Although we have all played video games, video games developed by Caribbean developers appear to have little or no visibility. Moreover, there is no video game development industry in region to speak of, and the underpinning ecosystem remains underdeveloped. Jamaican video games developers, Glen Henry and Graham Reid, discuss, among other things, the current situation, how the Caribbean region can better leverage the opportunities that exist, and how individuals can get into video game development.

 

This episode is also available in Apple iTunes, Google Play Music, Spotify (NEW!!) and on Stitcher!

In January 2021, we published an article, Why aren’t more Caribbean people video gamers, in which we noted that globally, the video games industry was estimated to be worth nearly USD 160 billion in 2020, and is projected exceed USD 200 billion by 2023. To put that into context, video gaming is bigger than the global music and film industries combined.

Having said this, most of us have played video games – even if it is just on our mobile phones. However, and unlike music, and to a lesser degree film, video games development does not appear to have much of a footing in the Caribbean region. Some key reasons why there might be little traction to date include that we may not fully appreciate:

  • the sheer scale of industry globally
  • the broad range of opportunities that abound globally
  • the opportunities that could be leveraged in the region; and
  • what is happening here on the ground in the region.

In this episode of the Podcast, we start to pull back the curtain on video game development in the Caribbean, and start to provide some insight into the state of video game development in the region, the challenges, but more importantly, the opportunities that we could be leveraging. However, let’s meet our guests.

 

Introducing our guests

Glen Henry (on the left) is the Founder and Projects Director of Spritewrench Studios, a  one-man micro-studio based in Kingston, Jamaica., which tends to focus on smaller, self-contained titles with an emphasis on narrative elements. He is keen to explore ways the Caribbean’s cultural position can influence the stories we tell.

Glen is also the self-proclaimed ‘Loudest Member’ of the Jamaica Game Developer Society (JGDS), which is an informal group of game developers that aims to educate and advocate for the craft of interactive entertainment in Jamaica, and the wider Caribbean.

Graham Reid (on the right) is a Jamaican visual designer and a video game designer, who is based in the United States, and is also a member of the JGDS. He has Bachelor of Fine Arts in Broadcast Design and Motion Graphics, and has worked as a freelance motion graphics designer and animator on a wide variety of jobs for several companies, and presently, he a Visual Designer at Snapchat.

In 2012, Graham along with two other Jamaicans created a game called Shapes & Sound: The Shape Shooter, which was released for Android. Since then, Graham has continued to delve into the world of video game development. His sophomore effort was titled Hecticube for iOS and Android, and he is currently working on Super Space Club which will be his first foray into PC and console development.

 

Insights into our conversation

Glen and Graham are passionate game developers. However, as advocates for the development of the industry in the region, they could have given one-sided responses that supported their positions. In many instances, they sought to highlight the complexities or nuances of some of the issues discussed during the course of our conversation.  Below are the key questions that were posed.

  1. How big is game development in Jamaica, and if you can, can you give us some insight into game development in the wider Caribbean?
  2. What are some of the skills and resources needed to build games?
  3. How could the lucrative nature of the global gaming industry result in economic benefits for Jamaica, for example, or for the Caribbean?
  4. Although the global industry is highly lucrative, it seems to be highly competitive. What are some of the strengths you perceive in the region that could allow us to have some success in that space?  On the other hand, what are some of our weaknesses?
  5. Tell us a little bit about the Jamaica Game Developer Society. What it about, its objectives, and its membership?
  6. Is there a directory or repository of Caribbean games?
  7. To varying degrees, the Caribbean has unique cultural and societal qualities that have appeal globally, and which it could be argued, could be leveraged as games. To what degree is that being done, and do you think the premise expressed is flawed?
  8. Developers are likely to create games based either on their interests, or on trends – what might be hot these days. But these days, and here in the Caribbean, it could be argued that there is a need for games for the education and tourism space, for example. What are your thoughts?
  9. It seems that popular business models for games is either to be free, but relying on ads for revenue, or to use a freemium model. But if one is in the business of games, do those business models really work?
  10. For individuals who want to get into game development, what might be key pieces of advice you would give?

 

We would love to hear from you!

Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages, or via Twitter, @ICTPulse.

 

Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Image credits: Kevin Bidwell (Pexels); cottonbro (Pexels); G Henry; G Reid

Music credit: Ray Holman