Microsoft Africa Transformation Office (ATO) to host Xbox Studios Game Camp in Africa
Microsoft has revealed that its Xbox Studios Game Camp will be held in Africa through its Africa Transformation Office (ATO),
The two-day conference, which began in Sweden in 2014 before becoming a global initiative, aims to honor and promote all game developers from more than 50 different nations and areas. Applications for the conference, which will take place on July 15 and 16 of 2023, are already being accepted.
A project called Game Camp brings together a number of Xbox programs under a single banner where talent is honored and game developers are given the freedom to follow their passions.
All enrolled campers can access the camp’s presentations, panels, and workshops online, but Game Camp will hold four in-person sites for campers over the course of the two days in Cairo, Johannesburg, Lagos, and Nairobi. These locations will host viewing events, local panel discussions, and opportunities to interact with Xbox and Microsoft staff. Furthermore, it is encouraged for teams or individuals to pitch their games.
The Xbox Game Studios Game Camp program, now in its second year and at its fifth event, strives to enable artists all around the world to achieve their potential in the gaming industry through distinctive learning opportunities from industry professionals.
Xbox is on a mission to connect the 3 billion gamers worldwide to the fun and camaraderie of gaming, and we are aware that Africa has the greatest young population in the world, many of whom enjoy playing video games. In order to grasp their vision for the future of game development, I met tech leaders, academics, and developers from throughout the region when I attended the launch of our Africa Development Centre in 2019. We have the chance to continue strengthening our bonds with talented developers in the area and support African game studios in realizing their goals and roles in the global gaming industry through the first Xbox Game Studios Camp Africa, which we are organizing in conjunction with Microsoft’s Africa Transformation Office, said Phil Spencer, CEO of Gaming at Microsoft.
Participants must be of legal age, be citizens of an African nation, and be enrolled in full-time or part-time courses or employment in one of the following disciplines: software development, visual arts, 3D, music and audio, web design, narrative design, or professional project management.
At Microsoft, we’re thrilled to help African game developers and creators build faster by providing them with access to tools and resources, as well as to help players in Africa and throughout the world find their games. In this big industry for gaming and game creation, we want to establish ourselves firmly. Additionally, employees from the ATO and Xbox will work together to find game studios to fund through our Startups accelerator program and venture capital investment partners. I’m interested in seeing what creative ideas this Game Camp generates, said Wael Elkabbany, Microsoft CEMA’s Strategic Initiatives Lead.
Participants may join remotely through Microsoft Teams or in person at four open-house venues around Game Camp Africa. Throughout the training, classes on various game development subjects will be led by Xbox staff and outside program partners. The “The Journey of a Game”-themed two full days will provide a range of viewpoints on the frequently challenging craft of game creation. The camp will also include a sizeable amount of online learning, allowing participants to interact with targeted training modules on subjects that closely fit with their abilities and interests before and after the event.
