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.

Jay Shapiro, CEO and Founder, Usiku Games

What you need to know:

Africa has always been the leader in the adoption of blockchain technology. The region is adopting blockchain and cryptocurrencies faster than the rest of the world. Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, and South Africa are ranked in the top 20 countries in the adoption of crut crypto as per the 2021 Global Crypto Adoption Index. Without fail, some gaming studios in Africa, with Usiku Games leading the way, are looking at different ways to implement blockchain technology in gaming personalized to this market.

Our CEO, Jay Shapiro, was part of a panel at Blockchain Africa Conference 2022 discussing Blockchain in Gaming in Africa. It was an extensive panel that included James Zhang, Tessy Mosindi, Cordel Robbin-Coker, Jackson Vaughan, and Yele Bademosi.  Watch the full session here.

Jay Shapiro was also a guest on the YWhales: Business People Talking the Business of Crypto podcast. He shed a light on what and how the blockchain industry is like in Africa and talked about our play-to-earn platform.  In this episode, Jay discusses how Africa is a fertile ground for blockchain business and how it is making a difference. Listen to the full episode here-

Fast forward to 2022, blockchain technology has matured and its application has expanded. Despite the tech always changing and evolving, the basics still remain the same. There is content all over the internet providing dumbed-down explanations for newbies. The availability of easy content to understand has come in handy for tech lovers in Africa. The result is Africa is the fastest adopter of blockchain technology in the world. The adoption of the tech has gone beyond crypto to new applications that are changing lives in the content. Examples of such initiatives include Kotani Pay.  However, there are individuals who have used the complexity of the tech to create get-rich-quick schemes to scam people. There is still a gap in information about blockchain technology, especially in Africa. The information is not readily available or covered by mainstream media, which most people trust.

At Usiku Games, we noticed this problem and we hosted a media workshop in partnership with the Media Council of Kenya, Harmony, and Polygon. The objective was to train the media fraternity in Kenya on how to cover and report on blockchain stories. The speakers were Jay Shapiro, David Nandwa, Founder HoneyCoin, Jofre Rocabert, Harmony DAO Member, and Joan Jerop, Blockchain Business Strategist. The topics covered included the basics of blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, NFTs, DAOs, and myths about blockchain technology.

Jay Shapiro, CEO of Usiku Games at the Media Workshop on Blockchain Reporting

David Nandwa, CEO and Founder HoneyCoin

Media Workshop on Blockchain Reporting

Joan Jerop, Blockchain Business Strategist

• Strengthen the industry, creating more opportunities for job creation and economic opportunities in gaming across Africa.

• Share resources, skills, and market access in order to enable each member studio to make better games, and reach more players.
• Put Africa firmly on the map of the global game industry, waking up the world to the reality that Africa is a young, inter-connected, talented continent with thousands of years worth of legends and stories to be told.

Capetown, February 23, 2022: The “Pan Africa Gaming Group” (PAGG) has been unveiled today, bringing 10 studios together under a single umbrella across Africa. 

Launched during Africa Games Week 2022 in Cape Town, the group aims to grow the Africa Gaming industry by 2x every year due to the rapid growth of youth with Internet-connected smartphones on the continent.

The group, which represents 10 African countries, include the following studios:  

• South Africa – Sea Monster
• Senegal        – Kayfo Games
• Cameroon    – Kiro’o Games
• Ghana          – Leti Arts
• Tunisia         – Digital Mania
• Ethiopia       – Qene Games
• Kenya          – Usiku Games
• Tanzania      – Khanga Rue
• Rwanda       – DopeApps
• African Diaspora – Messeka Games

Inaugural members of the Pan Africa Gaming Group

PAGG will be governed through a Founders’ Council combining many of the top gaming entrepreneurs across the continent. They will be joined by Peter Kihara (ex-Goldman Sachs & PWC) serving as the Group Chief Financial Officer and Jake Manion (BAFTA nominated Game Director at Aardman Animation in the

The UK) serving as Group Creative Director.

Each studio will maintain its sovereignty and autonomy when it comes to things such as the brand, leadership, and financial independence. The founders will work together collaboratively,  voting up/down proposals and resolutions brought to the Founders’ Council. 

According to Dawit Abraham, CEO of Qene Games (Ethiopia) and spokesperson for PAGG, the network has been formed to enable the Africa Gaming Industry to unlock the world’s next one billion players:

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“Together, we represent over 200 professionals and 8 different languages. Our team has over 30yrs of experience, leading some of the top gaming companies globally, including Ubisoft, Electronic Arts & Aardman Animation. We have produced more mobile, PC & console games than anyone else on the continent. Most importantly, all of our network members are committed to #GamingForGood, harnessing the power of gamification to create a positive social impact in our local communities.”

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The group is developing & publishing locally relevant content that is relatable to African gamers. Despite the massive audience growing on the continent, there is still very little relevant, local content in Africa, according to Group Creative Director, Jake Manion: 

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“We are creating a portfolio of mobile-first casual games that are fun, non-violent, and gender-inclusive. Our games are Made-In-Africa, For Africa, featuring African heroes wrapped in local culture, music & environments. This allows our players to see themselves reflected in our games, which makes all the difference.”

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Founders of the 10 Studios under the Pan Africa Gaming Group

PAGG’s more than one hundred existing games entertain, engage, and educate. By harnessing the power of gamification, the group is creating fun ways to solve some of the continent’s challenges, including healthcare, education, women’s empowerment, and climate change.

Once developed though, content must be published in order to reach the audience. To that end, PAGG brings together the “Gara” African game store, and “AfroComix” the largest African eComics publishing platform. Through these PAGG will have a channel for distributing it’s games tied in with Africa’s dozens of diverse payment platforms including mobile money, airtime billing, and credit cards.

To extend these efforts into the future, PAGG is equipping and training Africa’s next generation of game developers, creating new jobs across the continent for youth. As an example, “The Nairobi Game Development Center” is a 6,000sq ft community co-working space that will be replicated in each of the African markets to train, incubate and host the next generation of talent. Eyram Tawia, CEO of Leti Arts in Ghana, added:

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“One of our core values is not just to build a collection of games, but to incubate Africa’s gaming industry of tomorrow. There is a wealth of incredible talent already on the continent, with more graduating every year from top-tier game development schools like Rubika. Most graduates though are relegated to doing remote work for overseas clients due to the lack of local gaming job opportunities. We’re going to fix that” 

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Total Addressable Market (TAM):

Africa has more than 400 million internet-connected smartphone users. This is more than all of Europe and more than the USA, Canada, and Mexico combined. That number has been growing at 20% CAGR and is expected to reach 680 million by the end of 2025. 

According to a new report from the African Development Bank (AfDB), Africa has the world’s fastest-growing middle class, tripling to more than 300 million people in the last 30 years. The continent has a median age of just 19yrs (EU=44yrs, USA=38yrs). In a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), just the top 5 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are already spending USD$37 Billion annually on mobile gaming / mobile-based sports betting, demonstrating the massive audience willing to spend on mobile entertainment. 

Globally, the gaming industry is on track to pass USD$200B+ dwarfing Hollywood & the Music industry combined. With Africa’s projected 1 Billion young people across the continent by 2050 and no existing major incumbent gaming companies in the market, the opportunity for Africa to dwarf China as the largest gaming market in the world is massive.

Investment bank Drake Star Partners reported global gaming combined investments of more than USD$85Billion in all of 2021, a number which was already surpassed in just the first month of 2022. The formation of PAGG will be the first step towards unifying Africa’s booming gaming industry.

About PAGG:

The Pan Africa Gaming Group (PAGG) is a continent-wide network of some of the top independent game development studios and publishers in Africa. With more than 200 staff and 100 existing published games, the group is producing locally relevant content for more than 270 million internet-connected youth. PAGG has been created to bring together these companies from all corners of the continent, to share talent, resources, and access to markets. Together, the group aims to unlock the world’s next 1 Billion players on mobile, PCs & video game consoles.

Find more information about PAGG at www.PAGG.group

This year’s Safer Internet Day was all about creating awareness of online safety for children. Usiku Games was one of the companies that participated in the event. We launched Cyber Soljas, a fun adventure mobile game for kids that helps them identify, avoid and combat online threats.

The internet has been around for a long time. The early days of the internet were in the 1960s when government researchers in the United States created a way to share information. During this time, computers were huge, which created a logistical nightmare to move them around. You either had to travel to the location of a computer to gain access to information or use the postal services to deliver floppy disks.  The onset of the Cold War is what accelerated the invention of the internet as we know it today. The united states defense department was looking for ways to disseminate information even after a nuclear attack. The solution was Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, the network that eventually morphed into the internet. Fast-forward to 2022, the internet is at the center of humanity. The internet has numerous benefits but its downside to some extent outweighs its advantages. The most vulnerable section of the population is the children. 

Safer Internet Day

Access to the internet has to be one of the greatest things to happen to humanity. A simple click opens a new digital world full of all kinds of information, good and bad. For adults, it’s easy to navigate the internet. However, children, constantly fall victim to identity theft, cyberbullying, phishing to name a few. Their safety when accessing the internet is never a guarantee. To address such issues and emerging ones, Safer Internet Day was created. The objective is to create awareness of emerging online issues and current concerns to make a better internet for kids.  This year’s Safer Internet Day was observed on Tuesday, 8 February. 

Kids playing Cyber Soljas

Cyber Soljas 

It was a special day for many reasons, but for Usiku Games, we launched Cyber Soljas, a fun adventure mobile game for kids that help them identify, avoid and combat online threats. The game was designed and developed in partnership with the Communication Authority of Kenya.  How do we protect kids online, from Cyber Bullying, Fake News, etc? These online dangers have become very real with today’s easy online access. Kids need to be taught how to protect themselves, what to look out for when to inform their parents or teachers when something seems suspicious or worrying.

The Villains in the Cyber Soljas mobile game

Identity-Thief-Level on Cyber Soljas

FakeNews-Boss-Challenge on Cyber Soljas

Kids playing Cyber Soljas

Our Solution was Cyber Soljas an action-packed game that will teach kids, young and old, how to recognize threats and how to fight them. The game will help children identify and deal with online dangers such as identity theft, fake news, cybercrime, and cyberbullying and get to know common terms such as phishing, pharming, hacking, and filtering. 

The launch 

We couldn’t have asked for a better day and event to launch Cyber Soljas. The Movenpick Hotel, Nairobi was the venue for this colorful event. In attendance were journalists, kids from different schools, Communication Authority of Kenya officials, media, and Usiku Games’ CEO, Jay Shapiro. 

Usiku Games’ CEO, Jay Shapiro at the launch of Cyber Soljas

Mrs. Mercy Wanjau. CAK DIRECTOR, LEGAL SERVICES, launching Cyber Soljas

Photo session with Avril at Movenpick Hotel

Tizi Sign Language Game 

Tizi Sign Language Game

The Kenya Sign Language has now been introduced as a 2nd language subject in all schools in Kenya, equal to Swahili and French. But how can children learn this new language and have fun at the same time? Our solution for this was to design and develop the Tizi Sign Language Game. The game is structured in a way that players learn different areas of Kenyan sign language, just like they would in a classroom. Each section has a series of minigames, designed to teach the learning topic in a fun and interactive way. 

Denis was the game producer in charge of this project and he had an opportunity to present it in the Pocket Gamer: The Mobile Games Industry Conference Online. Here is his presentation titled: Gamifying Sign Language: Using Educational Games to Teach KSL in Kenya. 

In Kenya, Usiku Games is in the thick of everything blockchain gaming. January 2022 kicked off this conversation when we hosted two blockchain gaming events at the Nairobi Game Development Center.  With our partners Harmony and Polygon, we hosted the Women in Blockchain event that had over 100 women in attendance. 

Women in Blockchain Nairobi Meetup

Women in Blockchain Nairobi Meetup

Women in Blockchain Nairobi Meetup

The second event themed BLOCKCHAIN GAMING IN AFRICA: A force for social impact, brought game developers and blockchain gaming enthusiasts from all over Africa to discuss how advancements in Web 3 can be used for social impact.  We had speakers from Kwasi Kena, CEO of Legends of Mitra from Gem Studios in Ghana and Kenya, Defi Kingdoms, Abhishek Purushotham, Marketing Manager at Harmony Platform, VP of Business Development at Polygon Studios NFTs and Gaming, and Prakash Somosundram, CEO & Co-founder of Enjinstarter launchpad for Blockchain Gaming,  and Metaverse and Jay Shapiro CEO Usiku Games. The turnout at the Nairobi Game Development Center was amazing with the rest of Africa following the event at the remote viewing parties hosted in tech incubators and universities in Digital Mania Games (Tunisia), Dope Apps (Rwanda), Paradise Games (Côte D’Ivoire), Nigeria, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Ghana, and Morocco. The discussion was around blockchain, NFTs, and how to launch projects on Harmony and Polygon generating a great deal of buzz and a strong desire to unlock the potential of the technology.

BLOCKCHAIN GAMING IN AFRICA: A force for social impact at the Nairobi Game Development Center, Nairobi Kenya

If you missed this event, you can watch the full event here

e. 

The launch of our newest mobile game Footah was nothing short of a memorable experience. The Mathare Youth Sports Association grounds offered the perfect place for a day full of fun that culminated in the launch of Footah. The unforgettable day would not have been achieved were it not for the over 200 young boys and girls who came out to show out their soccer skills.

Mathare Youth Sports Association Boys and Girls Playing Soccer- Footah

The Mathare Youth Sports Association had organized a mini-tournament for the kids. One could not have missed the determination, dedication teamwork, sportsmanship, and the love for physical activities exhibited by the young boys and girls.  The winners were awarded a beautiful Footah Soccer Ball made by Alive and Kicking Kenya.  

Footah Soccer Ball by Alive and Kicking

At the ground was the Usiku Games team, ready to demonstrate the new game. Armed with smart tablets and great knowledge of the game, the team was able to show the various features of the game especially the three mini-games; Pepeta, One-Touch, and Mtesano. 

The Footah game was designed and developed by Usiku Games in a public-private partnership with the GIZ Regional Project “Sport for Development in Africa” (on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ). The game targets youth between 15 and 25 years of age with the objective to promote the physical fitness of the players and arm them with crucial life skills. This falls within Usiku Game’s mission of #GamingForGood and creating games with social impact. 

Usiku.Games team demonstrating the Footah Game at MYSA Grounds

One of the key features of the game is the integration of Google Fit. Once Footah players have linked their Google Fit accounts to the game, their physical activities, measured in terms of the number of steps, are confirmed and converted to XP points that energize their character in the game. For Footah players to win the game, they have to get up and move around to boost their energy in the game.  

Live Demo of Footah at MYSA Grounds

It is time to start playing Footah and join in the fan. Get started by creating your character here- http://footah.usiku.games/ 

Footah- The African Mobile Football League

Usiku Games joins the Blockchain Game Alliance

Nairobi Kenya: Mobile Game Development Studio has joined the Blockchain Games Alliance to promote its games for social good and democratize access to the games.

According to Jay Shapiro, CEO and Founder, Usiku Games, the company will harness the power of Blockchain technology to create a meaningful positive social impact and fulfill its #GamingForGood mission:

“Blockchain gaming, Play to Earn, and NFT’s have a lot of misdirected Hype these days. We are focused on applying these powerful tools to make a real social impact for the millions of youth in Africa without long-term savings or health insurance through gaming.”

NAAVIK indicates that the blockchain gaming industry’s trading volume grew 700%+ to $2.3 billion in 3Q 2021, and 50% of blockchain gamers use PCs.

On the other hand, Triple-A notes that the crypto gaming industry had a market revenue of US$321 million in 2020, with around 41.9 million gamers owning crypto. According to Newswagg’s research, 38% of them are Millennials aged between 21-38 years old, and they are the biggest age group.

Gamers are also much more likely to own crypto than others— 55% of the Millennials gamers own crypto compared to just 5% of all Millennials.

There’s an immense potential for crypto to be more involved in the gaming industry. Among gamers who own crypto, 80% are interested in using cryptocurrency for gaming purchases, and 67% hope there are more opportunities for using cryptocurrency in gaming.

In addition, the APAC region has the highest ownership rate with 22.6 million gamers that hold cryptocurrency, followed by Europe with 5.9 million gamers, Middle East & Africa, Latin America, and North America regions.

Mobile games generated the highest revenue of US$128.4 million (40%), followed by Console games with US$89.9 million (28%), along with Downloaded/Boxed PC games, Tablet games, and Browser PC games.

Cryptocurrency has gained popularity in the gaming industry, with top gaming companies like Microsoft Xbox, Twitch, and G2A entering the cryptocurrency space.

Crypto games are now transforming the games market by letting players earn while playing. As more gamers accept crypto, gaming companies have a vast market opportunity to reach crypto gamers worldwide.

Despite fragmented distribution and confusing UX, the blockchain gaming industry is growing rapidly. And perhaps, that’s the strongest validation of the industry’s product-market fit. There are, however, crypto-native start-ups trying to solve the distribution problem. For example,Ultra.io,Vulcan Forged, andOP Games are new platforms aiming to distribute blockchain-based games.

Meanwhile, crypto-native game studios like Mythical Games, Immutable X, and Sky Mavis have expressed interest in or have already begun allowing third-party developers to access their technology stack and existing users. It’s potentially a massive opportunity as long the industry continues on its current trajectory, and legacy platforms continue to choose not to participate.

About Blockchain Game Alliance

The Blockchain Game Alliance is an organization committed to promoting blockchain within the game industry.

Our goal is to spread awareness about blockchain technologies and encourage adoption by highlighting their potential to foster new ways to create, publish, play, and build strong communities around games.

The BGA also provides an open forum for individuals and companies to share knowledge and collaborate, create common standards, establish best practices, and network.