolen).
Africa's problem over the last several decades has been loss of intellectual and managerial power in the transition from white colonial rule to self-rule. The continent had a fair bit of light industry and a decent agricultural industry but those have largely failed due to the previous white owners either fleeing or being thrown out*. As the Soviets showed in the 20's and 30's you can't just kick out upper management and expect the shop floor worker to do as good a job. African countries needs non-corrupt leadership and properly trained upper and middle managers to create self-sustaining economies based on agriculture and light and heavy industry. Not fickle industries like tourism or app development. The latter produces money but the former produces wealth.
Training thousands of Africans in western management styles would help them more than all the food and monetary aid we currently give them.
It is a a travesty that African countries are leasing huge swathes of land for foreign countries to farm, and sells mineral rights to foreign corporations to plunder and pollute.
* Which is why Zimbabwe is a joke and South Africa is teetering on the precipice.
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CINC, 4th Penguin Legion
The US may no longer be the land of opportunity, but it has been the source of a lot of opportunity. Don't get me wrong, the US has not been the lone source of innovation in the world. But for everything bad associated with "free market" ideology, off-shoring, tax shelters, etc., there is an American notion of freedom underlying internationalization. There have been moments of backlash, greed, and economic setbacks, but in general, the US has championed economic development and cooperation.
It's not always pretty or altruistic, but give people a foothold in the global economy and their quality of life, rights, and social mobility improve. Improvement has been slow in China and Russia, but there has been positive change. Africa doesn't need military intervention, charities, documentaries, whatever... they need sustainable industries. Foreign companies strip mining or pumping oil will never foster a middle class, technology, manufacturing, or research will.
I represent CEO John Mundabi. Our software firm was just taken over by rebels. We had were preparing the gold master of Duke Nukem Forever to be shipped only moments before half of our team was brutally slaughtered. The rebels are holding our building and assets hostage, however for a small fee of just $5000 (five thousand) US dollars, they've agreed to allow us access to some of the equipment for a short period of time. If we secure access to this disc we would be able to release it. We expect revenues in excess of $40,000,000 (forty million) and would be willing to offer you $2,000,000 (two million) for your help. I think the color of one's skin and the distance do not matter, we can all help one another.
with god
Celia Rundabar
Please read Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine" before continuing your praise of the US championing 'economic development and cooperation.'
ONE IS CORRECT? My god, I didn't think racism like that survived in this day and age.
If you can't see that both statements are racist, then there really is no hope for you.
Plenty of blacks who can't dance but do hold a steady job. And plenty of whites who can dance, but ain't got a job.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.