Proudly SA to Europe: How the Popular Board Game 30 Seconds Became an International Hit

• The popular party game 30 Seconds was created by South African Calie Esterhuyse in the late 1990s, with many locals assuming it came from abroad
• The game spread to Ireland and the Netherlands, where it sold tens of thousands of copies and inspired a TV show
• South Africans online were surprised and proud to learn the beloved game is a homegrown invention

Few South Africans realise that the game they have played at family braais and holiday gatherings for decades is a local invention. A post shared by the Instagram account @slimjan_ on 14 October 2026 caught the attention of followers who had spent years assuming 30 Seconds was an imported product.

The game was created by Calie Esterhuyse and traces its origins to a holiday in the Western Cape during the 1990s, where it began as a guessing game among friends. The concept is simple: five names appear on a card, and players have 30 seconds to get their teammates to guess them without saying the names themselves. It went on sale in South Africa in the late 1990s and has been a staple at social gatherings ever since.

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From the Cape to Cork and beyond

The game's reach eventually extended far beyond South African borders. Two men with ties to southern Africa, Greg Dooley and Liam Ryan, partnered with Esterhuyse to launch an Irish edition. It hit shelves in two Cork toy stores just one week before Christmas 2010. By 2020, the Irish edition had sold more than 30,000 copies. The game also found a home in the Netherlands, where it is sold by 999 Games. In 2024, it became a Saturday-night television programme on SBS6, presented by Johnny de Mol.

The first episode, which aired on 17 August 2024, drew 614,000 viewers, turning a Western Cape holiday idea into prime-time European entertainment. What started as a lighthearted pastime on a South African holiday has since crossed oceans and landed on European television screens. The next time the sand timer runs out, remember it was a South African who started the clock.

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See the Instagram post that stunned Mzansi below:

Mzansi reacts to 30 Seconds origins

Social media users flocked to the comments to express their surprise and pride:

@dinitrogen_monoxide commented:

"This was a good one, didn't know it was a SA game!"

@duds_scott wrote:

"I hope he got royalties for it."

@dormantmango added:

"30 Seconds is the best game on earth, and no one else knows it."

@_nombuso_mkhize shared:

"Yeah, I was surprised when I was visiting family abroad and asked if we could play 30 Seconds at game night and no one knew what I was talking about. 😪 Top tier game 🤌🏿."

@jordan_buskin added:

"Been following for a few weeks. Great account!"

@lisamair asked:

"What came first, Articulate! Or 30 Seconds?"

Other articles about games

• A group of South African friends descended into comical chaos after enforcing a strict Afrikaans-only rule during a high-pressure round of 30 Seconds.
• A group of Johannesburg motorists made international headlines after a viral video captured them turning a heavy traffic jam into a fun game of rock, paper, scissors from their car windows.
• The Soweto Basketball Academy shared a wholesome video of local youth and township elders joyfully shooting hoops together in an outdoor street basketball session.

Source: Briefly News