Top 10 video games that use Africa as a setting
Following a trend in movies, Africa does not feature heavily as video game locations. This could be due to multiple factors including cost, infrastructure and the positing of Africa as this undiscovered savage land. However, there are a few games that have an African setting (or a level based in Africa) and even though some depict Africa poorly, at least we get some screen time.
Cabela’s African safari
This one makes sense as I would imagine Cabela’s UK safari to be quite boring (unless hunting rabbits is your thing)
Far Cry 2
Far Cry 2 is a lot like Cabela in that you can go on safari if you like, but you will have much more fun trying to overthrow ‘The Jackal’. If only my car didn’t break down so often.
Fifa World Cup 2010
Capturing the fever of the World Cup, this game had everything – great venues, wonderfully African soundtrack and best of all, Vuvuzelas!
Resident Evil 5
RE 5 received a lot of flak when it released for portraying African’s as being savage barbaric beasts. It’s weird that RE 4 did not face the same backlash (Eastern European savages are less controversial). Did Capcom learn its lesson? Nope. That’s why Resident Evil 6 will be based in China!
GTC Africa
One of my favourite games to feature Africa, GTC Africa let you race across various African locales including Cape Town. I have fond memories of dragging my dad to the tv just so that he could watch me drive past Table Mountain.
Rainbow six Lockdown
First mission is in Pretoria where you have to rescue President Mbelu. Mbelu, that sounds a lot like a certain pipe smoking philosophical leader. Nice one Ubisoft.
The Lion King
Didn’t expect it to be set anywhere else did ya? Fun game, that remains one of my favourite Mega drive titles.
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
Is it just me or do most of the games based in Africa revolve around killing people? The team goes to Zambia and Nigeria for some cloak and dagger action
Modern warfare 3
Sierra Leone plays host to Unit 141 as they travel the world, killing perps and tangos and all manner of evil doers. Hundreds of them. I can’t imagine Makorov taking out health insurance for all these guys. I don’t think we are supposed to think about stuff like that. Just aim and kill I guess.
Tiger Woods 09
One of the courses (The Gary Player Country Club) is located at Sun City. And while there are a few sports titles which use Africa as a setting (Ashes, Rugby World Cup etc) the copies I saw in retail outlets had a gold sticker proudly proclaiming the course. That elevates it and gives it a spot on my list.
So that concludes my list - any titles that I have left out?
Comments
RE 5
Hey Meg
Lion King was great - remember Timon saying 'it begins' before a level?
As for Resident evil 5 - I am currently writing a research paper on depictions of Africans in Videogames (My MA was on video game theory) and quite a few writers share the same sentiment. It will be interesting to note going forward - as we demand more realism in our games, what the effect of that is.
Then again - its always easy to use Nazi's. RE 4 had eastern Europeans. Angry Eastern Europeans.
Thanks for the comment 
Rainbow 6
Wow, i did not know there is a game that used Pretoria as a setting! Thats so cool!
I am tired of seeing New York over and over. It's about time they start exploring other cities from around the world.
Jozi and Cape Town would make great places to set a game in.
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ah, the childhood memories with Lion King. It was amazing. Still have the Sega cartridge and box for it :P
I saw RE 5, I think the main problem was that you have a white Western character massacring Arabs and Black Africans who didn't look like zombies at all. I remember in RE 2 that the zombies looked like the living dead, whereas the RE 5 zombies just looked like angry people. I felt uncomfortable watching the game - same as I feel when it's always the Russians, Chinese, Cubans or Arabs who are the terrorists in games. It's total propaganda :P