Digital Games, African Development, and Gender Equality: A Comparative Analysis of “Family Values” and “Moraba”

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Abstract

almost a decade, with mixed results. While early games were aimed at audiences in the Global North, the growing field has come to include games created specifically as on-the-ground-development interventions for audiences in the Global South. This paper analyzes two such games, USAID supported “Family Values,” and United Nations Women Southern Africa office commissioned “Moraba,” both of which are aimed at tackling gender inequality within specific regions of Africa.

By analyzing the discourse around gender and equality integrated into “Family Values” and “Moraba,” this paper highlights how issues of and solutions to gender equity are conceptualized in these games, situating them within a broader discourse on gender, development and technology. Further, it points to the political economic implications of these games as material products by considering the organizational locality, funding strategies and production practices behind them.

Author

• Irma Jolene Fisher, U of Oregon