As the world’s biggest computer game trade fair takes place in L.A., Sweden is well represented. Already at the forefront of technological development in computer gaming, Swedish developers now maintain that gaming can also be the most vibrant source of culture for the 21st century.
Computer games are no longer just about technology. The impact of storytelling and other cultural factors is growing. Photo: E3Expo
The Association of Swedish Game Developers has predicted that computer games will be Sweden’s “next big export success” and estimates that 25,000 people will be employed in the sector in Sweden by 2015.
Tommy Palm at the Swedish Computer Game Institute (SDSI), which promotes computer gaming in society, says that the growth of gaming is down to cultural as well as technological innovation, with design, storytelling and other cultural factors playing a bigger role:
“The technical side of things has definitely been Sweden’s strength over the years, but recently other types of creativity have caught up in importance.”
Combining high tech with storytelling
Stockholm-based company Avalanche Studios is one studio to combine state-of-the art technology with creative story-telling.
The company’s Avalanche Engine makes it possible to portray huge open landscapes without slowing down the PC or game console. It has used this engine to create Just Cause, a game in which Agent Rico Rodriguez is charged with infiltrating drug cartels and guerrilla movements on the fictional island of San Esperito.
Avalanche’s CEO Christofer Sundberg has said that it is “technology that has put us on the map,” and there are many other companies in Sweden that could say the same.
The most successful Swedish gaming export is the “Battlefield” series, built and designed by game developer Dice. Photo: Digital Illusions
Business is expanding
Perhaps the biggest and best-known Swedish game developer is Digital Illusions (Dice), creator of the Battlefield series, which was bought by world giant Electronic Arts in 2004. Dice has won numerous international awards for its games, and they have also been well received by gamers.
The company recently announced that it would invest 65 million kronor in next generation technology in 2006 and 2007. Dice argued that the investment would enable it to become one of the leading developers for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, the leading next generation games consoles.
Virtual tennis game in “Augmented Reality”
The value of advanced research in gaming technology was demonstrated clearly last month when Ph.D. student Anders Henrysson was awarded two top prizes at the International Mobile Gaming Awards at 3GSM in Barcelona.
Henrysson has developed AR Tennis, a game in which two players use camera phones as virtual tennis rackets. He was awarded the Best Technical Achievement Award and the Grand Prix Award at the event, altogether worth $12,500.
Soon we may be playing tennis in “Augmented reality” (AR) − a field of computer research combining real world and computer generated data. © Photo: NVIS / Andreas Nilsson
“This is great recognition for what we’ve created,” said Henrysson, who says he expects the game to get a commercial release at some point.
Numerous research institutes
The high degree of technical know-how involved in Swedish computer game development is reflected in the number of institutes that focus on gaming-related research.
Henrysson himself is based at one such institution, the Norrköping Visualization and Interaction Studio (NVIS). A focus on computer graphics, visualization and virtual reality technology underlines the high level of technological input going into today’s games.
Another successful visualization cluster is found in Göteborg, where the game industry and other sectors with an interest in visualization interact through the Centre of Visualization, set up by Business Region Göteborg.
Gaming is more than technology
But while the technological side of game development is a major theme in Swedish gaming research, cultural aspects are never far behind.
Tommy Palm at the Swedish Computer Game Institute says: “There’s no doubt that computer gaming is culture. Apart from anything else, gaming is very important for contemporary youth culture.”
“Pictures, music and film are combined in computer games: gaming is the culture source with the most potential in the 21st century,” Palm says.
Indeed, many organizations are recognizing the cultural importance of computer games. Göteborg-based developer Jungle Peak Studios’ Azaya games are co-branded with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which tallies well with the games’ environmental profile.
Combining the technological aspects of game design with the humanistic side of creating games that people will enjoy playing is the focus of much of the research at Sweden’s Interactive Institute.
The institute’s Zero-Game studio has developed a mobile game that uses the medieval city of Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland as a gaming table. While using modern mobile technology for high-level multi-user gaming, the game also taps into people’s interest in history and mythology.
This is where Sweden has succeeded in satisfying the international demand for exciting new games: great storytelling backed up by innovative technology is a winning formula. The prediction that this is Sweden’s next big export industry may yet prove to be true.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
James Savage has a background in broadcast journalism and media relations. He has previously worked as a journalist at the BBC.
The author alone is responsible for the opinions expressed in this article.
This article was originally published on Itsweden.com.
© Photo:
Photo 1: © E3Expo
Photo 2: © Digital Illusions.
Photo 3: © NVIS / Andreas Nilsson
Classification: A143EN
Related links
Articles and publications
Copyright: This text is published by the Swedish Trade Council on
www.sweden.se. It may not be reused without prior consent. To obtain permission to use the text, please contact:
webmaster@sweden.se. Photos or illustrations may not be used in other contexts. For more information on the copyright and permission.