Post Games Robbing Museums? Sounds Like Fun (Ben Myres, Mohale Mashigo)
Feb 9, 2026
Nathan Grayson, investigative reporter who co-founded Aftermath, examines Epstein-linked emails and their ties to gaming. Mohale Mashigo, novelist and narrative director, discusses African futurism shaping Relooted’s story. Ben Myers, Nyamakop co-founder and creative director, talks about reclaiming looted heritage through playful heist design. They explore museum repatriation, balancing joy with trauma, and unsettling industry revelations.
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Planning Phase As Teaching Tool
- The heist's planning phase doubles as an educational moment: learning about an artifact makes players care about stealing it back.
- Embedding history into gameplay turns heist preparation into meaningful edutainment.
Spend Budget On Voice, Not Exact Replicas
- Avoid recreating Western museums; instead spend resources on authentic African voices and varied, stylized locations.
- Parodying Western misrepresentations of Africa can be more effective than literal replication.
Looting Is Recent And Ongoing
- Looting didn't stop in colonial eras; art dealers in the 1980s trafficked tombstones and sacred objects to celebrity homes.
- Present-day thefts show restitution is an ongoing issue, not only a distant historical crime.