Playing politics: A scoping review of African civic game initiatives for engagement and policy participation

Abstract

African democracies struggle with civic disengagement, institutional distrust, and rising disinformation; meanwhile, the continent's growing games industry has become an unexpected source of civic intervention. This paper presents a scoping review of six African-developed civic game initiatives launched between 2019 and 2026 as tools for governance education, democratic participation, and policy engagement. Drawing on practitioner interviews with studio founders and developers, internal ecosystem reports, and secondary sources, including press releases, academic publications, and industry documentation, this review maps a field that has received little scholarly attention to date. The analysis applies the UN 5Ps categorization and the Play-to-Impact Framework (Esio, 2026). Developed by Africacomicade and first presented publicly at the Games and SDG Summit at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (April 2026), this framework sets out four layers- design, distribution, measurement, and partnership- that civic games need to get right for their impact to last. The review finds that African studios and their partners are producing culturally grounded interactive experiences that tackle governance literacy, counter-disinformation, economic citizenship, and climate justice. It identifies four structural barriers: a funding gap, a data gap, policy under-engagement, and design misalignment. The paper closes with recommendations for studios, funders, policymakers, and researchers. Appendix A presents the Play-to-Impact Framework in full.