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Three photos of African women collaged together.

African girl gamers from left to right: Avuzwa Ntshongwana, Wendi Ndaki, and Kamogelo Tselane.

Photos (left to right) by Tseliso Monaheng; courtesy of Wendi Ndaki; Bernard Kalu.

The global gaming market, which boomed during the lockdown brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, is currently estimated to be worth $245 billion, and is projected to reach $545.98 billion by 2028. While these statistics can look good on paper, they often fail to translate to an African market that is still developing, with many countries still lagging behind due to factors related to access — infrastructure, institutional support, audience development, and eventual buy-in. Still, mobile gaming is big in key markets like South Africa, Nigeria, and Ethiopia.

While there are many women who are into gaming as a sport or as a means of relaxation – 48 percent of the market in the U.S. in 2022, and approximately 37 percent of the market in Asia – the same cannot be said for the development side. This is why the idea of women game developers working on the African continent is interesting and worth exploring. What challenges do they face on a daily basis? How accessible is funding? What personal projects are they working on? In order to get a thorough understanding of the lay of the land, we reached out to three women – two from South Africa, and one from Kenya.

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