WWhat began as a childhood fascination with a Nintendo TV game has blossomed into a thriving indie game development journey for Vega School Durban lecturer Henk Scheepers.
Now Head of Game Design and Development at Vega, Scheepers recently unveiled the prototype of his second solo game, Magnus—a chess-inspired tactical experience named after world champion Magnus Carlsen. Built in just two months, the game is live on the indie platform itch.io, where Scheepers is inviting player feedback to shape its final release. He said: “Making games is a passion of mine. It’s everything I enjoy, like being creative and coding.”
The lecturer’s path to game development was not linear. Initially set on becoming a Chartered Accountant, his plans changed in high school when a friend introduced him to programming. Captivated, he dropped Accounting for Computer Studies and eventually earned a Bachelor of Information Science in Multimedia from the University of Pretoria.
His early professional years were spent as a web developer, but his passion for gaming persisted. The turning point came during his third job, when a colleague pitched a game idea. The pair developed a prototype, showcased it at Johannesburg’s Rage Expo, and secured funding—proving that game development was more than a pipe dream.
Scheepers later moved to Durban, continuing his game development pursuits. Though his initial projects were not commercial hits, they laid the groundwork for future opportunities, including a role at an advertising agency and, later, a lecturing position at Vega School.
“This felt like a cool opportunity,” Scheepers recalls. “Teaching game development allowed me to stay hands-on in the field and grow my own skills.”
Now five years into his academic career, he continues to develop games in his spare time. His first solo title, AVOID, debuted in 2024 and was showcased at Playtopia, Cape Town’s premier indie gaming festival, where Scheepers also delivered a talk on his creative process.
This year, Magnus has been submitted for Playtopia once again, and Scheepers hopes to see it featured in the festival’s December showcase. Beyond his own projects, he is committed to growing Durban’s game development community.
“It’s a big goal for me to grow the community around game development here,” he says. That vision led to the creation of D3 – Durban (Game) Design and Developers, a monthly meetup hosted at Vega School Durban. Taking place on the last Thursday of every month, the event provides a welcoming space for developers, artists, and enthusiasts to share ideas, test games, and collaborate.
Scheepers believes this kind of grassroots initiative is vital for nurturing a sustainable creative culture in the city.
Despite juggling full-time lecturing with game development, Scheepers remains energised by the process. “There’s a lull between semesters where I get more time, and most weekends I spend developing,” he shares. “It’s challenging enough to stretch me, but not so hard that it discourages me.”
His advice for aspiring game developers is straightforward: “People often wait for inspiration to strike before they start, but I’ve learnt that inspiration comes from doing. Simply starting is what gets the ideas flowing.”
With Magnus already generating buzz and Durban’s indie scene gaining momentum, Scheepers is not only following his dream—he is helping others to do the same.
