![\"Zumagotchi](\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Zumagotchi-screen.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cAs a work of satire, the joy is in the laughs it\u2019ll bring. So while the game is designed to be fun to play (and we hope it is), it\u2019s really all about delivering smiles by the truckload,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n
The Zumagotchi website contains various quotes poking fun at President Jacob Zuma, including \u201cIf I had to give Zumagotchi a review out of 100, I\u2019d score it 939 million, 3 thousand and 60 thousand\u201d; and \u201cIt\u2019s hard to believe this website cost less than 40 million rand to develop\u201d.<\/p>\n
Queried about the mechanic of the game, the developers said that the Zumagotchi has 3 sliders that must be managed: Hunger, energy, and fun.<\/p>\n
They did not want to give away any of the jokes in the interview, but said that there are various ways players will be able to ensure that the Zumagotchi\u2019s hunger levels are low, while fun and energy levels have to be kept up.<\/p>\n
Commentary that comes up during the \u201cmini-games\u201d (which affect the Zumagotchi\u2019s fun levels) revolve around Marikana, flinging poo at Helen Zille, and E-tolls, the developers said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the type of project that could put video gaming on the map in South Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully people will sit up and think: \u2018they\u2019re actually charging money for it; it actually has a bit of message; and it\u2019s not just shooting hookers in the face\u2019 (which is what people think games are all about),\u201d they said.<\/p>\n
The game is available through the Zumagotchi website<\/a> for R29.99.<\/p>\n Update<\/strong>: In response to criticism about the last quotation in the above article, a spokesperson for Zumagotci provided the following statement:<\/p>\n It seems people are misunderstanding my sentiments about \u201cputting gaming on the map\u201d in South Africa. I didn\u2019t mean bringing it to the attention of gamers, and those who are already actively involved in SA\u2019s burgeoning gaming community. I meant bringing it to the attention of the broader South African public. To the people who don\u2019t play games, the people who are unaware of its power as an art form.<\/p>\n I\u2019m fully aware that there\u2019s a thriving game development community in South Africa. I\u2019m fully aware of the existence of Make Games SA. I\u2019m fully aware that SA-made games are gathering attention all over the world. But just as a comment beneath your article points out, the average South African is not aware of this. Zumagotchi has the power to make them aware of this, because it could encourage them to go further down the local gaming scene\u2019s rabbit hole.<\/p>\n If it encourages even one South African to discover that SA is full of opportunities for game development, or that games can be far broader in their purpose than they\u2019d expect, then Zumagotchi has been a success. So my intention was not to accidentally belittle the awesome work our local developers do, and I\u2019m sorry that that\u2019s how people have interpreted it. I should\u2019ve probably been clearer with my statements.<\/p>\n Zumagotchi\u2019s power doesn\u2019t lie in the fact that it\u2019s a video game. Its power exists because it\u2019s a statement, not only thanks to its obvious political undertones, but because it highlights the boundless potential of video games. Its power doesn\u2019t lie in the fact that it\u2019ll get gamers talking (which it already has). Its power is that it\u2019ll get EVERYONE talking. All South Africans. All over the world. Even though Zumagotchi is a silly, funny little thing, it\u2019ll force them to realise the power of video games (even if it\u2019s only subconsciously).<\/p>\n Brett Murray\u2019s painting of The Spear had all South Africans rediscovering the power of traditional art, and had them all talking and debating and arguing and laughing and visiting art galleries and shouting at one another.<\/p>\n Zumagotchi could have the average South African discovering, perhaps for the first time, that these things, these video games you and I have loved for so long, have that exact same power. And maybe it\u2019ll encourage people to share our love for them, to pay attention to video games, to play them and appreciate them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And perhaps even to engage in the tumultuous journey of making their own video games.<\/p>\n This article first appeared on MyBroadband<\/a>.<\/p>\n ANC brought SA back from brink of disaster: Zuma<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Zuma to step up affirmative action<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nMore on Jacob Zuma<\/h3>\n