For over a week now, Nigerians have been buzzing with excitement about living in a fantasy world created by game creator Shalom Rayhamen, following the “Danfo Run” game, which also took social media by storm for a few days.
The excitement around both games and the willingness of Nigerians to spend hours on a Nigerianized version of popular games like “The Sims” or “Subway Surfers” has opened our eyes to the large market potential for games unique to Nigerians, and it has us wondering: why do Nigerian tech founders keep making fintech companies when there are untapped opportunities?
What is “Lagos Life”?
Lagos Life is a viral browser-based multiplayer life-simulation game created by Shalom Rayhamen, a Nigerian tech enthusiast and software developer.
The game was designed as the Nigerian version of “The Sims” and allows players to navigate a day-to-day virtual life in Lagos, and now in Abuja and Port Harcourt, by finding jobs, earning and spending money, paying rent, buying cars and properties, and socialising. The game was launched on the 1st of October and has already seen over 100,000 concurrent players, with over 5 million players in just nine days.
“Lagos life” runs directly inside a web browser without requiring heavy hardware, large downloads, or app stores, and with the rapid growth, the creator has continued to add new features and improvements at the request of the players. It has reportedly earned the creator over $ 50,000 in ad revenue since its inception and is allegedly valued at $10 million.
Why Do Nigerian Tech Creators Only Create Fintechs?
Tech creators in Nigeria often focus on Fintech because they are an easy market to build on and get into.
Although Nigerians have continued to complain about the constant emergence of fintechs, the tech creators focus heavily on fintech because moving and managing money solves an urgent, universal daily problem and offers a clear, measurable path to revenue in a market where traditional banking systems have historically left gaps.
These fintechs have filled gaps left by traditional banking institutions for decades; however, it has become somewhat the norm for these creators to build only fintech products, without addressing other gaps in the market. The remaining gaps are now being filled by the creators of “Lagos Life” and “Danfo Run”.
Why are Nigerians playing “Lagos Life”?
Nigerians are playing “Lagos Life” because it fills the gap for much-needed Nigerian content that does not necessarily solve financial or educational issues in the country, while also opening Nigerians’ eyes to the financial crisis they are facing.
Many people have said that the game has helped them conceptualise how large certain amounts are and has given them much-needed education in economics. However, the most significant aspect of the game is that it has created a fun and engaging experience for Nigerians who either grew up playing online games that did not reflect their realities or who did have the chance to experience exciting simulation games.
Lagos Life has also created a sense of community and shared experience for Nigerians around the world. The chance for players to create a life for themselves in the game has filled a gap for Nigerians that we didn’t even know existed.
What do we think?
Fintechs may be important, but the oversaturation of products and services offered by most fintech firms in the country has reduced the novelty and made people want more creations and products beyond fintech, a gap now being filled by Shalom Rayhamen’s “Lagos Life.”
