Kenyan gaming apps race for global recognition

By Fredrick Obura

At the just concluded World Summit Youth Awards (WSYA) in Montreal Canada, delegates got a rare treat on how a Kenyan developer is influencing environmental change using modern technologies.

During the WSYA award ceremony, Nathan Musyoki, a developer at Afroes Limited was feted for a mobile gaming application aimed at fighting wanton forest destruction.

The initiative selects and promotes best practice in e-content and demonstrates young people’s potential to create outstanding digital content and serves as a platform for people from UN member countries to work together to reach the Millennium Development Goals.

Illegal logging

The mobile game also known as Haki gives a player the opportunity to correct wrongs that threaten to erode gains made in the society.

A player is given the mission to get into one of Kenya’s treasured forest to save trees cut down through illegal logging. According to the game’s rules, a player fights loggers, the more he defeats them the higher the points he earns.

 “The goal is to sensitise people to the fact that forests are precious and they need active participation in maintaining them not just for us but for future generations,” Musyoki says. “As a result, we can lend voice to the efforts geared towards fighting deforestation, progressive desertification, eventually famine and drought.” Since its launch in July, the game which targets the youth has attracted 200,000 downloads with Indonesia leading.

The game is available on Nokia’s Ovi store and android play store.

Mobile gaming industry is increasingly becoming an important revenue stream for developers. Globally, it is estimated to have generated close to $50 billion (Sh4.25 trillion), but this is expected to grow to (Sh7.2 trillion) $85 billion by 2014.

Kenyan developers have been positioning themselves to take a piece of this cake. Recently Planet Rackus, Nairobi-based mobile game development company launched its racing game (Ma3Racer). Ma3Racer is a free-to-play game downloadable from Nokia’s Ovistore, which allows one to test his or her driving skills on the busiest, and roughest Nairobi roads collecting points.

Local content

“Before you start playing the game, you have to choose the kind of matatu you want to drive,” says Mwaura Kirore, Ma3Racer founder. “A gamer’s skills would be tested on how he or she navigates through the city’s roads avoiding various obstacles on the highway to reach a destination,” he explains. Barely two months of its launch of the game, which gives players hands on experience on Nairobi routes attracted over 80,000, downloads.

Jimmy Gitonga, a content developer at Planet Rackus says proliferation of ICT in Kenya and various funds courtesy of World Bank and Kenya ICT Board for local content development could further spur growth in development of various games. The World Bank through Kenya ICT Board has set aside Sh300 million in grants for local content development targeting IT firms and individuals. The project has awarded about Sh208 million to 45 individuals and firms spread in two phases.

 “Three years ago talking about software development was a rumour, we have seen interest from graduates passionate about application development,” he says.

“More incubation centres with infrastructure like Nairobi’s iHub need to be rolled out in all counties to nurture software development among entrepreneurs.” Gitonga called upon the Government to tighten laws that would protect the properties against abuse by third parties.  “We are headed to era where software development would be as precious as land or any other commodity in the country, we need effective judicial system to cushion industry from abuse,” he said.