Prosearium is an initiative to increase the participation of African women in game development by documenting 1,000 women of all backgrounds and their experiences creating and contributing to games.
The Prosearium website aims to be a “digital garden of experiences” documenting African women’s experience in game development. Founded by South Africa-based game developer and community organiser, Sithe Ncube, Prosearium.net is a step towards increasing the participation of African women in game development and carving a space for themselves in the continent’s digital history.
Sithe Ncube has been an active member of the African game development community since 2013, beginning with organising community events in her hometown Lusaka, Zambia. She believes that more Africans should have a visible stake in the game development industry and benefit financially, culturally and socially from telling their own stories. She does her part in encouraging more people to make games by facilitating introductory game development and interactive fiction workshops.
Sithe Ncube says: “The games industry is still growing, and its global revenue has exceeded that of the film industry. However, very few games have any representation of African women through their characters, stories, and even their creators. Prosearium.net would like to take a step forward to increase the participation of African women in game development and carve a space in the continent’s digital history.”
Through a series of virtual and in person workshops, support resources as well as hands on development experience, Prosearium has ambitions to increase the visibility of female developers and their games.
Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about entertainments and storytelling of all kinds.
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