WATCH: Two Springs friends launch debut video game on Android
Two friends from Springs have created and designed a mobile game which will soon be launched on Google's Android system application.
Gustav van Rooyen (25) , a former Dr Johan Jurgens High School learner, and Hugo Hewitt (29), formerly from Hoërskool Hugenote, have a passion for the gaming industry and will make their debut in the video game industry with ”The Witch of Erast”.
When the two friends decided to become serious about the gaming industry, they created Givit Game Studios, which they own together.
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“The Witch of Erast was based on a very basic concept and is an educational game for younger children,” explains Gustav.
Hugo, being the artistic partner, is the ”magician” behind the drawings, graphics and designs of the game, while Gustav is the brains behind the programming and coding.
The pair have been taking part in the Ludum Dare competitions for a few years, where they truly discovered their love for developing video games.
“Ludum Dare is a competition where developers have 72 hours to come up with a concept and develop the game from scratch,” says Gustav.
During these competitions, they have developed three games, namely:
The two game developers decided to create their own ”little witch” in The Witch of Erast, to bring about a positive message to the player.
Azelea White, the character in the game, is voiced by Anmari van Achterbergh, also from Springs and a former Hoërskool Hugenote student.
“Hugo and I decided to ask Anna [Anmari] to voice the character of Azelea White and she did an amazing job,” says Gustav.
He explains that Givit Game Studios is an indie developer studio, which means that it is entirely self-funding.
“We do everything ourselves and are incredibly proud of what we have accomplished so far.”
Hugo, who was in Bloemfontein at the time of the interview, explains telephonically that he and Gustav are completely in sync with each other.
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“He explains his idea to me and I do my best to design his concept before showing it to him, and it is usually exactly what he wanted; we understand each other,” Hugo says fondly.
“We see things more or less the same.”
Gustav explains that the game will be launched on Android next week, but he doesn’t have an exact date yet.
The partners are also planning to launch the game on iOS during the course of the month.
The tablet and iPad versions of the game will be launched at the end of 2016.
For downloads of the free games, or more information, visit their website at www.givitgames.co.za
