Sparking curiosity: A future shaped by the intersection of games and education - starting in Nigeria | Playable Futures

gamesindustry.biz:

Bukola Akingbade

Friday 25th February 2022

Playable Futures is a collection of insights, interviews and articles from global games leaders sharing their visions of where the industry will go next. This article series has been brought to you by GamesIndustry.biz, UKIE, Sumo Group and Diva.

I grew up with games. It started with traditional games like ludo, draughts and Ayo, an indigenious yoruba game (also known as 'mancala' in other cultures). I'd spend hours watching my Uncle and cousins in heated gameplay.

As was customary in those days, girls were not allowed to participate or compete, but I did. I played table tennis, shot pool and competed in various sports. It wasn't a giant leap therefore, to make the transition to video games. Although my first console was a Commodore 64, the game I loved to play the most was Gradius on the Nintendo.

Now, as a mother, I can proudly say that we have a playful home. This notion of 'play' extends beyond video games. Our ethos as parents revolves around play-based thinking. Exploring the link between games and education has always been at the forefront of my interactions, with children specifically.

Bukola Akingbade, Kucheza Gaming

Despite holding a first degree in architecture, I have spent the past two decades building a career in marketing with a particular focus on behavioural trends. I began to observe a trend within my own home. My children would constantly complain to me about how boring school was for them. Now, I'm pretty sure I articulated the very same sentiment when I was young, so I could definitely empathise! I also noticed that no such complaint emerged when they were engaged with games. So I started to study Africa's games market.

The way people access games here in Nigeria