Republikein Newspaper

Enzo Amuele

Lothario Smith, a 17-year-old learner who is currently grade 11, recently launched his first game on both Android and IOS platforms after working on it for more than two months.

Smith, who grew up in Windhoek, mentioned that he has loved to play video games ever since he was a child and developed an interest in learning more about developing them.

“The programming and development of the game took me about two months. Sometimes I would spend 12 hours a day working on it,” he said.

He added that he learnt programming and graphic design through various online courses, articles and books.

The young innovator, whose journey started in 2016, said he was driven to start doing this through boredom, and wanted to bring something new to Namibia, something that inspires others to innovate so that we can grow and develop our country by optimising internet platforms better.

Asked whether he has any interest in this particular industry and whether he is going to study something in the same vein, Smith said: “I have a big goal with the video game industry in Namibia. I want to make it as big as possible, providing more job opportunities so we can reduce the unemployment”.

Opportunities

Smith also aspires to grow the technology market within Namibia as he believes that there is a great future for technology development in Namibia.

“My interest is programming and I am therefore planning to choose it as my field of tertiary studies,” he said.

He believes that more and better access to the internet and web-based platforms can create various opportunities for young people to benefit and to generate income through it going forward.

Team work

‘Highdiving’, the game he developed, was a group effort supported by Paul White, Bradley Sisson, Shali Haulofu, David Beukes and Samkelo Mareka.

The group used their talents as individuals to birth the idea of a new wave of Namibian game developers.

The game is a time-waster, something that keeps the user engaged for hours on end.

The player is portrayed as a skydiver who has to navigate their way through themed levels, avoiding obstacles and challenges in the sky. It is currently available on the Google Play Store and the Apple Store.

Fun facts

He is a driven young person

He is passionate about technology

He is proactively working on new games and developing new opportunities

Smith is always eager to learn new things.