Developer creates game to make mathematics easy, fun
Barry Silah @obel_barry
For 25-year-old Moses Mbugua, anything that attracts the eye and keeps one engaged is always game for him.
The self-taught game developer has been in the business actively and professionally for four years, a period in which he experimented a lot.
Straight out of high school in 2011, Mbugua, who considers himself a loner, built an interest in online games despite lacking resources.
“I did a lot of stuff on YouTube and always locked myself in the room to maximise on concentration.
I started out with 3D Animation and software training as I worked my skills up,” reminisces the fifth born child in a family of six.
Over time, Mbugua took interest in games, especially because of the technical aspects, some of which included cogs and moving parts. The real journey began.
Today, he is the proud developer of Explosive Math, a game that hopes to help children enjoy mathematics. His young nephew was the inspiration since he struggled with the subject.
Mbugua reckoned when he was developing it in October 2019 that it was the only way to make it more enjoyable.
Quick thinking
“For ages many people including myself hated Math and I realised later on it was all about poor attitude. My product interacts directly with pupils, but it’s more like a fun yet educational experience.
The game’s premise is quick thinking to increase alertness and sharpness. This tool helps in solving equations easily,” he said of the already launched product that has 800 downloads mostly from Kenya and Uganda and at least between 50 and 100 active users daily.
In the game, giant objects from outer space have made it through the atmosphere, and are about to destroy the city. 
The player can stop this by solving equations and save the planet. The player gets through different levels and can play with their friends, by sending custom challenges for them to surpass.
Besides daily challenges, the player can also rank themselves against other competitors and win rewards and trophies throughout the game.
The former St Mary’s High School, Lang’ata alumnus has been in the thick of gaming, building three games and being a part technical member for two huge internationally recognised projects.
“It has been a learning process and so far, I can appreciate how gaming has changed my life.
The perception of gaming has been poor, but as a nascent industry, we are helping to build something better,” says Mbugua, who has so far been a part of gigs with agencies such as Bean Interactive and After 6 for enticing projects to put his name out in the market.
Kick for hard work
His previous games Boda Boda Madness, a 3D side-scrolling game that lets you in on what it would be like if Africa’s iconic motorcycle riders were extreme stunts people, and Mheshimiwa 2017, a game to illustrate how politicians behaved in the general elections, might not have gotten desirable press due to poor pitching and lack of budget, but it certainly gave him a kick to work harder.
Mbugua thus went deep into research and got to certain partnership projects to help him grow as a developer.
“I got to involved in projects with Glaxo SmithKline and NIC Bank in 2018 where I pushed interactive medium of entertainment through gaming.
He also worked for Internet of Elephants, a company that works on technology for wildlife in 2018. Part of his role was to promote wildlife conservation and awareness.
“We developed several products through satellite enhanced story lines. We hosted live on our website the animal movements in Ol Pejeta.
This was widely received because of the positive impact,” he explains.
Another big project that Mbugua been involved in is Wildverse, an application for tracking apes that are becoming extinct.
Alongside a group known as ACURS, they created a database and a Virtual Reality experience for purposes of research.
They were focusing on near extinct species such as the orangutans, chimpanzees and gorillas in Congo and Indonesia.
The project, which collectively took four and a half months, is targeted at pupils between Classes One and Five.
The long-term goal is to have an inter schools competition with rewards. Mbugua also wants to develop the game further to expand to languages and a live leader board to track individual progress.
“We are also looking at partnerships with educational stakeholders to make the project more impactful,” he said.
