Interview with Lual Mayen, Video Game Designer

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On November 3, 2023, I conducted an email interview with Lual Mayen, a former refugee-turned-video game designer about his first release, “Salaam (https://junubgames.com).” Originally from South Sudan, Lual Mayen was living with his family in a refugee camp in Northern Uganda when he discovered computers. Teaching himself how to code, Mayen eventually drew from his personal experiences to create Salaam. Currently a mobile video game and soon to be released on all platforms, Salaam, described as a “high-tension runner” simulation, places the player in the shoes of a refugee seeking safety during conflict. 
In addition to designing the newest version of the game, Lual is currently building his nonprofit organization (the Lual Mayen Foundation http://www.lualmayen.org ), which will train refugee youth in computer programming) and making various public appearances (he has spoken at the United Nations, the World Bank, Georgetown University and, most recently GW University during International Education Week 2023). For considerations of length and clarity, here is an edited version of the interview:

O. Abiola Akintola: What inspired you to create Salaam?

Lual Mayen: [Salaam is] based on my personal story. [My] family left South Sudan to find a place of refuge because of the war there. When you look at South Sudan, [it] is a country that has been ravaged by civil war and for so many years. And when I was growing up in a refugee camp, I realized that my country has over 73% of the population under the age of 30. The young people grew up in war and were raised up in war and [change] is always [more] conflict, conflict, conflict. And I believe that, you know, conflict is something that is built over time. So they need different approaches in order for young people to understand how to resolve conflict and how to live in a peaceful environment. 

When I was growing up in a refugee camp, [I] didn’t have a lot of access to video games. And I remember like the first time I played was Grand Theft Auto, and [before that] I never thought that games are actually created by people [I thought they] just, you know, fell from heaven. But I realized that there is power in games in terms of [being] able to help people to engage and to react [properly] and teach empathy [for example,] how do we [change] behaviors, how do we care about other people? And [can] we do that through playing, through understanding our characters in so many ways. And [what] affected my family inspired me so much as a refugee. 

I wanted people to understand the journey of refugees. And that’s why Salaam [is] a game that puts people in the shoes of refugees that are actually fleeing a conflict zone. And the focus is to find a place of refuge to [live] new lives. A lot of people think that refugees are born into society [like other people]. [As if we] just wake up in the morning and leave the places [we] love, the places [we] call home. A lot of it is because a lot of people don’t understand what refugees go through. And because of that, it’s something that I took as my responsibility as a young person that has grown up in a refugee camp. 

I took it upon myself to try to create something that will teach people that refugees, all they want is a peaceful environment or a place where they can start a new life and be able to be a change in the world. And I think that’s really what inspired me to create [my game] Salaam when I was back in a refugee camp. And a lot of people don’t know that I spent [over] 22 years of my life growing up in a refugee camp. And that’s [why] I decided to [teach] myself computers, [writing] code and find a way of [creating] something that other people can experience.

OAA: How long did it take you to finish Salaam?

When I first got into the first thing I did was teach myself coding and being consistent. Like what does it [take] for me to create a game? Because I’ve never been to school for me to learn how to [design] games. So, I had to [watch] YouTube videos and try to figure it out and [solve the] puzzle in order for me to get into that industry. My first game, which [I released] in 2017, I kept on building [upon] it. And right now we are building [a] newer version of the same game, which has more improvement[s] and more understanding of what I want to achieve. So, it [took four years for] the first [version of the game]. 

LM: What technology did you use to create it? 

[The] first version of the of Salaam is kind of different from [the upcoming version] because [the first version] was more of a mobile version. So, I used HTML5 in order [to] program the game I also [used] Game Maker for it to be on different platforms. So, I used [them] for the first [version] because I just wanted [it] to be [lightweight] and so on. So [now we’re] using Unity Technologies [to] create [the latest version]. 

OAA: Who was your target audience when you were designing Salaam? Did you reach them, or did you reach beyond that audience? 

LM: [My original] target audience was people who play games and [especially] people [who] are able to [finish] a game [in] one day. [Then also] organizations like The Gates Foundation that are able to use the game in order to train other people. [And then] the game industry [itself,] the people in the industry that [design games,] just to be able to like bring something new to them. So those were my target audiences. Did I reach them? Yes. 

My biggest supporters, that helped me a lot with Salaam, [was] the game industry. That was [one] of the [proudest] moments because when I was doing Salaam in a refugee camp, I didn’t know that I was actually going to [gain that] audience, I guess. I remember when we premiered Salaam at The Game Awards [in 2019], our trailer had about 44 million views and that gave me so much encouragement because [that’s an audience size] that I never thought I would reach. And being able to [have] that opportunity was really incredible. So I was able to reach beyond the audience that I actually thought about which is really good. And, and I’m really excited for the future of my work. 

OAA: What future projects do you have planned?

LM: [So,] right now the [primary] project is to continue building Salaam to a different level. And second, I have my foundation, which is the Lual Mayen Foundation, to be able to get kids in refugee camps involved in game design animation. Because when I first taught myself programming, only two people [aided] me to be where I am today. They were my mother, who bought me my first computer, and a friend of mine who would walk with me to the closest internet café. So I’m really excited to be able to have a project that can teach kids game design animation back in Uganda and partner with different organizations that are supporting my own, my foundation. 

OAA: The last question is, if you could design a technology-based solutions for any refugee related issue, what would that be? 

LM: That’s a really good question. First of all, I always tell people that “the refugee crisis” is a broad kind [of issue]. People may think that it just one crisis. Some refugees flee because of war. Some of them flee because of climate change. Some of them flee because they need some human rights and all those things. And I think each of those issues needs a solution. And to me, I feel like technology could be like a very good way to advocate for refugees. It can be some issues that I that can address directly and some issues that I can help people understand what the problems are. And one thing I like about the gaming industry is that it is an industry that can reach young people, in terms of advocacy and also in terms of trying to reach a broader audience. So there’s a lot of solutions that can be created.