PlayStation arcades make for good business in Africa

PlayStation centers are cropping up in Sierra Leone Africa, providing a good business opportunity for store owners.

Freetown, Sierra Leone (Africa)

Freetown, Sierra Leone

FREETOWN -- For Emmanuel Bangura, owner of a video game center on Kissy Road in the eastern part of Freetown, PlayStation arcades are a good business because it generates up to $40 or more for him in a day.

"I have even bought a car out of this business," he said.

In Sierra Leone, where workers have an average annual income of about $240, making $40 in a day is lucrative. Bangura started the center last year.

Across Freetown, the nation's capital city of about a million people, it is estimated that there are over 800 PlayStation centers, usually filled with young people who want to play the latest virtual football game or adventure titles like "The Matrix."

Though more than half of Sierra Leone's population is under the age of 30, another owner of a video game center, Abdulai Bah, said the games are not only played by school children but office workers, who visit mostly during weekends.

He said some gamers play for three hours while others pay up to $6.70 to play for the whole day. It costs $0.33 to play a round of the game. A video game console can run on 10 liters of fuel in a generator for a day if there is a cut in power supply from the national grid. Bah added that some players even take bets on their gaming prowess.

Ibrahim Kargbo, a student from the Albert Academy School, said his love for the game is extreme and he cannot study well if he skips even a day.

Game players love the animation so much that they consider playing video games to be on par with watching their favorite English Premier League, Seria A and La Liga players.

While other consoles are available, the PS2 is the most popular in commercial gaming centers, which focus on easy-to-understand, two player games. Screens project the action for players, who range from eight to 30 years of age.

The PlayStation Portable is also creeping into the market. Lamin Bangura, a young player, said the PSP is not as common as the console version and most people who own PSPs in Freetown have received them as gifts from loved ones abroad. A used UMD with a movie on it goes for $10 on the streets, and is yet to be stocked by game accessory dealers.

THE VERDICT by Blake Snow Blake Snow's Avatar I love this story. I went to multiple console arcades in Brazil in '99 (it was PS1s back then) but had no idea it was still a thriving business internationally. Awesome!

Comments [41]

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Toneman

I should open up a Wii arcade @ home... for all those people that still can't find it in stores hahahah

PaganFest

Toneman Posted at: 04/21/08 at 11:38 AM PST I should open up a Wii arcade @ home... for all those people that still can't find it in stores hahahah
LOL! Genius!!

ticl

wow i bet in the netherlands where they all are stoned the 360 would be great. every1 could look at the pretty red lights.lol

AANTHUNDER

They make these sort of arcades in Mexico too. I have a cousin that opend his back spare room into an arcade a few years ago.He had asked me to pick up some titles for him and ship them to him. He requested MK,SF (anything) racing games and FPS . No adventure games, they take too long. he made good money from his venture. Then he wanted me ship him DVD's and CD's too. I dropped him like a bad habit.

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