Introduction:
Hello, it’s been about 67 days since Game Expo, the premier game conference held in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Game Expo was designed to create an ecosystem in the Southern and Eastern parts of Nigeria, with a focus on the game industry.
Hosted by Gameverse Africa , a game education company led by Louis Whyte (Barida) Jonah and his team, Game Expo had an amazing planning committee consisting of Louis Whyte Jonah, Dorcas Lucky Sunday , Leslie Osinachi-okoh , Greg Osimiri, and kelechi Nmeni , along with the Gameverse Team: Moses Minimah , Natachi Nnamaka , Precious Dan-Harold , Destiny Ed , @Daniel Daniel, Alabo Excel , Fure Okao , Segun Olu-Abe and Abdul
The plan for the conference was to highlight opportunities in the game industry, including career paths, talks from industry experts, exhibitions, game showcases, Game Jams, tournaments, a treasure hunt, and a product launch.
Brands and Partners
The conference, in its first edition, brought together many brands, including GG ARENA ESPORTS LIMITED , Gamepride.io , Africacomicade , yelobyte , Aziy Games, KC TV, Esports Africa News , Nerdwork , Raven Illusion Studio , Deluxe Creation Studios , Nexal Gaming Company , MyNebor , CHAIN2055 , tellar, Ijeitech, and the gold sponsor of the conference, Divvicson Games .
Pre-Event Activities
Pre-event activities included a roadmap where a few team members attended events like the FIGMA Config conference, Google IO PH, and Lisk PH. At these events, the Game Expo team talked about the event, talked about the games industry games, and even demoed a few games like Nouns Hunt of Dash Studios Inc.
Game Expo Begins:
Game Expo kicked off with a Game Jam (which is essentially a hackathon in the game space) that had more than 30 registered participants. The theme for the jam was “Explore,” and participants had 7 days to create games, with results announced on the main event day.
The Game Jam was organized by yelobyte , a company that not only develops games but also maximizes the impact of games in society, through game jams, esports competitions, and gaming events. Four game entries were submitted on the itch.io page, and the prize pool totaled ₦400,000. The winner received ₦200,000, with additional prizes of ₦100,000, including a special award of ₦100,000 for the best female-led team sponsored by AZIY Games.
The 1st place winner was Xplore the Sea by Destus, followed by Neural Surgeon by Domi Games in 2nd place, Lumbavale by Lanthanide Games in 3rd place, and Wishing Well by Nakard in 4th place.
Game Jam Result: Click Here
Industry Talks:
The Game Expo featured speakers such as Michael Oscar Esio of Africacomicade , Edu Shola of Deluxe Creation Studios , Gospel Ononwi of @Extend Africa, Ivie Osuamkpe of REDMUR , Kamsi, Dominion Eromosele , and Sophia Abubakar of @AZIYgames. Topics included diversity in games, starting a career in esports, business in games, XR in games, and more. Louis Whyte (Barida) Jonah delivered the keynote address titled “Exploring the Games Industry.”
Game Tournaments:
Game Expo wouldn’t be complete without a gaming tournament! While the conference primarily focused on game creators, gamers, careers in games etc, gamers were essentially present at the event. A LAN game tournament was held on the main day with a combined prize pool of ₦900,000 for games like FIFA ( #EAFC24 ), @Call of Duty, and PUBG Mobile. This was made possible by partners, GG ARENA ESPORTS LIMITED , and Gamepride.io , both esports powerhouses in Nigeria.
Treasure Hunt:
As planned from the onset, Game Expo featured a gamified physical experience with a treasure hunt. Participants were also introduced to a beta-gamified product called Yello by Yelobyte. The treasure hunt winners received a total of ₦50,000.
Game Showcase:
Game creators came to showcase their games. @Goondu interactive presented their title Beyond Service, showcased by co-founder Goodness Ndukwe . Six Path Studio ’s lead developer, Moses Minimah showcased Lt. Ahmed, while Armstrong from Logic Dev Studio presented Ilete.
Displays and Vendors:
Other amazing brands that showcased at the event included Mynebor, MyNebor is your go-to app for buying, sharing, and connecting with local businesses and people in your neighbourhood, led by Akuma Isaac and Chibueyim Alex (founders of Mynebor), Nerdwork. Divvicson Games, sponsor of Game Expo, was represented by Faith Olonwa, their marketing lead, who highlighted Divvicson’s role in driving the gaming ecosystem as a game publisher.
Conclusion:
There were plenty of memories and beautiful faces at Game Expo, with many attendees coming from different states and regions. Our aim to create an ecosystem in the South and Eastern parts of Nigeria, where gaming is less known, was met with success as we strive to push and drive game innovation in these cities.
One step at a time, One city at a time, One game at a time. – Louis Whyte Jonah
Event Summary:
- Over 400 registered attendees
- ₦1.4 million in prize money from the Game Tournaments, Game Jam, and Treasure Hunt.
- 8 Speakers
- 30+ brands and partners
A big thank you to everyone, brands, and teams who made this event possible. We look forward to an even bigger and better Game Expo 2025, with more opportunities, ideas, and inclusivity to further establish a thriving game ecosystem.
To view images from Game Expo, click here:
Thank you, and see you next Yeah@
………………………
Louis Whyte Jonah
Founder and UX Designer, Gameverse Africa