Illusion Softworks

Balancing In/formality within the Brno Video Game Industry

This paper examines how formalized and informalized modes of video game production coexist and interact within Brno, the Czech Republic's second largest city and a longstanding industrial center.

• The study draws on 32 semi-structured interviews (2024–2025) with developers, educators, government representatives, and community organizers, plus six mapping sessions and a thematic analysis of 89 public documents.
• Brno's industry is characterized as simultaneously formalized (ties to companies, universities, and municipal and regional authorities) and informal in governance, with membership organized around individuals rather than organizations.
• The local developer association, founded in 2020, depends largely on volunteers and donations rather than fees or wages, which participants see as a signal of earnestness but which the authors link to self-exploitation, barriers for newcomers, and sustainability concerns.