Brothers Akeem and Tyreik Pennicooke are on a mission to create the first full-fledged Jamaican game to be available on all major gaming platforms. Street Boy is about a young 13 year old boy from Portland Jamaica who lost his parents to a car accident and ended up living with his Grandmother, Cherry. Due to the lack of income in the household, Arlinton is unable to attend school and instead takes on various jobs in his hometown Long Bay, Portland. .
Unlike what most would expect, Alrinton does not go to the streets and partake in criminal activities but instead ops for more positive ways to sustain himself, his family and his community by cleaning it, caring for it and building good relations. However, there is a character that represents the "don role" in the game and he goes by the name George Campbell.
Why Portland?
Akeem, ( the older brother) on a trip to Jamaica in 2016 linked up with his younger brother Tyreik for the first time since he migrated. It is then he fell in love with Portland, Jamaica while staying at a villa in the exotic parish not heavily visited by tourists.That is the reason for the story-line taking place in that region of Jamaica. I personally think this is a good move as Portland has some of the most beautiful and untapped attractions on the island that many visitors don't even know about as they are usually in the more popular spots such as Mobay and Negril.
Judging from this clip on the design of the game, they got the environment right and it really does remind me of Portland. Even the house in the picture above says "Portland, Jamaica".
Highlighting Jamaican Brands
An interesting element they are adding to the game is incorporating Jamaican brands and products into it. This will leave way for corporate sponsors to get onboard to help fund the game and to market Jamaican products. But don't get it twisted, the brothers are open to collab with new and upcoming entrepreneurs as long as it represents the culture of Jamaica.
Funding ain't easy
The brothers have been investing their own resources to bring the game to manifestation without any help, but they realize to get the ball rolling in a timely manner, funding is a must.
Like most Jamaican creative projects however, funding is hard to come by. Film, animation and gaming are hard projects to sell to corporate Jamaica as they don't see the potential and would rather focus on what works now. There is a a huge demand for digital Jamaican products but not many are willing to invest, but rest assured once the gates are opened, they will be throwing their money trying to reap the benefits.
“I reached out to Wisynco, Seprod, and a parliamentarian. I got no response,” he said of fundraising efforts.
Akeem
The brothers have created a website where those interested can go and donate to help bring "Street Boy" to life and also to get more information on the project. I must say it is a well built and professional looking site.
I really like the push cart element in the game as it gives it a real traditional Jamaican feel. The brothers also said they are doing their best to incorporate real Jamaican places and elements that can be discovered in the game. So it will be like taking a virtual trip to Portland ( 3D Jamaica anyone ).
What really intrigues me about these two Jamaican brothers is their vision for game design and other technology based careers being a path to growth for Jamaica via job creation and a creative outlet to get the youths focused on something positive, that can make them a living. They want this game to help be a door opener to let other Jamaican youths know, "hey, I can make a living from my computer, via the internet, while representing my country and living a lifestyle that is fit for the new economy and me".
Below is a clip of the game play as well as words from the creators themselves, courtesy of the Jamaica Gleaner YouTube Channel.
How could the hive Blockchain help/ be an asset to projects like this is a question that crosses my mind many a times. Well here are some ideas.
They could create an account on HIVE and blog about the progress of the project. But of course there is the "learning curve crypto factor. But the older brother lived in Korea, so maybe he has some knowledge about crypto. Up votes aren't guaranteed but every little bit of funding helps.
They could create a Hive version of the game, maybe a card version with battles kind of like splinterlands or maybe dominoes.
They could advertise the Hive Blockchain in the game via a character that Alrlinton meets and he gets to understand crypto and it helps him to earn an income. This ad could be paid for via the Hive proposal system.
Hmmm, if you have any ideas, please share hem below. Thanks for stopping by.
All images are courtesy of and owned by https://www.streetboyja.com/ and are being used in this post to promote their project. You can donate to help found this historic project on the site as well. Read the Jamaica Gleaner article about brothers Akeem and Tyreik Pennicooke and their game, Street Boy.