It is not easy being a gamer in Nigeria. The Nigerian society is not as technologically advanced as many other countries (for example, the UK and USA), which naturally means that the video-gaming industry in Nigeria is not adequately catered for. The Nigerian gamer faces a lot of unnecessary issues due to this fact, and here are some of these ordeals we have to go through-
5) Knowing that NEPA/PHCN will destroy your game/console;
NEPA/PHCN is the sole electricity provider in Nigeria which continuously fails to deliver constant electricity. It is bad enough that Nigerian gamers have only few hours everyday to play their favourite games due to a national case of epileptic power supply but the real kicker is that the unexpected “cutting and bringing-back” of electricity destroys electronics. When NEPA/PHCN brings back electricity after a period of power outage, it sometimes comes with a high voltage which can burn or blow up your gaming console and other household electronics. Even with a UPS or stabilizer you aren’t always safe- NEPA/PHCN once blew up my PS2 console with a stabilizer.
Unfortunately, there is another way that NEPA/PHCN can destroy your console- if there is a power outage during a process in your gameplay/console functions that shouldn’t be interrupted. When this happens, it at times creates corrupt data. This could be bad for your console if it happens constantly.
4) The frustration from NEPA/PHCN power outage when you are at an important stage;
Imagine playing a difficult game and you manage to clear the stage but as you are about to save, there is a power outage (NEPA/PHCN takes the light). The anger, the frustration, the butthurt! All your hard work in your game goes out the window just because you live in a country that refuses to give constant electric power supply.
There is even a worse scenario with power outages- a situation in which you are beating your friend at a competitive game (eg FIFA, PES, Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter) but then NEPA/PHCN strikes and the electricity goes off. It is an annoying situation that is only exacerbated by the smirk on the face of the friend that should have lost. I cannot count how many times some of my friends narrowly escaped defeat at PES (Pro Evolution Soccer) to my attacking prowess because of NEPA/PHCN.
3) Online gaming is hampered by poor internet services;
If you manage to get a good internet service provider with fast broadband speeds in Nigeria, your internet bill will surely be a huge monthly amount. Internet in Nigeria is an expensive service- fast broadband is cheaper in the UK than Nigeria. £30 (30 Pounds) a month in the UK will get you on many unlimited broadband plans but in Nigeria, the best such can get you is a 40 Gigabyte limited download plan. It also goes without saying that most of the internet service providers in Nigeria give slow download speeds that are not good enough for online gaming.
2) Everything is imported- from the consoles to the in-game storylines;
Nigeria does not produce games. Yes, pirated games do not count as “production”. Buying videogames, consoles and PC’s in Nigeria is a nightmare because they are more expensive due to the importation costs added on by the retailers. A problem with the importation is that most retailers in Nigeria can not give warranties on the hardware as they are just resellers rather than accredited distributors.
Going deeper into issue, one has to wonder when we will get Nigerian characters or storylines in the games we play? Yes, there are some mobile games designed by Nigerians but they are not hardcore games nor do they sell in the hundreds of thousands.
1) The negative stereotypes from “non-gaming” family and friends
Gamers generally get stereotyped as “lazy” or “immature” or “anti-social” people by non-gamers (people who don’t play videogames). It is a universal issue but in Nigeria, it is arguably 10 times worse due to the fact that the country is not technologically advanced nor is it a liberal country. Furthermore, Nigeria is a very social country where it is culturally expected for everyone to socialize. It is not like in New York or in London where everyone just stares at each other in the subway trains without talking to each other- in Nigeria, passengers chat in public transport. In short, introverted behaviour is not encouraged here.
The typical Nigerian parent will rain curses on their middle-aged child that they catch playing videogames- “See this agbaya! Your mates are getting married with children and you are playing cartoon!”.
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5) Knowing that NEPA/PHCN will destroy your game/console;
NEPA/PHCN is the sole electricity provider in Nigeria which continuously fails to deliver constant electricity. It is bad enough that Nigerian gamers have only few hours everyday to play their favourite games due to a national case of epileptic power supply but the real kicker is that the unexpected “cutting and bringing-back” of electricity destroys electronics. When NEPA/PHCN brings back electricity after a period of power outage, it sometimes comes with a high voltage which can burn or blow up your gaming console and other household electronics. Even with a UPS or stabilizer you aren’t always safe- NEPA/PHCN once blew up my PS2 console with a stabilizer.
Unfortunately, there is another way that NEPA/PHCN can destroy your console- if there is a power outage during a process in your gameplay/console functions that shouldn’t be interrupted. When this happens, it at times creates corrupt data. This could be bad for your console if it happens constantly.
4) The frustration from NEPA/PHCN power outage when you are at an important stage;
Imagine playing a difficult game and you manage to clear the stage but as you are about to save, there is a power outage (NEPA/PHCN takes the light). The anger, the frustration, the butthurt! All your hard work in your game goes out the window just because you live in a country that refuses to give constant electric power supply.
There is even a worse scenario with power outages- a situation in which you are beating your friend at a competitive game (eg FIFA, PES, Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter) but then NEPA/PHCN strikes and the electricity goes off. It is an annoying situation that is only exacerbated by the smirk on the face of the friend that should have lost. I cannot count how many times some of my friends narrowly escaped defeat at PES (Pro Evolution Soccer) to my attacking prowess because of NEPA/PHCN.
3) Online gaming is hampered by poor internet services;
If you manage to get a good internet service provider with fast broadband speeds in Nigeria, your internet bill will surely be a huge monthly amount. Internet in Nigeria is an expensive service- fast broadband is cheaper in the UK than Nigeria. £30 (30 Pounds) a month in the UK will get you on many unlimited broadband plans but in Nigeria, the best such can get you is a 40 Gigabyte limited download plan. It also goes without saying that most of the internet service providers in Nigeria give slow download speeds that are not good enough for online gaming.
2) Everything is imported- from the consoles to the in-game storylines;
Nigeria does not produce games. Yes, pirated games do not count as “production”. Buying videogames, consoles and PC’s in Nigeria is a nightmare because they are more expensive due to the importation costs added on by the retailers. A problem with the importation is that most retailers in Nigeria can not give warranties on the hardware as they are just resellers rather than accredited distributors.
Going deeper into issue, one has to wonder when we will get Nigerian characters or storylines in the games we play? Yes, there are some mobile games designed by Nigerians but they are not hardcore games nor do they sell in the hundreds of thousands.
1) The negative stereotypes from “non-gaming” family and friends
Gamers generally get stereotyped as “lazy” or “immature” or “anti-social” people by non-gamers (people who don’t play videogames). It is a universal issue but in Nigeria, it is arguably 10 times worse due to the fact that the country is not technologically advanced nor is it a liberal country. Furthermore, Nigeria is a very social country where it is culturally expected for everyone to socialize. It is not like in New York or in London where everyone just stares at each other in the subway trains without talking to each other- in Nigeria, passengers chat in public transport. In short, introverted behaviour is not encouraged here.
The typical Nigerian parent will rain curses on their middle-aged child that they catch playing videogames- “See this agbaya! Your mates are getting married with children and you are playing cartoon!”.
sauce
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