In-Game Branding: The New Billboards

As we maneuver through the virtual landscapes of today’s popular games, in-game advertising offers a canvas that our demographic – the digital natives of Africa—engages with far beyond any static billboard. Imagine a bustling digital Lagos where virtual billboards in a soccer game change dynamically to showcase local brands, mirroring the energetic advertising scene of the city. This isn’t a distant dream. Wpromote’s insights reveal a dynamic array of advertising options, and in Africa, this could translate to billboards in a racing game that doubles as checkpoints, creating an interactive experience reflective of our continent’s rhythm and vibrancy.

Advergaming: Brands at the Heart of Play

Advergaming takes brand integration a step further, embedding the brand into the very fabric of the game. This is where creativity meets analytics. Games crafted around the brand, offering an immersive experience that can’t be matched by any other form of advertising. This approach is not new, but its effectiveness is magnified in Africa, where over 500 million internet-connected smartphones—more than the U.S., Canada, and Mexico combined—are potential gaming consoles. Take the spirit of African markets, bustling and full of life, and channel it into a game that not only entertains but educates and embeds your brand into the player’s daily life. It’s about crafting narratives that resonate with the heart of Africa, not just a logo on a screen.

Gamification in the Real World

Africa’s marketing landscape is ripe for the gamification of real-world brand interactions. We’ve seen it in Western markets with McDonald’s Monopoly, but imagine localised versions tapping into the cultural narratives of our continent. Consider airline upgrades being decided not by chance or status, but by a digital game played at the gate. We’ve seen great examples of this already across the continent, like Ooredoo’s 3jeja game, with thousands of consumers running around Tunis to claim virtual prizes.

Source: https://www.tekiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/3jejathegame.jpg

The Benefits of Gaming in Brand Marketing

The benefits of leveraging gaming in branding are clear:

1. Preferred Medium: Gaming is not just a pastime; it’s a culture. By reaching consumers through games, we’re speaking their language.
2. Increased Interaction Time: While a billboard garners seconds of attention, a game offers minutes to hours of deep brand interactions. That’s uninterrupted time spent engaging with the brand, not just passing glances.
3. Active Engagement: In gaming, consumers are participants, not just viewers. This paradigm shift from passive to active engagement is essential in a market where consumers value their sense of agency, and gaming provides that. The consumer feels not like they are being sold to; but rather like they are actively making their own choices, and so while they may both end up in the same place, the brand affinity of the consumer who believes he drove himself there, will always be stronger.
4. Emotional Involvement: The best ads have always been the ones that make the audience FEEL something and where there is a sense of resolution. (eg: the lost Budweiser puppy who finds his way home) In a TVC we have 30 seconds to create that very rare feeling. In gaming we potentially have hours and many emotional levers, to create the players’ sense of joy, frustration, humor, fear, and relief.

An African Context

We must think of this all in the African context, a continent full of young, digital natives who have grown up in a digital landscape dominated by WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok. Our approach to gaming and branding needs to be as mobile as our audience, and as vibrant and diverse as our many cultures, languages, and infrastructure realities. African consumers are not just looking for products. They’re looking for experiences that reflect their identity, where they can see themselves reflected in games’ characters and challenges. Our consumers take deep pride in “Africaness” and our games should empower that.

We’re not just talking about translating global marketing strategies into African markets and languages. We’re discussing the creation of gaming experiences that are born from the heart of Africa, that understand the pulse of its cities, the rhythms of its music, and the spirit of its people. We’re so delighted that Ayoba have chosen to embrace this, by publishing games that are made in Africa, for Africa, to their 30+ million monthly active users. Games like Jam Noma and Okoa Simba.

Okoa Simba Puzzle Game

For those of us shaping brand strategies across the continent, integrating gaming is not merely a tactic, it’s a transformation. It’s an opportunity to weave our brand narratives into the daily lives of consumers, creating experiences that are not only engaging but also empowering. Let’s not just play the game. Let’s change it.

1. Make your first game using some free tutorials (Make it practical)

It’s now almost 10 years since I made my first game back in 2010 and in hindsight, I think that the approach I took was well balanced in that I simply got a YouTube video that was like 30 minutes long (Pretty short right?) and you could say that everything that I’ve done as it relates to making games came after that 30 minute YouTube experience. I guess the lesson with this is that if your heart is telling you to do something, start out small, watch a small video, try and mimic what’s happening in the video and the satisfaction and confidence you’ll get from that will push you to make more and more games. I would always encourage someone to make a game by following a tutorial and using a free game maker like GameMaker or Construct 2

2. Build a team

This is probably easier said than done, as finding and coordinating a team requires effort but this task can be made easy. Simply find a bunch of people you’ve worked with before and give yourselves a target of building a game together. If you’re still in school, do this during weekends and holidays and follow a Book tutorial.

As a beginner, you shouldn’t try and make original games from scratch. Look at some YouTube videos and divide different roles in the project to different people. In a Game Development team, you usually have the following roles.

1. Project Owner
2. Game Developer
3. Game Tester
4. Finance
5. Marketing

But it’s also possible for all these roles to be filled by one person.

I’d really recommend you get the book Game Design: What makes a Game Development Team. It costs about 100 Kenya Shillings on Amazon.

3. Join local Communities and go to Events

Going to events and joining online and offline communities is probably the best way to experience any industry in life.

As it relates to Game Development in Kenya, going to centers such as the Nairobi Game Development Center, attending Webinars by Ludique Works and Participating at Game Jams (Competitions where Game Development Culture is celebrated through setting a duration for game to be made) and Joining Groups such as the Africa Game Developers is definitely worth it. This is because being part of a community will enable you to make friends and have fun while also motivating you and showing you that other people in your locale are into the same industry you’re in.

4. Get to know the landscape, what are people doing in other countries?

Getting to know what is happening globally will make sure that you’re updated in terms of news and new developments. You will also be better informed as to which niche within the game development industry you can focus on.

As it relates to Game Development, Websites such as Tracxn will show you how many companies there are in the Game Development Space.

Africa Game Developers is a community where different individuals and groups will constantly showcase what they’ve been working on using YouTube trailers and this will be sure to again motivate you. The global and continental space will also let you know when competitions are, a perfect place for you to compete and gain experience.

5. Put a price tag on your work

As a Game Developer or person within the industry, and this goes for any industry for that matter, doing your work will require you to invest in resources like time and money. Of course, you are using your work to support your basic needs and so when you do make a game, keep track of how much you’re spending in terms of :

1. a) Software (Game Development Software and Desktop Publishing Software)
2. b) Communication within the team (This includes the cost of making phone calls or Skype calls if you’re working in a team)
3. c) Books and Courses — You may need to further your skills and pay for courses or buy books for certain projects.

If these are the costs you incur in implementing your Game Development projects, once the project is complete, be sure to communicate the value of your offering by putting a price tag on the product (final game).

This will ensure that people who enjoy your work can be able to, first of all, see the value of your work, and secondly, compensate you for your work.

Websites like AHA Games, Itch.io, and Steam are made especially for putting your work in the market where consumers are more than willing to compensate you for your work.

You can always also include a payment feature on your website if you want to sell your work yourself.

Business Development at Usiku Games, creators of Age of Asante

Email: alila@usiku.africa

LinkedIn: Alila Omondi-Wekoto