In a groundbreaking step toward transforming Nigeria into a gaming powerhouse, Gamr proudly announces the launch of Gamr Lab—Nigeria’s first full-spec video game development and esports.

With Africa’s gaming industry projected to surpass 186 million gamers by 2025 and Nigeria leading as a fast-growing market, Gamr Lab equips young African creatives with world-class skills for careers in video game development, design, content creation, and esports management. 

As a cutting-edge learning and research hub, Gamr Lab combines instructional content, hands-on training, and interactive student engagement in video game design, esports broadcasting, and virtual production, preparing talent for the global gaming industry.

During the launch, Gamr Lab announced its first scholarship programme, sponsored by the French Embassy, offering 30 students the opportunity to enrol in the first training cohort starting in April 2025. 

The Gamr Lab initiative is backed by leading institutions and organisations committed to empowering Africa’s next generation of video game development professionals, including Unreal Engine and HP, provide cutting-edge software and hardware solutions to support video game development and esports training, the National Sports Commission (NSC), through its RHINSE initiative, supports Gamr Lab’s mission to integrate esports into Nigeria’s broader sports and digital economy, the University of Lagos, offers academic support, faculty mentorship, and industry-driven curriculum to ensure students gain real-world, hands-on experience.

In partnership with the French Embassy, Gamr Lab is located at the University of Lagos behind the Senate Building. This state-of-the-art facility will serve as a hub for learning, innovation, and professional development. Gamr Lab provides a structured, hands-on training program focused on technical and business skills in the gaming industry.

Students will have access to high-performance gaming hardware and software to develop top-quality games, certificate programmes in video games design and development, content creation, and esports management, workshops, hackathons, and incubation programmes led by industry experts and internships, mentorship, and guest lectures from leading gaming and esports professionals.

In addition, Gamr Lab will host quarterly game development cohorts throughout the year, kicking off in April 2025 with a focus on ‘Game Design and Development’. As part of the six-week curriculum, students will be challenged to design a real-life 2D or 3D game that creatively addresses real-world issues in Nigeria. The programme will also include soft skills training, game development workshops, and networking sessions with industry experts.

Beyond technical training, Gamr Lab aims to create a lasting impact on Africa’s digital economy. With additional webinars, foundational classes, and specialised training modules, the initiative aligns with Gamr’s broader commitment to empowering over one million young Africans with game development skills by 2030.

Gamr Lab is designed to serve as a launchpad for gaming professionals, offering weekly workshops on game design, storytelling, UI/UX, and soft skills training on branding, pitching, and career development. It also provides industry mentorship from leading game developers, esports professionals, and game incubation programmes to help students turn ideas into market-ready games.