Africa is a rich continent with many resources like gold, wood, iron, silver, uranium, and diamonds. However, we’re looking at the cultural facet of Africa and its many gods and legends. Most importantly, we’re kicking up a storm about the lack of African-themed video games in recent times. If you think about it, there’s actually no African game on next-gen consoles like the PS5 or Xbox Series X. Instead, Vikings have been celebrated by two games already, which are God of War Ragnarok (With a plethora of missions; Read about them here) and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. So, why is Africa not getting any love from developers?
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Disadvantages of Developing African-Themed Games
So, what did developers notice about Africa and its gods that may have been such a huge turn-off? They may have noticed the lack of source material online or the somewhat uneasy environment. Ultimately, the folks over at Player.com can name a few reasons why. Below, we break down those disadvantages.
Lack of Documentation on African Gods
Unlike gods like Thor and Odin, who have made it into comic books and Hollywood movies or Tsunami and Izanagi, who are extremely prevalent in Japanese anime, there’s not enough source material on African gods. The only anime that captures the lore is Kzazi Moto: Generation Fire because it’s inspired by gods like Sango, the god of fire and Ogun, the god of iron in Yoruba culture. Also, Norse, Japanese, and Chinese gods all have lengthy pages on Wikipedia, which is a strength that African gods lack.
The Environment Isn’t Native: It Makes it Trickier to Model the Environment
Africa isn’t the most hostile continent on Earth, but it’s tricky to navigate a region where some folks don’t mind encouraging tourists to grease their palms. Also, a lot of beautiful countries are facing economic turmoil, so exploring all the nooks and crannies of different regions is trickier than you can imagine. However, we don’t want to go too deep, since this is still a gaming article. Ghost of Tsushima is an open-world RPG that forced its developers to travel to Japan to capture the flora, maps, dialect, appearance, and customs.
Mainstream Themes Are Easier to Sell
The reason why Odin, Kratos, and Izanagi are selling like shortcakes is because they’re mainstream, whereas Polish gods or even South Korean deities aren’t as popular. However, we digress, African-themed gods are hard to sell because most of the audience hasn’t been desensitised to them.
Exception to the Rule
The only exception to this rule of running away from games is Egyptian lore. Assassin’s Creed: Origins is set in Egypt and sure enough, it’s heavily inspired by the gods of Egypt. From movies like The Mummy to games like Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, the audience is aware of the Egyptian gods. If you’re interested in Egyptian games, some of the best ones that you can play are:
- Smite.
- Egyptian Senet.
- Strange Brigade.
- The Forgotten City.
- Kamigami No Asobi.
- Sid Meier’s Civilization 5.
- Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy.
- Ankh: Curse of the Scarab King.
- Age of Mythology: Extended Edition.
- Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris.
The Variety of African Gods to Use as Source Material
There are many African gods that developers can use as inspiration for their games. Their documentation isn’t too detailed, but talking to the locales can easily fix this issue. Without further ado, below are some of the African gods to take inspiration from.
- Sango: Sango is an Orisha in Yoruba culture that’s considered the most powerful god in Africa and for good reasons. He is the god of vengeance, social order, and protection. His symbol is the double-headed axe and his hair is braided with cowries. He’s also known as the god of thunder and lightning. Sango will strike down any blasphemer with thunder. So, he’s usually invoked during swearing oaths or for interrogating liars. According to the legends, just swear on his name in vain and his wrath will rain down on you.
- Ogun: Ogun is the god of iron and rum-making who appears in many African religions. He’s affiliated with Yoruba culture, Haitian Vodou, and West African Vodun. Ogun is also the god of war, so it would be nice to see Kratos engage in a fistfight. His lore is also deep since he’s known for his fiery anger and deep sense of honour. Ogun once killed his disciples because they disrespected him. Afterwards, the god of war commits suicide by stabbing himself with a sword. Ogun’s symbols are guns, knives, blacksmith instruments, wrenches, pins, and many other iron tools and devices that we use in everyday life.
- Yemọja: Yemọja is a mermaid whose domain lies in the water, with her domain being the Ogun River. She’s also touted to be the mother of all Orishas in Yoruba land. So, Yemọja is similar to Hera, who mothered many gods in Greek Mythology. She’s also known to be extremely caring and protective of her children, always ready to cleanse their sorrows. In fact, she’s said to have the cure for infertility in women, which is why many mothers in Yoruba-speaking countries visit the beachside to seek a child from her. She’s extremely calm but once she loses her cool, expect natural disasters like floods and turbulent rivers to occur. Among her impressive list of domains are the moon, creation, and protection.
- Ọlọrun: Ọlọrun is the ruler of the Heavens in Yoruba religion, and He’s akin to God, the Supreme Being or the Creator. Ọlọrun is celebrated as the creator of all things, including living beings and inanimate objects. He’s said to be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, just like the Christian God, or the Father. The Supreme Being is said to lack gender and shrines. He’s distant, never directly engaging with humans so you won’t find his followers offering him any rituals. As far as gods go, Ọlọrun is calm, fair, intelligent, and supremely powerful.
Games Under Development That’s Africa-Themed
The only game that’s expected to be African in theme and setting is God of War and even then, they’re using Egyptian lore. So, Kratos will get a chance to battle Ra, Anubis, and the many iconic deities of the region. He may also pick up new weapons along the way, so the developers will have to explore the region for lore-accurate items, powers, and abilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Game Was Invented by Africa?
One of the games that was invented by Africa is Mancala. It’s one of the oldest two-player board games in the world, and it’s believed to have been created in ancient times. In fact, there’s evidence that the game was created in the year 700 AD in East Africa. Other games that were invented in Africa are:
- Ngolo: Angola.
- Donga: Ethiopia.
- Ayọ olopon: Nigeria.
- Donkey Racing: Kenya.
- Akseltag: Morocco.
Are There Any African Pro Gamers?
Believe it or not, but yes, there are pro gamers in Africa. It’s just that the country prioritises gaming as a pastime, rather than a sport. If you go to Nigeria, you’ll find plenty of PS5 consoles on TV shelves. Of course, this doesn’t mean that it’s all rosy there, since there are still many PS3s in circulation. Places like Lagos, Cape Town, Accra, and Nairobi regularly host game competitions. So, even if most gamers don’t have the skills for it, they’re still passionate about games.
Which Games Are Set in Africa?
Sure enough, some games are set in Africa. In most cases, these games turn out to be ridiculously good because of the fancy terrain. For one, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is set in Africa, where oil rigs and child soldiers are the norm. Also, Far Cry 2 is set in Africa and in the game, you’re a mercenary. So, it’s not like developers aren’t inspired by the continent and its lore.