by Lina Bilal hamid
GEBETA: STONES OF AXUM is a strategy game inspired by the Ethiopian game of Gebeta. The game takes players on a journey through Ethiopia. There are 10 levels inspired by places such as Axum, Lalibela, Gondar, Harar, the Great Rift Valley, Bale Mountains, Danakil Depression, Lake Tana, Simien Pass, and Ras Dashen. The main gameplay is simple: the player chooses a pit, moves the stones around the board, plans captures, and tries to beat the opponent. The game becomes harder as the player moves to higher levels. I created the game entirely in Dala Studio. It includes a start screen, how-to-play section, 10 levels, different difficulty levels, AI opponents, level progression, scoring, victory and defeat screens, and saved progress. My goal was to bring an Ethiopian traditional game into a modern digital form and share Ethiopian culture, places, and storytelling with players in Ethiopia and around the world. The game can also grow in the future with more Ethiopian locations, multiplayer features, new stories, and mobile versions.