Global Press Institute by Irene Zih Fon Sunday 22nd March, 2015
DOUALA, CAMEROON - After school on a Wednesday afternoon, Prosper Mawelet, 14, walks into the Knowledge and Business Center, a cybercafe in Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon.
Still dressed in his blue school uniform, Prosper takes a seat before a TV screen in the cafes gaming room, picks up a controller and begins playing video football.
The room is full of boys Prospers age, each facing a Sony PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 game console with a controller in hand. They are so focused that commotion in the room doesnt distract them. They shout in excitement when they win and jeer each other when they lose.
While some of these boys love to play and watch live football, they play video games with the same eager, intense expressions.
Prosper discovered the gaming room a few months ago while running an errand. Since then, he has played video games almost daily. He pays 300 Central African francs (50 cents) an hour to play, and he plays about three hours each session. Over a month, Prospers gaming fees could go a long way toward renting a room in this port city.
Like Prosper, most boys play with pocket money they get from their parents.
Prosper often plays as Lionel Messi, the Argentine football star, in a game that mimics play in the Champions League of the Union of European Football Associations. The UEFA Champions League is the most prestigious club competition in European football.
Prosper says he plays video football to unwind.I feel happy and relaxed when playing video games, he says.
Teen boys and young men in Cameroon are increasingly playing video games that let them control virtual versions of some of the worlds top football stars.
These days, acting as Messi and other sports superstars through video games like Pro Evolution Soccer and the FIFA Football series is just as good as watching the stars on television, or even playing the game themselves, some of them say.
As more gaming rooms open in Cameroon, top video players amass fans just like their counterparts on stadium turf.
But some parents say the influx of gaming rooms isnt good for their sons, and some experts agree. If it is not kept in check, the gaming habit might negatively affect boys social behavior, they say.
Video games have become popular among Cameroonian teenagers over the past decade and a half, says Nkensa Mayou, technical manager at the Knowledge and Business Center in Doualas Bonamoussadi neighborhood, where Prosper often plays. The center opened in July 2014.
Initially, people played the games in their homes, he says. But in recent years, gaming rooms have sprouted up in the city. Boys and young men now spend hours playing video games in such rooms every day.
No studies have been conducted on how extensively Cameroonians play video games, but Mayou says the market is big.
Competition is stiff, Mayou says. Many entrepreneurs have opened gaming rooms in Douala, aiming to cash in on the trend; there are about four other gaming sites in the Bonamoussadi neighborhood alone. Some struggle, but most well-placed establishments do well.
Every game room that opens here in Douala with sufficient visibility is bound to be successful, he says.
Mayous gaming room, which has six gaming stations with Sony PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles, operates 12 hours a day. The room is mostly crowded once Douala high schools let out at noon on Wednesdays and 2 p.m. other schooldays.
Most boys play for one and a half to three hours at a time, Mayou says. The most popular games are those that mimic UEFA Champions League tournaments.
Video games account for about 40 percent of the cybercafes revenue, Mayou says. In a good month such as December, when schools were closed gaming brings in 150,000 francs ($260) to 250,000 francs ($430).
It is working beautifully, he says. It is a big added value for the enterprise to have a game room.
Arsene Kingue, a 14-year-old Douala high school student, says his mother encourages him to play games to avoid getting stressed by school work.
When he was younger, he played video games at home, but now he plays at cybercafes near his home when he has time.
Video games help one to forget certain things, Arsene says. We cannot study without some form of distraction.
His schoolmate Jordy Ateba, 14, also plays video games for relaxation.
Jordy plays at cybercafes five times a week, between Monday and Saturday. He plays for two to three hours on weekdays and for about two hours on Saturday mornings.
As you keep playing, you keep wanting to play it more and more, Jordy says. It is so real that you fall in love.
DOUALA, CAMEROON After school on a Wednesday, Prosper Mawelet, 14, walks into the Knowledge and Business Center, a cybercafe in Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon.
Prosper takes a seat before a TV screen in the cafes gaming room, picks up a controller and begins playing video football.
The room is full of boys Prospers age, each facing a Sony PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 game console with a controller in hand. They are so focused that commotion in the room doesnt distract them. They shout in excitement when they win and jeer each other when they lose.
While some of these boys love to play and watch live football, they play video games with the same eager, intense expressions.
Prosper discovered the gaming room a few months ago on an errand. Since then, he has played video games almost daily. He pays 300 Central African francs (50 cents) an hour to play, and he plays about three hours each session.
Most boys play with pocket money they get from their parents.
Prosper often plays as Lionel Messi, the Argentine football star, in a game that mimics play in the Champions League of the Union of European Football Associations.
Prosper plays video football to unwind.
I feel happy and relaxed when playing video games, he says.
Teen boys and young men in Cameroon are increasingly playing video games that let them control virtual versions of some of the worlds top football stars.
Video gaming is good for teenagers, promoters say. Fantasizing that they are playing like the stars they admire gives them a feeling of adventure, says Nkensa Mayou, technical manager at the Knowledge and Business Center in Douala, where Prosper often plays.
When you are playing a game, you really step out of this world and you get into a world of magic, a world of stardom, he says.
But some parents say the influx of gaming rooms isnt good for their sons, and some experts agree. If it is not kept in check, the gaming habit might hurt boys social behavior, they say.
Studies link video game addiction to depression, poor school performance, misconduct and other problems.
Evidence from Asia indicates young men are prone to becoming addicted to Internet gaming, according to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the book used internationally to diagnose psychiatric disorders.
The studies suggest that when these individuals are engrossed in Internet games, certain pathways in their brains are triggered in the same direct and intense way that a drug addicts brain is affected by a particular substance, according to the DSM-5. The . . . result, in the extreme, is manifested as addictive behavior.
However, at least one Douala mother thinks her son benefits from the hours he spends gaming. Arsene Kingue, a 14-year-old high school student who plays at cybercafes, says his mother encourages him to play to avoid getting stressed by schoolwork.
Video games help one to forget certain things, Arsene says. We cannot study without some form of distraction.
Teen boys and young men in Cameroon are increasingly playing video games that let them control virtual versions of some of the worlds top football stars. Acting as Messi and other sports superstars through video games is just as good as watching the stars on television, or even playing the game themselves, some of them say.
But some parents say the influx of gaming rooms isnt good for their sons, and some experts agree. If it is not kept in check, the gaming habit might negatively affect boys social behavior, they say.
When you are playing a game, you really step out of this world and you get into a world of magic, a world of stardom.
Nkensa Mayou, technical manager at a Douala cybercafe that offers video games
Over the past decade and a half, Cameroonian teenagers who previously played video games at home have begun playing them at proliferating gaming rooms where they can tackle their digital challenges shoulder to shoulder. Boys and young men now spend hours playing video games in such rooms every day.
But some parents say the influx of gaming rooms isnt good for their sons, and some experts agree. If it is not kept in check, the gaming habit might hurt boys social behavior, they say. Studies link video game addiction to depression, poor school performance, misconduct and other problems.
Evidence from Asia indicates young men are especially prone to becoming addicted to Internet video gaming, according to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the book used internationally to diagnose psychiatric disorders.
As you keep playing, you keep wanting to play it more and more. It is so real that you fall in love.
Jordy Ateba, 14, of Douala, avid video gamer
It is a hype thing. If you play it, it means that you are in vogue amid a crowd.
Savage Njikam, a lecturer and the head of the anthropology department at the University of Douala
Every game room that opens here in Douala with sufficient visibility is bound to be successful.
Nkensa Mayou, technical manager at the Knowledge and Business Center in Douala, Cameroon
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