opinion piece:
Remember, this is an opinion piece, so these opinions are my own, and not the company opinions.

First, some background info. The Norwegian government has just gone out with a message that they would like to see more Norwegian games coming out, more being developed, more growth in the game development industry of Norway. Of course, most people would say, “well who wouldn’t?”.

What the government has done however, is increase the support pot alloted to support game development, so they do not only proclaim their demands on the growth of industry without actually supporting it with some dough.

Games in school

The gov. has also spoken about the possiblity to include certain types of games into the curriclium at school. They also said,”We want to develop safe, good Norwegian games and contribute to a well-functioning game industry”.  I must admit I am somewhat puzzled by this; “we” here, is said by a politician, and sureley they are not the ones who will be developing games?

What I would like to see computers be used for in school

When it comes to dragging games into school, I’d rather see something quite different happen with computers in the hands of children. I’d like us to teach children how to program the machine, how to use the computer from a power-users standpoint, and not as just an application user. Teach them the power of what you can accomplish on a computer when your mind is free to play with the possibilities; not how the computer can help them use Word to write an essay.

If you then drag games or game technology into a context where children know the basics of simple programming concepts, why not let them free in a script-moddable universe where they can go crazy and play with physics, 3d-models , simulations, etc etc?

“I wonder what will happen if I modify this bow and arrow to shoot an arrow where the the spearhead is a 2 Kg heavy thing shaped like a tennis ball?” a kid might ask. We should give them the power to answer these questions by modifying a virtual world through scripting/programming.

Government wants safe

And anyhow, games != eduction and were never ment to be. So back to games. Something about safety was mentioned. I understand why the government would like to see kid-friendly games, but I have a dream about something quite else: A really really bloody actionfilled RAW INTENSE VIKING experience blockbuster! Will this sort of game not be “safe” enough for support? will the government be disgruntled with game developers that have these sorts of visions, or will they be supportive of that as well?

And catalyst ingredients for growth?

The question is, how can small scale development in Norway grow to compete with the big boys?
These are my silly answers.

1)
By having some balls

By Making a good game with an international edge, and then follow through and make the entire world aware of the product.

2)
when growing, get experience, or be an experienced startups

There has been a couple of startup game companies in Norway, some started by people straight out of school( like us) , or others started by people with more experience. When it comes to large scale development, experience is a very good thing. When going large, making sure you have the right people with the right skillset and experience to pull through a huge project, is key.

3)
Making sure that you become profitable ASAP

This isn’t because being filthy rich is what it’s all about, this is because a broke game developer cannot afford to stay alive. Without a cashflow, the game you’re working on, won’t be done, the next game you are planning will never see the day, etc, etc.  A bonus point is that investors will be much more interested in joining you for expansion.

I ranted a bit more than what I originally had in mind, but now finally,

rant over.

Havchr out.