Gaming has grown from a small-time hobby to a full-blown profession over the last few years. And while South Africa was slow to adopt, they are now fully embracing the culture. Reed Pop is fully on top of this and at Comic-Con Africa will be Hosting the Business of Gaming Forum. This will take place on 23 September 2019, alongside Comic Con Africa Gallagher Convention Centre.

Well, it is all about informing and showcasing a wide range of opportunities within the gaming sector. This will predominantly focus on eSports, branded gaming and game development. With the growth of 19.8% in 2017, that is expecting the extend to 20.2% by 2022. It is clear that gaming will have long viable life in SA. In fact, there has been a surge within learning institutions at Wits and Vega for fields within the sector.

So is the forum all about?

The forum will comprise of discussions and presentations by international and local keynote speakers. These speakers are leaders in their respective fields either on the more business end or purely at a developmental level. They will touch on the current subject matter within the gaming industry. Carol Weaving, Managing Director of Reed Pop Exhibitions who is both the owner and organizer of the forum says; “It is for those serious about the various enterprises relevant to the gaming sector, and topics such as, The overview of the South African gaming landscape. And Why South African game development is a great market for investment, will offer thorough insight into this ever-growing industry.”

As indicated by PWC Entertainment and Media, back in 2017 casual/social gaming overtook traditional gaming. With casual raking in R1.6 billion just ahead of tradition at R1.4 billion. This has continued to grow and is a very lucrative industry.

Sam Wright aka Tech Girl who is very much in sync with the gaming world both local and international will also be attending. This would be great for those hoping to establish gaming-centric social channels or content creation. There will also be panel discussions such as How to level-up – The secret to branded gaming and What the African gaming ecosystem needs to grow.

And as per Press Release, the following are but a key topics that will be addressed:

International keynote speakers include representatives from the Forum’s international media partner; Esports Insider. Sam Cooke, Managing Director and Co-Founder Ollie Ring, Head of Business Development and Media at Esports Insider. He will be discussing Future-proofing your Esports and gaming brand and why the time to act is now .

. From India, Akshat Rathee, an experienced serial entrepreneur. He recently left NODWIN gaming to join Nazara Gaming, has a history of working in the start-up space. He will be sharing his expertise in gaming, telecommunications, and venture capital as part of a talk entitled The business of Esports and how the ecosystem makes money .

. Other program highlights include Ben Myers, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Nyamakop Games, “one of the most promising studios in African game development” as described by Polygon. He will be presenting Squeezing into the Industry: The Lateral Development of Semblance, as well as topics such as The business of game development among others.

The Forum is directed at business investors, brand executives, brand agencies and managers as well as content creators, game developer and esports businesses. They are encouraged to register for the full-day forum to be a part of the engaging discussions, networking opportunities as well as a tour of Comic-Con Africa.

Seats are limited and booking in advance for The Business of Gaming Forum is advised.

For more information, as well as for delegate packages and prices for the conference on the 23rd of September 2019, please visit www.businessofgaming.co.za.