Co-founder of Executions Labs, former IGDA executive director and long-time Nordic Game partner Jason Della Rocca has chosen 21 NG18 sessions (*that haven’t already gotten loads of coverage) for his special highlights list.
Check them out – and take it from Jason, you’ll be glad you did!
Wednesday, 23 May
12:15 – 13:00, Room Oslo
Custom Tools: Putting the Cart in Front of the Horse
JENS ANDERSSON
Custom tools will make your game special. I will show how you can build tools to differentiate your game. To my help I will use my latest game, Yoku’s Island Express, as well as lessons from Chronicles of Riddick/Starbreeze and Colors! /Collecting Smiles. And can tools actually drive design?
14:15 – 15:00, Room Oslo
Creating for Casual
JEREMY KANG
This session will explore the different considerations that we take into account when creating mobile casual games at King – including how we look at core game loops, envelope/meta-game design, live ops and events, content production and level design, using examples from King’s world-famous Saga games. A mobile session curated by King.
Thursday, 24 May
10:00 – 10:45, Room Torshavn
Social Media and Influencer Marketing on a Budget
MICHAEL SCHADE
Rockfish Games CEO Michael Schade will share his best marketing stunts on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Twitch and Imgur, which helped to make the studio’s debut title Everspace a surprise indie hit on Steam and Xbox, with over 400,000 copies sold – and still selling strongly.
12:15 – 13:00, Unreal Theatre
2.6 Billion and Counting: Industry Evolution and Cultural Prominence
MICHAEL GALLAGHER
With more than 2.6 billion gamers worldwide, video games are the most influential form of entertainment today. Come listen to ESA CEO Mike Gallagher provide a compelling perspective on the cultural significance of video games, including the current opportunities and challenges facing the worldwide industry.
13:15 – 14:00, Room Oslo
Player Journey in a Modern Live Service
CASEY AL-KAISY
What is the player experiencing from an early stage of getting a game, to installing and finally playing it? This talk will touch on the player journey day 1 to 100, player engagement, as well as business model, requirements and expectations of Games as a Service (GaaS).
13:15 – 14:00, Room Torshavn
Envision It, Create It, Monetise It
NATALIE PORTIER, DERK DE GEUS, MIIKKA LUOTIO, STEPHEN LEE
Game monetisation evolves rapidly day-by-day; real life experience has a crucial meaning in the industry. Join this monetisation workshop, where panellists will advise on how to avoid the pitfalls of in-game advertising, share some actual numbers and discuss international expansion, as well as ways to reach the users in other regions. Moderated by Natalie Portier.
13:15 – 14:00, Room Copenhagen
Building Connected Communities: Discord for Developers
EROS RESMINI
In this talk, we’ll dive into why players choose Discord and how they use it, and the various ways that developers use the platform – ranging from private play-test channels to large public community servers. Plus, we’ll go over the programs and tools that Discord offers.
14:15 – 15:00, Room Torshavn
Leadership to Promote Inclusive and Diverse Company Culture
ALBERTINA SPARRHULT, MATTIAS GEORGSON PETRÉN
Hands on leadership and organisational techniques to promote an inclusive and productive work environment and culture. Join us for an intense session where you learn how to support your team and company from a leadership position through practical advice that you can start using immediately, based in PMI best practice. Organised by Game Habitat in collaboration with Diversi and Arkatay.
15:15 – 16:15, Room Torshavn
Behind the Scenes of Physics Animations, Part I
PETTER HENRIKSSON, BRANDON O’CONNELL, KEVIN SUCKERT, RUAN ROTHMANN, PETRI PURHO, WILHELM NYLUND
Physics animations are rapidly becoming more popular, and there are many different ways of doing it. We’ve invited some of the most prominent people in the field to pick their minds about how it’s done, weaknesses and strengths, and the future. Panel moderated by Petter Henriksson.
15:15 – 16:00, Unreal Theatre
A Fireside Chat with Josef Fares
JOSEF FARES, MIKE GAMBLE
Epic Games’ Mike Gamble chats with acclaimed writer/director Josef Fares, best known as creator of the ground-breaking titles Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and A Way Out. Hosted by Mike Gamble.
16:15 – 17:00, Room Copenhagen
Independence
HAKAN ABRAK
IO Interactive’s independence journey.
16:15 – 17:00, Room Reykjavik
Five Reasons You Need a Presence in Russia
ELENA EGOROVA
The Russian market might look challenging and risky for game marketers. However its potential is huge, and with the right knowledge and approach your game will find millions of dedicated players here. Mail.ru group, owner of the main Russian social networks Vk and Ok, has some good tips for you.
Friday, 25 May
10:00 – 10:25, Room Copenhagen
Cuphead: The Making of an Indie Sensation
DAVID FUGÈRE-LAMARRE
I will describe how we went from an email inquiry from MDHR for one programmer to help out for the game’s delivery ended up being about 10 people from our team all joining the intense work delivery schedule to help ship Cuphead on time.
10:00 – 10:45, Unreal Theatre
Go Smell the Grass! Building Worlds
TOMMY FRANCOIS
Simulations are invitations to travel. How can video games change the world? Are we giving our creatives the means to be mature and innovative?
10:00 – 11:00, Room Torshavn
Behind the Scenes of Physics Animations, Part II
PETTER HENRIKSSON, BRANDON O’CONNELL, KEVIN SUCKERT, RUAN ROTHMANN, WILHELM NYLUND
Physics animations are rapidly becoming more popular, and there are many different ways of doing it. We’ve invited some of the most prominent people in the field to pick their minds about how it’s done, weaknesses and strengths, and the future. Workshop moderated by Petter Henriksson.
10:00 – 10:45, Room Reykjavik
Making a Better Sequel to SteamWorld Dig
BRJANN SIGURGEIRSSON
If you ever make a decent game, how can you build on that success and stay true to the world and characters, without simply producing more of the same? Brjann discusses challenges, pitfalls and opportunities Image & Form faced when making a more successful sequel to their indie hit SteamWorld Dig.
11:00 – 11:45, Room Reykjavik
Game Jams and the Games that Come from Them
JUPITER HADLEY
We will talk about why game jams produce both fun and experimental games, which jams are the best to go into, as well as about some amazing creations from jams that you probably have not heard about before.
12:00 – 12:45, Unreal Theatre
Firewatch: Creating a Reactive Story
CHRIS REMO
The first-person narrative adventure Firewatch doesn’t have traditional puzzles or challenge mechanics, but its world and characters had to feel reactive and alive nonetheless. Designer and composer Chris Remo will explore how the team at Campo Santo made limited development resources punch above their weight in telling an interactive story.
12:15 – 12:40, Room Copenhagen
Stand Out in the Indie Crowd: Designing Furi
AUDREY LEPRINCE
I will share our experience designing Furi, our boss fight game: designing with an edge, the “III vs AAA” design philosophy, the strategy of making a niche game, the sometimes difficult design choices, and how lucky we were when the stars all aligned.
12:45 – 13:10, Room Copenhagen
Being Valiant: The First Year in the Life of a Game Studio
ANNA JENELIUS
In 2017, two people called Anna and Kevin decided to start an indie game studio. Since then, much has happened. This talk gives insight in what you can expect from your first year of starting a game studio, including cautionary tales and funny anecdotes.
14:15 – 14:40, Room Copenhagen
Redefining Success, Failure and the Meaning of Life
LAURA BULARCA
Heart. Papers. Border. was not a commercial success and its development led to extreme and unpredictable life changes. Despite the drastic results and numbers, which I will disclose in detail, I am thankful for developing this game and for where it led me as a person and as a developer.
About the Nordic Game conference
Nordic Game is the leading games conference in Europe, and 2018 is its fifteenth year. Gathering over 2,000 games industry professionals in Malmö annually, Nordic Game is the one and only “home turf” meeting place for the highly successful game developers of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Learn more about Nordic Game 2018, 23-25 May in Malmö, Sweden at conf.nordicgame.com – and register today!
