Comic-Con Cape Town upheld the momentum of its inaugural launch in the Mother City, and on Day 2, the gaming showcase was, by far, the most popular fixture of the festival.
Comic-Con Cape Town: Here’s what went down on Day 2
Pop culture fanatics crowded the entrances at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC 2) on Friday, ready to relive the escapism at the multi-floor festival, which was jam-packed with a fully immersive and, most importantly, inclusive schedule.
At the mainstage, Hollywood stars Tati Gabrielle and Kat Graham, two of the biggest draws at Comic-Con Cape Town, joined DJ Elliot for intriguing discussions about the actress’ breakthrough roles.
In the midst of the frenzy around the mainstage, not too far off in the Artist Alley, legendary political cartoonist Zapiro attracted an audience at his stall, where his most famous works were on display.
The Cape Town International Animation Festival (CTIAF) also occupied a crowded spot on the ground floor, with amazing displays of local animators on show, as well as Chocolate Tribe’s Tiaan Franken who led a workflow discussion on the creation of photo-realistic creatures
Gaming showcase proves esports is on the rise in South Africa
Sure, Comic-Con Cape Town’s mainstage was in no way a disappointment on Day 2, albeit fans who’d returned to the festival for the second day were treated to what felt like a duplicate programme.
A saving grace, in this case, was, without a shred of a doubt, the gaming and esports arena on the second floor.
Fans flocked to the upper level and were met with tons of gaming installations, from Toyota-sponsored gaming lounges, to tabletop sections that hosted in-person challenges.
A popular section of the festival was undoubtedly the Telkom VS Gaming corner, which, for the second day running, hosted a highly competitive FIFA 23 tournament, where thousands in cash prizes and New Balance vouchers were handed out.
Petrolheads were also treated to a thrilling contest on Forza Motorsport, where contestants had to post the quickest lap times to walk away with cash prizes.
A key take-away from Comic-Con Cape Town, thus far, is Telkom’s position as a leading partner of online and competitive gaming in South Africa.
For Wanda Mkhize, Executive Head of Smart and Home Content at Telkom, while work still needs to be done to develop the gaming industry in South Africa since the launch of the Digital Gaming League in 2012, massive strides have most certainly been made.
“The first time I think we were running from a 1kb speed on DSL and now you’re getting more competitive gaming, faster speeds, more advanced games in itself.
“But I think also the infrastructure and support the team is providing for gaming, as well as just the exposure of our local players into the international field, I think we’ve gone a long way in creating that environment for people and ensuring that the top of the top in South Africa is able to be showcased around the world,” Mkhize said.
Senior Manager at Telkom VS Gaming Johann von Backström held a positive outlook on the potential that exists in South Africa’s online gaming community and drew a lot of inspiration from the story of Thabo ‘Yvng Savage’ Moloi, a 21-year-old proclaimed FIFA phenom who, at the age of 16, won the 2018 VS Gaming FIFA Festival in his first-ever entry into competitive sports.
“In 2018, when I first started playing FIFA competitively, I didn’t have the latest console to practice on. I saved my lunch money and asked my parents to help me. That’s how I got a second-hand PlayStation 4,” he told RedBull at the time.
According to Von Backström, Moloi’s success story is the fundamental reason why Telkom has turned to esports as a necessary tool to equip young South Africans with opportunities to break into the mainstream and not only compete on the world stage, but also carve out a living doing what they love.
“We’re so proud. The leagues have done such phenomenal work and upliftment of this environment and Telkom was really at the forefront. No one was doing anything from a gaming perspective, and Telkom has established these leagues, they started to play and more and more people joined and participated and it was a really fantastic growth trajectory that we’ve seen,” Von Backström added
Comic-Con Cape Town: Here’s what to expect on Day 3
On Day 3, Comic-Con Cape Town will host the largest crowd of the four-day festival. Here’s a look at what you can expect on Saturday, 29 April 2023:
- appearance from David Oakes from Vikings;
- more panel discussions from Tati Gabrielle and Kat Graham;
- cosplay competitions;
- DC vs Marvel content installations;
- Exclusive CTIAF screenings;
- StreamerCon panel discussions; and among other fun activities,
- exciting fun at the Artist Alley