While esports might not have a space in the Olympics, plenty of organizations are stepping up to support the not-so-niche market. This November 2018, Paradise Games will be organizing its second year of FEJA - a three-day festival in Abidjan West Africa to celebrate and promote the video game industry.
The FEJA (Festival de l’Electronique et du Jeu Vidéo d’Abidjan) 2018 is Paradise Game's second attempt at the festival, after it welcomed 50,000 gamers to the event in November of 2017. It is slated to be the biggest esport and video game events in Africa with professional players from at least 10 countries expected to attend, according to a report by CNBC Africa. West Africa, like many countries, is fully aware of the interest and potential behind esports and it’s good to see the industry taken seriously. FEJA is arguably a great step in the next direction while still considering the bigger picture.
Managing director of Paradise Games, Sidick Bakayoko, had this to say about the first FEJA event: “We wanted to gather in one place all the players of this untapped industry in Africa. From the developer to the end user, including the manufacturers and distributors, FEJA is a true platform for exchange, allowing people to share their passion and promote video-gaming in Africa”. Last year, the event was live streamed over Twitch to over 30,000 viewers. The festival’s events featured tournaments in FIFA, Pro-Evolution Soccer, Street Fighter, Clash Royale, and Candy Crush.
Expecting a similar turnout for this year, qualifiers for the tournament will be held from September 22, 2018 to November 22, 2018 (the last day before the festival begins) in Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. According to CNBC Africa, the theme for this year’s event is job creation, so the event will also feature workshops and conferences about different employment options within the video game industry, like game development, programming, and marketing strategies.
Along with the workshops and seminars, FEJA will also provide activities for kids, casual gamers, and retro fans. Babayoko explained that “The video game industry is the leading cultural industry in the world and generates nearly $ 100 billion. Africa, despite all its creativity, represents only 1% of this industry. It is therefore crucial to promote careers in the video game industry for women and men in order to create employment opportunities on the continent.”
Although Paradise Games is a major entity in the video game industry of West Africa, this type of event is refreshing. It caters to both the esports champion and the little kid who’s just discovered his or her favorite game. It's also realistic in its attempt to get more people interested in gaming by highlight job opportunities and educating kids about different opportunities. In one sense, it feels a bit like a job fair with a lot of cool and tempting distractions, but we’re not convinced that that is a bad thing. Rather than a money-making scheme, working to get more kids and young adults into the video game industry is just plain smart.
Now seems to be the time to tap into the video game industry, given the endless appetite of the public. Being smack in the middle of the “Golden Age of Television”, digital escapism is almost as natural as breathing at this point, and we might be right around the corner from esport’s next golden age.
Maybe the best aspect of the FEJA event is the way in which young fans are being mentored and inspired. The theme of job creation puts an important spin on the events, but viewers and contestants are still surrounded by their favorite games. There’s a strong “you can play video games all day for the good of your career” vibe to the event that is much appreciated, and we can only hope that, if all goes well again this year, we’ll see more of these well-rounded industry events in more places around the world.
