For Hugo Obi, mosquitoes are an unlikely source of inspiration.

"They are very common here and throughout Africa," says the co-founder of a start-up called Maliyo Games, based in Lagos and London. "They are a menace to society."

When he talks about the bugs, he is not only referring to the scourge of malaria that mosquitoes bring, but also the day-to-day dreariness of swatting and squashing them.

"We wanted to turn that into a game," he says enthusiastically. "So we created Mosquito Smasher." The web-browser based game is simple. You use the mouse to control a thumb that hovers above a bunch of mosquitoes. Then a timer starts and you have to squash as many as possible in the time allotted.

It may be difficult to comprehend the “fun” that can be had recreating task that is so repetitive in real life, but it is a recipe that has proved popular for other so-called casual games. Think of FarmVille, where players tend crops and animals over and over, yet has more than 70 million players. The difference with Obi’s games is that they are made specifically for the African market.


Read More at: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120830-a-farmville-for-africa/1
Play MALIYO Games here: http://maliyo.com/games