Dragon's Dogma 2 has been out and in players' hands for almost a week now, and it's fair to say that although it launched to incredibly positive critic reviews, certain elements haven't been received fantastically by the fanbase. The action-RPG was immediately hit with backlash for its microtransactions, and plenty of people have been left frustrated by the deadly Dragonsplague mechanic, too.
Sea Monster: "Play with a purpose can change the world"
07.03.2024 - 13:13 / gamesindustry.biz
You can read all our South Africa Games Week articles on this page.
A pillar of the South African video games industry, Sea Monster Entertainment occupies a different space compared to some of its counterparts, as a work-for-hire studio specialising in games for marketing and 'serious gaming'.
CEO Glenn Gillis describes the studio as an "impact gaming company."
"We believe that play with a purpose can change the world, and so we work with big brands to find ways for them to show up authentically in games," he explains. "Harder than it sounds, but it's possible. And then, of course, game-based learning is how humans prefer to learn, and it's got huge applications. So [we're] really an impact gaming business through and through. We've been around for [over] 12 years. We've got 38 people in the core team, and we employ about 14 developers in addition to that, so I think it makes us one of the larger studios on the continent. And [we're] massively passionate about things that we can do for the continent, but also from the continent."
Sea Monster works across animation, apps, games, AR/VR, and more – it's quite a versatile studio, from its roots in animation all the way to making games in Roblox for instance.
"Visual storytelling really cuts across cultures in a way that very few media do," Gillis continues. "And of course, what's better than a story is a story that you have agency in. [We] sometimes work with large public benefit organisations, NGOs, or corporates, to really bring the power of game and visual design to some of the world's most wicked challenges."
A lot of Sea Monster's projects tackle topics such as mental health and education, such as Swipa (a game that teaches children about how their actions impact others, made in partnership with non-profit Violence Prevention Through Urban Upgrading) or The Last Maestro (a VR project looking to help those suffering from PTSD).
"It's an amazing project," Gillis says of The Last Maestro. "A partner in LA has done extensive work around the therapeutic benefits of classical music, and it is proven to actually, physiologically change the brain. And so the question then is how do you take that to the world? This is a brilliant application of VR because you're getting a truly immersive effect, the benefits of that classical music, and you are conducting the orchestra. But it's more toy than game – there's no win state. It's not Guitar Hero. It's very relaxing, it stimulates the movement, and the world becomes more interactive."
He continues: "[The Last Maestro] has undergone trials at the children's cancer hospital in Oakland, and it reduces stress in nurses and other first responders. The use cases are perfect, the [VR] technology is mature, and we think it's a
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