Game design in rapid development

Alexander Westerdahl (to the left) and his friends are fully concentrated on their game projects.

In one of the houses on Campus Gotland intensive game development is in progress. We open the door slightly to one of the computer halls where some first year students are gathered around a table. They were fully concentrated on their game projects.

Alexander Westerdahl has an electric guitar on his lap. He’s recording sound effects for the game he and his friend Simon Strandh across the table are working on.

`We need the sound of a rubbish bin rolling down the hill. The game is about a man who is angry with everyone and everything during a demonstration.´

Anders Wetter sitting close by is drawing in his sketchbook. He started playing computer games as a four year old and has already managed to develop his first two games.

`I’m working on my own concept while studying too. This happens around the clock,’ he adds smiling.

The others around the table nod knowingly. It often happens that they stay here after the end of day.

‘I spend more time here than at home. And I still go home with a smile every night,’ says Adam Wrange.

The level of applicants to the education in game design at Campus Gotland is high. The computer games industry is an industry of the future in which Sweden is at the forefront, with the most developed games per capita.

‘New technological opportunities emerge every week. Our students must master today's technology, but above all be equipped for coming technologies,’ says Professor Steven Bachelder.

When the programme started in 2001, it was Sweden’s first higher education programme in game design and one of the first in the world. Nowadays, the department of game design is a part of Uppsala University, but residing in Visby.

Over the years, the education has garnered a lot of international attention. In May, it's time for the annual Gotland Game Conference. Where an international panel will evaluate the games created by the students.

In 2013, the department participated in the Tokyo Game Show as the first European institution of higher education. Three games developed by students and which won awards in Swedish Game Awards (see fact box) were shown at the stand.

‘We were the first European university that participated at the Tokyo Game Show and we attracted a great deal of attention. Japanese producers were very interested in the students, we were actually surprised by the actual level of interest,’ says Steven Bachelder.

Here there is an internationally compiled teacher group, which increases the dynamics. Two researchers from Japan come with a total of 50 years experience, from Tokyo Institute of Technology and the research unit at Japan's national television, (NHK).

‘They help us to make the connection between research in new technologies and games. We need to prepare the students for the future, so that they are used to implementing their ideas with new techniques. Otherwise it will be difficult for them to assert themselves.´

The students learn how to master the techniques, but above all to find new artistic forms.

‘They must excel at the technology, but technology cannot be an end in itself, it is just a tool. The technical development is tangible and affects the whole environment, but really they should not think about technology more than an author thinks about his language. That's the challenge.’

One of the teachers is Marcus Ingvarsson. He studied here himself from 2005 onwards. He then worked for a number of years in Germany at a large games company. When a teacher vacancy arose in Visby, he moved back.

What should a good game designer be capable of?

‘You should be open to the ideas of others and have the discipline to complete them.’ It is a mistake to distinguish between ‘my idea’ and ‘your idea’. Everyone has good ideas, but a good idea fails with poor implementation. It's not about ideas but about implementation.

And to learn how to develop good game design you need to test, test and test again.

‘It has never been easier than today to try to develop a game, just get started!’ Many programs are free. Above all, you have to stop thinking and start developing. There are no obstacles or excuses anymore. 

The students develop many games during the course of the education, on an increasingly advanced level. A number also spend their leisure time on game projects and some of the games are released on the market.

‘It's fun to see our students so motivated. Once the course assignment has been completed it’s a question of having the discipline to complete the remaining work to get the game released on the market,’ says Marcus Ingvarsson.

That’s what a couple of first year students did last year for example. They developed the game CoBots, which was well received on the market.

‘From being an inexperienced student team of six people, who had never worked in 3D, in ten weeks they produced a finished game, spent the remaining months on fine-tuning and then got the game released. In six months!’

What does the future hold for the students? There are several paths you can take, game designers can be employed by the major gaming companies or you can start your own business and work on more small-scale projects. There is also a labour market within visualisation and “Serious games”,’ says Steven Bachelder, where games are used for educational purposes, simulation or knowledge sharing.

In his research, he examines what makes games so captivating.

‘What is it that gets people to sit for days on end and play something really very difficult, a complex system of problem solving? It has great deal to do with inner motivation in a system that rewards.´

Initially he was an artist and has previously taught at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design. When he came here in the early 2000s, it was to look into a new, unestablished form of culture.

‘Games do things that other forms of media do not do. My question was: What's the difference? And what is the potential, with all the development taking place? It was so interesting that I commuted here from Stockholm for seven years. Eventually I moved here. I still haven’t answered the question, so I'm still here,’ says Steven Bachelder with expectant expression.

Here at Campus Gotland, he can follow developments first hand.

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FACTS/Three games...

...developed by students on the game design education:

King of the Thrill - uses a mobile phone as a controller instead of joystick. Several players can participate. You must defend your position as "King of the Thrill" when faced by opponents, through accumulating “power-ups” that provide extra strength, skills and powers.

Fly or Die - a variant of Hot Potato. One of the players has a bomb that is ticking down and needs to pass it on by flying into another player. The players wear Jet Packs in the form of a rucksack, which vibrates when you have the bomb. Whoever has the bomb when it explodes loses.

Little Warlock - web-based adventure game where you create and collect cards that are used on different playing fields. To their help players have creatures, spells and buildings that are placed on a grid. To use these, you must have the right card in your hand from your own built deck and place them out in real time while the game is in progress.

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FACTS/Growing industry

Swedish game development grew in 2012, and sales increased by 60 per cent to SEK 3.7 billion. As shown by the Game Developer Index, the Computer Games Industry’s annual summary of Swedish developer's annual reports.

The industry has grown by 215 per cent during 2010-2012.

Swedish game developers work with some of the world's biggest brands, from Star Wars and Mad Max to wholly owned Swedish Battlefield, Minecraft and Candy Crush Saga. Some of the world's most played, sold and popular games were developed in Sweden.

Source: Computer Games Industry