The IndieBeat: Why South African game developers are starting their own industry event

The Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California is one of the biggest industry events — and for some attendees, it’s indispensable. For South African developers, it’s a rare opportunity to get face time with publishers, platform owners, and other devs. It’s a huge commitment that can cost an enormous portion of their annual salary just to attend.

At GDC, I went to the South African booth to learn more about what it’s like to create games in that emerging market. I sat down with a few developers — Nyamakop founders Cukia “Sugar” Kimani and Ben Myres, artist and designer Dorian Dutrieux, and Nick Hall from the trade association Interactive Entertainment South Africa (IESA).