Mobile gaming is on track to become Africa’s dominant entertainment medium, reports Businessinsider.
The website reports that the growing popularity of mobile gaming and a thriving esports scene have helped the African games industry reach a tipping point. According to a 2021 report, Africa is home to around 186 million gamers, 95% of whom have mobile as their platform of choice.
The increasing availability, affordability, and quality of smartphones has helped mobile gaming thrive in Africa, resulting in a mobile-first market. As such, while mobile gaming faces competition from PC and consoles in many Western regions, Africa is one where the games industry has been built around mobile gaming, leading to more sustainable growth. Compounding this is the increase in internet penetration and payment ecosystems, making gaming more accessible than other options.
Notable, Businessinsider notes that this places Africa in a unique position to implement new technology such as digital currencies with more speed and less resistance than other markets.
Infrastructural limitations may pose a problem
While Africa’s infrastructure has seen some improvements, the continent also faces some significant barriers to success, specifically when it comes to online gaming. Specifically, many online games lack dedicated servers in Africa which can result in sluggish performance, or even in gamers being unable to play a game at all.
While mobile gaming offers a plethora of titles with offline play, consumers may struggle to access some of the more popular titles. Some games, such as Call of Duty: Mobile, have African servers to alleviate the issue, but the fact remains that despite mobile gaming being the most popular platform on the continent many consumers may struggle to access some of the more popular titles.
Mobile gaming leads the way worldwide, but in regions such as Africa the availability of the required devices puts the platform at a distinct advantage compared to consoles or PC’s. While significant barriers remain in place in Africa, the continent’s mobile industry can continue to increase its hold on the region by continuing to improve its infrastructure.
Last month, African publisher Carry1st raised $27 million in a funding round led by Bitkraft Ventures.
(Image by James Wiseman on Unsplash)
