Nintendo-style ‘Windies Direct’ showcasing games from Caribbean developers

Glen Henry’s been making games in Jamaica for 10 years, but he stills gets one question again and again: Wait, there’s a Jamaican games industry? He’s faced the question so many times that he’s got the answer down pat. There’s no “formal” industry, he said, but there Is a community of people making games independently — both as full-time or part-time projects, or as hobbies. Henry, founder of Spritewrench Studios, has worked for years to bring this community together as the Jamaica Game Developer Society (JGDS), “a coalition of projects and people in support of Jamaica’s video game communities,” according to the group.

“It’s a grassroots group of friends, nerds, who want to learn more about the business and craft of video games,” Henry said in an interview with Polygon. From a small group of friends who started it, this internet-connected community now has over 300 members. To showcase this group of talented, creative developers, Henry and JGDS dreamed up what they’re calling “Windies Direct” — a play on Nintendo’s indie-focused Directs, but for the West Indies.

Image: Spritewrench Studio

“I want people to be impressed,” Henry said. “I want them to be shocked. They should be amazed. That’s what the Windies Direct is, feeding back into that community effort. You can see what others are doing. Now what are you going to do?”

Monday’s first ever Windies Direct was launched at 11:00 EDT. It featured a variety of Caribbean games and their diaspora. This group, which has collected submissions over months, showcases the varied creations of a wide range of developers.

Graham Reid, who’s making arcade space shooter Super Space ClubReid pointed out the larger impact that initiatives like Windies Direct would have on the gaming industry. “A majority of the Caribbean consists of people of color,” Reid said. “It’s a melting pot of races, cultures, interests, and just overall dope people. The games industry needs to see more developers of color in general, and seeing them come from the Caribbean is a great place to start.”

Alongside the broadcast, the JGDS is running a Steam sale featuring Jamaican- and Caribbean-made games; that’ll run from Oct. 17 to 22. Games included in the Windies Direct and the Steam sale span size, scope, and genre, something that’s important to the JGDS — there is no one type of game or perspective coming out of the burgeoning Caribbean games industry.

“Not every game is necessarily going to be a cultural touchpoint,” Henry said. “That’s another thing that I myself and a lot of people, when they think about Jamaican games, tend to struggle with. Not every project has to necessarily reflect the island — not everything needs to be palm trees and coconuts.

“I want that myth to be dispelled a bit because […] you have that mix of perspectives, of drives or passions, and it’s not just one type of game or one type of experience,” Henry said.

Beyond sharing the region’s creations with the rest of the world, Reid said he hopes it inspires people in the Caribbean, to show others that making games is an option, and that there are many ways to contribute.

“People both back home in Jamaica and in the industry at large need to know that there are creatives, artists, designers, programmers, musicians, and every other role in between, all either living in or originating from the Caribbean,” Reid said. “Oftentimes people think that you need to leave the country to get ahead in the industry, but in today’s world, that’s simply not true.”

Zane Francis, JusDev Studios founder and JGDS meetup coordinator and host, added that video games are a “pivotal” way to tell stories and share experiences. “There are so many riveting stories to tell, which could bring more diversity with authentic voices to the global industry,” Francis said. “Right now when I look around, I see that for the youngest generation of Jamaica (and even my own), much of our culture is already lost on them. I think one of the greatest ways we can reintroduce and preserve our cultures is through video games.”