Pioneering founder says the idea is for players to learn different facts and facets of Botswana while having fun
RORISANG MOGOJWE
While the COVID-19 pandemic may have destroyed several old things, it has also forged many new things and led to discovered new ways of doing things, especially under lockdown. One of these new things is Botswana’s first knowledge board game called Motswedi.
Developed by a young journalist and aspiring entrepreneur, Thabiso Titus Paul, Motswedi (wa Dikitso tsa Botswana) is Botswana’s version of the popular 30 Seconds game – a fast-paced general knowledge game where players team up to guess a word in answer from teammate’s explanations. The idea is to guess as many answers as possible within 30 seconds.
Paul explained to The Botswana Gazette: “I was inspired by general knowledge games that most of us played during lockdown. Most of them were foreign, the content not specific to us as Batswana and not adding any sort of value. So I thought, why not develop a concept that could deliver a project that would educate and entertain people, and not only the players but also as Batswana as a whole?”
Explaining further, Paul said the game not only exposes players to indigenous knowledge about Botswana but can also serve as a brand marketing platform for corporate entities and government departments and their initiatives at a small cost. He believes this fits in well with the government’s goal of turning Botswana into a knowledge-based economy and is his effort to help drive that agenda in a creative and innovative way.
“The model of the game seeks to help expose brands to players because with the flow of information comes a certain level of education and awareness about brands among the players of the game,” he said.
He has plans to expand the game by adding as more fascinating facts and facets of Botswana. “Our target market includes schools, corporates and NGOs that want to communicate specific information and content, especially for educational purposes.”
The board game will be officially launched towards the end of November and is available for pre-order at P395 apiece.