Enechawet Games Plows New Ground with Liku

Local gaming studio Enechawet Games launches Liku, an agricultural gamified education platform that equips players with knowledge about soil erosion and conservation.

The game, which centers around saving a village called Bego with the help of a wise villager named Liku, took six months to develop.

Faced with imminent destruction due to soil erosion within three years, players strive to save Bego by implementing Liku’s advice. This involves reducing soil erosion caused by factors like rainfall, land slope, and slope length. Players can mitigate flooding by increasing soil vegetation cover and improving soil fertility while implementing terracing techniques to address landscape issues.

Through engaging gameplay, players become champions for soil conservation, learning about the causes and effects of erosion while experimenting with real-world solutions.

Completing the game with three stars awards players digital badges signifying their newly acquired skills in soil erosion prevention. Earning three stars grants players the title of NRM Hero (Natural Resource Management Hero).

According to Abiy Hailu, co-founder and CEO of Enechawet Games, players who share their scores on social media using #BegoVillage will be eligible for a surprise reward.

“We partnered with GIZ Ethiopia and GIZ Djibouti to facilitate the game process, and the Ministry of Agriculture provided crucial insights on soil erosion and potential solutions,” said Abiy.

Abiy adds Liku utilizes scientific methods to help players grasp the core principles of the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), a powerful tool used by soil conservationists worldwide.

The game is available in both Amharic and English, and Abiy shared with Shega that the platform represents a significant shift in e-learning. He highlighted that the game garnered over two hundred downloads within a week and is available on the Play Store.

Founded in 2019 by five co-founders, Enechawet Games entered the scene with their first game called Mamo, which is about a kid who is given a mission by his grandmother to deliver medicine to save the king’s daughter. Since then, the company states it has developed over ten games created for various organizations.