The rise of several African professional gamers to the world stage in the last few years is not the making of a rare coincidence, but the product of many organizations and companies interested in including African people in this full-of-opportunities emerging industry.

Kevin Meltzer is the CEO and Co-Founder of Big5 Games, one of the companies building bridges between Africans and the gaming industry. Originally from Zimbabwe, Kevin lives in Johannesburg; he is an active speaker at technology and gaming events and a true believer that the gaming market offers countless career opportunities. He hopes that instead of a big actor or traditional sports star in the future, young Africans would want to become the next gaming star.

In this episode, Kevin talks to Dr. Marc about the future of gaming in Africa, mobile gaming, the lack of parenting support for gamers, and what African countries need right now to develop the esports industry faster. Kevin kindly shares his vision on the power of gaming to bring people together, breaking racial, gender, or any other type of oppression towards minorities. He also shares his number one networking tip!

To learn more about Big5 Games, visit: https://www.big5games.com/

Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-meltzer-960b1/

Or Twitter: https://twitter.com/kmeltzer

To connect with Dr. Marc, visit:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/docspitsfire06

Or

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/docspitsfire06/

Full Episode Breakdown:

10:37 – Dr. Marc introduces today’s guest.

14:42 – Kevin introduces himself and talks a bit about his background.

19:36 – Kevin talks a bit about the opportunities his company is offering to Africa’s youth in the gaming industry.

25:20 – Dr. Marc explains the importance of reading, being curious, and growing as human beings.

32:03 – Kevin talks about the challenges he faces explaining to African parents about career opportunities for gamers.

35:37 – Kevin explain why the idea is getting kids more excited about games than esports.

39:13 – Kevin talks about what he believes Nelson Mandela would have said about African gamers, and especially African kids gamers.

45:26 – Kevin explains the advantages of focusing on the positive side of the pandemic and what the acceleration of the virtual connection can offer.

50:07 – Dr. Marc asks Kevin about his parents’ influence in making him see good in every person and what companies can do to create pathways for minorities into the industry.

55:07 – Kevin gives a little background on Zimbabwe’s independence and how what he lived during his childhood make him focus on innovation.

59:33 – Kevin speaks about what companies should do to be more connected with their audiences.

1:02:03 – Dr. Marc offers his perspective on equality in the corporate world and wraps up the episode.