Making games is not the same as opening a game studio, but few dare to talk about their often painful experiences of turning a team of passionate gamedevs into a sustainable business. In my talk, I want to highlight what it means to go into the business of games, compare it with the art and craft of gamedev and detail a few alternatives that a creative mind can explore as a way to make a living in the video games industry. I will finish my talk by explaining why Sweden is one of the best countries to be in as a creative game developer and what kind of help you can get if you have your mind set on opening a studio.
Environmental Narrative and its use in video games
Stories aren’t just scripts. In this talk we’ll cover how artists can drive narrative through environmental art and design, why it’s so important to create rich and interesting game worlds, and look at how good games do story really well.
How do you adapt a first person puzzle game for multiple endings?
How do you work with foreshadowing and randomization?
How can you connect the damn dots if they keep moving around?
These are some of the challenges that had to be tackled while working on Magnetic: Cage Closed, a first person puzzle game not unlike Portal but with 9 different endings and a focus on exploration, speed running and replayability.
Game Design as a self-reflexive practice
Game development is a powerful tool for self-expression. In 2015, I developed and released Memoir En Code, an autobiographical game about life events that shaped me. It was a tough, emotional journey in which game design eventually helped me understand a lot more about myself and about my past. I wish to share what I learned during the design process and the release, and end with a call for more autobiographical and personal games.
