Hurrah! GameBaba Universe clocked two years this month. I remember how surreal it felt when I hit the publish button after writing the first post in January 2023. Yes, surreal, because since I embraced freelance writing in 2015, my dream has always been to have a platform where I could share my passion.
GameBaba Universe is a nostalgic journey inspired by my childhood obsession with video games. I remember vividly how I fought Electro in Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro and Jackie Chan Stuntmaster on PS1. These two games hold a dear place in my memory bank.
I started GameBaba Universe partly because I wanted to share a part of my inner self that has stayed dormant for many years and yearned for freedom. I believed that sharing that part of me would also help me connect with like minds in the industry, but did it?
Absolutely! I have met lots of amazing people these past two years. From discussing our interests in games and how today’s games have become more about cutscenes than actual gameplay to talking about the mass layoffs and studio closures in the industry—there has never been a moment free of buzz and drama.
Talking about drama, it sometimes feels as if I started GameBaba Universe at the wrong time. A large number of our posts these last two years have been about layoffs and studio closures and it has been nauseating.
Sometimes I feel like closing shop and giving this thing a rest, but then, I remember the second reason why I took the bold move to start GameBaba Universe—to help bring African game developers working in Africa to the limelight.
What has changed about the dream for GameBaba Universe?
Have I and my team achieved all the goals for setting up GameBaba Universe? No! Tracking down African video game developers has not been an easy feat. Many of the ones we have approached simply don’t want to grant us an interview—probably because they think we don’t have the number to effect any real change.
Are they right? Maybe!
While my goal for GameBaba Universe has not wavered, I took a different approach to get the numbers that will make people take us seriously. My team and I started covering news and writing opinion pieces about important events in the video game industry.
We also started writing guides. All of these efforts have come together to help us grow our organic visitors and attract like minds who were ready to offer us stipends to get their guest posts on our platform.
We appreciate everyone who has published a guest post with us or purchased on Amazon using our affiliate link. You are the real MVPs. All those efforts contribute positively and meaningfully to the continuous sustenance of GameBaba Universe. We hope to welcome more guest posts in 2025. Some of the memorable events on GameBaba Universe these last two years include:
Our big interview with an eSports legend
One of the high points of 2024 was our interview with an eSports legend, Bambina. She shared her journey with us including some of the challenges holding back eSports in Africa and the way forward.
Ranking for target keywords
If you are familiar with SEO, you will understand how difficult it is to rank on the first page of Google’s search engine results and how important it is to hit those sweet spots. Several of our posts have achieved this feat including our detained description of playing a physical PS5 console on Tesla.
Building domain authority
Everything GameBaba Universe has done to date has been organic. No paid backlinks. No paid promotions. Our domain authority started from the ground and is gradually crawling all the way up.
YouTube Channel
Our YouTube channel took off last year. The goal has always been to have every news post turned into a video so that those who may be too busy to read can watch the videos and get the full picture. Due to several constraints, we were unable to keep up with this but we are hopeful that 2025 will be better. Please subscribe to our channel and help us grow.
What’s lies ahead for GameBaba Universe?
At the moment, it doesn’t seem as if we have done anything for African gamedevs who happen to be at the core of our existence. However, our eyes are still on the goal. We just realized that there are different ways to catch a mouse. This year, I hope to connect with more gamedevs in Africa and share their stories.
We hope to have more interviews this year to bring personal opinions of different professionals in the industry to burning issues. Most importantly, we aim to have these interviews share unconventional knowledge that would make people say, “Was that really possible?” Keep your fingers crossed.
Finally, to all our readers, I want to tell you that you are highly loved and valued. Thank you! As we continue to evolve, we listen to every piece of feedback and assure you that your suggestions are welcome (both good and bad).
Together, we can make an even more memorable year! Hope it is not too late to say Happy 2025 and welcome to another year of making magic together.
