South African indie videogame developer SpaceSalad Studios and famed SA cartoonist Jonathan ‘Zapiro‘ Shapiro have joined creative forces for Point of Order (P.O.O) Weekly, a new South African presidential decision-making simulator game.
Slated for release ahead of the country’s upcoming general elections, P.O.O Weekly features a “satirical and parody-style format” as a vessel for its educational content. It “aims to educate, engage and empower” SA youths to address the concerning trend of low voter engagement and “educate players about the complexities of governance”.
Getting P.O.O in your SpaceSalad
As educational as it’s trying to be, we’ve no doubt there will still be plenty of fun on offer, judging by SpaceSalad Studios’ description:
“A game about South African Political Satire and Parody based on real historical events. Players pick their favorite political figure playing solo or teaming up with friends to create a coalition government in an attempt to fight social ills from the past and make sense of the current political state. This game is on PC and will be on Mobile with a voting poll feature to encourage the Youth of South Africa to Vote.”
With the addition of Shapiro as creative director of P.O.O Weekly, the cartoonist’s extensive experience with political satire “adds depth and authenticity to the game’s narrative.”
“We’ve aimed to provide players with an engaging and interactive experience that educates them about political processes while promoting critical thinking and civic engagement. The game provides a realistic and immersive experience in which players navigate through various scenarios, make policy decisions, and address critical issues facing their country,” said Thabo Tsolo, CEO and game designer at SpaceSalad Studios.
Tackling societal issues like voter engagement is nothing new for SpaceSalad Studios. It’s been doing so since it was founded in 2019, tackling similar issues like global warming, and animal poaching, or teaching young black girls how to take care of their hair in other titles.
A demo of P.O.O Weekly will be available on 22 May 2024 on the developer’s website via the Itch.io game store.
