For many of us, the gaming industry brings to mind images of masculinity and whiteness. What we have been accustomed to seeing in mainstream video games are individuals or collectives of guys coming together to make video games they are confident would be interesting and entertaining for their consumers. In the earliest days of the gaming industry, the average game makers and gamers were white men in their late 20s to mid-30s. Even with the pervasiveness of technology across all aspects of life in recent history and with the gaming industry drawing more diverse people in, the demographic is still largely male and white both on the development and the market sides.
Three Black women have risen to the occasion; making their mark in the gaming industry of South Africa and hoping to close the gaps of marginalisation. Avuzwa Ntshongwana, Nompumelelo Nkateko Kubayi, and Tenyeko Paula Mosikili are the founders of Southgame Studio, an indie gaming studio that not only specialises in the creation of 2D and 3D games but also provides services in animation and web development. Each bring their own skills and software capacities to the Southgame table, in terms of development, programming, and architecture. Southgame Studio is about making relatable games that stay true to the first-hand experiences of womanhood on African soil, something that is rare in the mainstream market.
We caught up with Avuzwa Ntshongwana, to share with IQOQO readers about their experience establishing the gaming studio, building the 3D game Sizwe: Iqhawekazi (which is isiZulu for “Nation: Heroine), being part of the industry’s landscape, dealing with the underlying factors of the skewed demographics and other challenges.
Mamelodi Marakalala: What’s your story – from how you got into gaming, to meeting with your co-founders and deciding to establish your own independent gaming studio?
Avuzwa Ntshongwana: I am a self-taught software engineer and game developer. I got into gaming by participating in the ITTHYNK Training Academy. The academy’s goal was to teach the fundamentals of gaming and game engines, and this is where I met my teammates, Nompumelelo and Tenyeko. We had never met each other in person because it was in 2021 and everything was still online. Later in that year, the girls and I entered a Game Hackathon hosted at The Fak’ugesi Festival. It was only then that, for the very first time, we met in person, which is crazy now that I think about it. We won the game that year, coming in third place. Little did we know that being the winners of The Fakugesi Game Hackathon came with being incubated for nine months to continue producing our prototype. That is when Southgame Studio was born.
Mamelodi Marakalala: How’s Southgame’s story going? I know you made a 3D game called Sizwe (the short title), which won third place in Telkom’s Future Makers at the Fak’ugesi Festival and second place at Games For Change Africa’s Game Design Sprint, so I was wondering if the three of you are in the gaming pipeline and are there other gaming projects that you have made or concepts in the works?
Avuzwa Ntshongwana: Through the incubation, we received seed funding from the Tshimologong Game Hub and Telkom, which helped produce Sizwe. Sizwe is a game that represents our South African culture. We soon faced the realities of running a game studio in South Africa so we had to pause this game due to a lack of resources for producing it and the hurdles we faced in securing additional funding. We learned about the game industry. It’s very costly to produce a game, but also there is a potential revenue that gaming can generate.
Currently, we are building a prototype of a 3D mobile game, TAOH, aimed at educating people about period poverty in Africa and around the world, while keeping the game hyper-casual. Our studio centres itself on creating games around women’s journeys, both good and bad. Through TAOH, we got accepted to be part of the Pro Helvetia programme called She Got Game. Sizwe is playable, and we are hoping TAOH will be playable in November this year.
Mamelodi Marakalala: When I was going through your website, I came across a line that says that you guys are “putting your heart and soul” into gaming, which I thought was very impactful and it sounded like a healthy balance between creativity and the business of gaming. How do you still manage to be an entrepreneur and still retain this type of value in your work?
Avuzwa Ntshongwana: Honestly speaking, I have run a mini coffee shop before and nothing comes close to the hurdles and the things I am learning in the gaming industry. I think I have managed to centre myself around spaces that still talk about the practice and anything that has to do with game development. This always helps me remember that I also run a game studio.
I work at the Fak’ugesi Festival and my salary helps keep the studio running. Unfortunately, we have not reached a point where our games can sustain the studio. This has been a blessing in keeping up with what’s going on in the industry. I work with an awesome team that knows I am a game developer first and always reminds me and holds me accountable in that regard. What we mean by “heart and soul” in our gaming is that every game idea and every game we’ve created is a game jam we’ve participated in, and has always been a story that either me, Nompumelelo, or Tenyeko has experienced. We always try to infuse that touch of soul into the games we create.
Mamelodi Marakalala: What are your perspectives on gaming in South Africa and Africa, as a game developer yourself? I can imagine there are challenges but also with the added layers of being a woman and a Black woman, at that, trying to tilt the old look of and narratives around game makers. What can you say to other Black girls and young women aspiring for this career, as honest advice or maybe a warning (wink wink)?
Avuzwa Ntshongwana: The gaming industry in South Africa is slowly growing, but there are still a lot of hurdles to overcome. The lack of resources and funding makes it challenging for game studios to have enough time, money, and resources to produce a game that can generate profit while keeping the studio profitable. We still need to find ways to address these issues.
As for young Black women wanting to enter the industry, here’s my advice: Make sure your game is not just a passion project, but one that can also generate income. Building a solid business case is important. Understanding how to make money in the gaming industry is even more crucial before considering game design and mechanics. At least, that’s what I’ve learned.
Find out more about Southgame Studio and follow their progress at https://southgame-studio-pty-ltd.webflow.io/
