The Serious About Games initiative – launched in 2016 by the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi), supported by Interactive Entertainment South Africa (IESA), Cape Craft and Design Institute (CCDI) has produced its first report on the state of the industry.

As an introduction to the initiative, the report provides a definition of the concept of serious games and illustrates their value as tools for education, as well as for attitude and behaviour change. The IESA also outlines their concerns with the potential for serious games to address prevalent social challenges throughout South Africa, and particularly in the Western Cape.

The report also provides an overview of the national and provincial game development industry, in order to show that the skills and infrastructure required to develop high-quality serious games already exist locally. They also consider the makeup of the local audience, and point out the implications of demographic trends for the development of serious games. The report closes with next steps to consider when setting out to develop a serious game.

For more on the Serious About Games initiative, head to their website.

The full report can be downloaded here.