The Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has announced her plans to reposition the video game animation industry in Nigeria by incorporating Nigerian movies, music, fashion and culture into every locally produced video game.
She made this known at the third quarter edition of the Xbox Developer Hangout, organised by Microsoft, in Lagos.
She said the industry has a lot of employment potential for youth and that she would consult with Microsoft to help her achieve her vision.
She revealed that a working document had been prepared to implement the plan, but that it required input from Microsoft.
She expressed her gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for creating the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy and her confidence in the creativity of Nigerians to transform the gaming industry, which she described as a billion-dollar industry.
She said, “We want to look at the kind of innovation we can achieve through gaming, with the huge talent we have in the sector. I want the gaming space to be transformed, and I know that with collaborations, we can achieve a lot.
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“I promise to support in whatever capacity to actualize this and this is the reason I will continually remain grateful to President Bola Tinubu for creating the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy.
“I perceive Nigerians as the most creative beings who will transform the gaming industry, the billion-dollar industry, with help and support from the government.
“We want to see a situation where our indigenous movies, peculiar fashion sense, music and elements of our culture will serve as contents of our locally produced video games.”
The Country Manager of Microsoft, Olatomiwa Williams, said that the organisation was committed to empowering everyone with the needed tools to grow in the industry.
She said that partnering with the Federal Government was a delight for them and that they were creating an inclusive industry for women to thrive.
“Microsoft has been in existence for over 20 years and I can say that Nigerians have been contributing to our solution areas,” she said.
The Founder of NuConti, Oluseye Soyode-Johnson, said that the video game industry was larger than Nollywood and the global music industry and that it should be taken seriously.
The speakers at the event also discussed the needed tools for video games, such as epic mega grants, epic game education, epic unreal fellowship, unreal marketplace, epic games store and twin motion among others.
They also highlighted the importance of infusing culture into video games through storytelling and expanding beyond traditional elements.
They cautioned that the stories should be relayed carefully to protect the identity of the nation or the continent.
The Founder of Dooshimagames, Dooshima Anger, and the Chief Executive Officer of Kucheza, Bolaji Akingbade, both stressed the need for more collaborations and awareness to support inclusivity and women representation in the video game industry in Nigeria.
They also called for more intervention in the early secondary school levels to influence active participation.