Published 11:59 IST, December 14th 2019
In search of peace a man from refugee camp develops video game
Lual Mayen is from South Sudan, who fled the war-torn country when he was just a 12-year-old boy and spent his entire childhood in a refugee camp in Uganda.
- World News
- 3 min read
A video game and its developer is grabbing headlines all over the world. It is not because of the video game but the challenges the developer faced while making the game is what brings him to the center stage. The inspiring story of the developer is enough to grab new eyeballs on the game. The game that went on sale on Thursday is developed in a unique environment that is more than enough for anyone to try it once.
From refugee to CEO
Lual Mayen, a 25-year-old man who lives in the United States now, is the developer of the game. Mayen is from South Sudan, who fled the war-torn country when he was just a 12-year-old boy and spent his entire childhood in a refugee camp. Mayen along with his mother fled to Uganda and took refuge at a camp. Mayen grew up in a refugee camp where there was no electricity at all. The concept of a school was a far fetched idea for Mayen where meeting basic needs was a top priority for everyone.
While living in the refugee camp in Uganda, Mayen saw a computer in the office of officials for the very first time and that is when he felt that he want to use it someday. Mayen was lucky to have a mother who despite the poverty saved $300 to buy a used laptop for her son. Mayen, a young refugee used to walk three hours to charge his laptop and that is how he taught himself how to write computer codes.
Mayen started writing codes and eventually developed a unique video game called Salaam, which means peace. Mayen's video game is set in a refugee camp and the main character of the game is his mother. In the game, one can grow his family, fight difficult circumstances and create a peaceful environment. Mayen said that his main focus while developing the game was to help children at the camp come together. Mayen went from being a refugee in Uganda to owning a company in the United States. Mayen is the CEO of Junub Games and calls himself a former refugee.
Updated 12:21 IST, December 14th 2019