Nigerian soccer joins video game big league as local stars get avatars
08/07/2022 10:00
By Seun Sanni
LAGOS, July 8 (Reuters) - A sports fan and computer coder,
Nigerian Victor Daniel became adept at soccer video games at
university.
But he grew frustrated that they showcased clubs and players
from across Europe but not the stars and strips of his native
country.
Three years of tinkering and hundreds of lines of code later
he remedied that omission, launching what he believes is the
first African soccer game - Vikseen Virtual.
It's a modified version of Japanese game-maker Konami's
copyright-free blockbuster simulation Pro Evolution Soccer, and
features 50 clubs and more than 1,400 players from Nigeria's top
leagues.
Though Daniel's modification has only been downloaded a few
dozen times since he launched it in May, it's already won
plaudits on the pitch and on the sofa.
Harrison Austin, a footballer at Ikorodu City FC, a
second-tier professional club in Lagos state, said having his
own digital avatar could boost his chances of being scouted.
On the sidelines of a training session, Ikorodu City FC
owner Oluwatoyin Gafar said Vikseen Virtual would help promote
the club.
"It is going to increase funding, it is going to increase
the followership, and it is going to create additional
awareness," Gafar said.
Another fan is Lagos gamer Udom Ukeme.
"I like the game because it is my nation's game. I can see
people that I know inside the game," he said as he and a friend
sat on a stripy sofa in his sitting room, smashing the buttons
of a video game controller.
Daniel hopes to broaden Vikseen Virtual's appeal further by
introducing teams from across the continent, and including
African music and commentators.
(Additional reporting by Angela Ukomadu; editing by John
Stonestreet
Writing by Hereward Holland
Editing by James Macharia Chege)
((hereward.holland@thomsonreuters.com; +254 20 499 1232;
Reuters Messaging:
hereward.holland.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))