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Model Scheme and Manual for Game Incubation Programming and Financing: Baltic Games Industry
The manual, Output 3.3 of the Baltic Game Industry (BGI) project and co-authored by Dania University of Applied Sciences, Kaunas Science and Technology Park, Krakow Technology Park LLC and Ventspils High Technology Park, is for business support providers on running and financing a game incubation programme.
- The manual states that most game incubators in Europe are based on public funds, and that private initiatives are a minority.
- Citing a 2002 study of business incubators, the authors report that subsidies from national authorities and public agencies made up 46% of sources.
- The authors report that rent can make up 20% to 40% and more of incubator revenue, depending on the country.
Guideline for Set-Up and Maintenance of a Mentoring System for Game Business Incubation
The guideline, produced under the Baltic Game Industry (BGI) project and written by authors from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, the Swedish Games Industry association and Ventspils High Technology Park, collects practical learnings from three game incubation programmes: Farm League in Helsinki, Sting Game in…
- An incubator should be designed around a solid understanding of its local game industry ecosystem, since copying a ready-made incubation solution is not necessarily the best option.
- The authors argue that selecting teams on the basis of their game is less useful than assessing the team, because most game companies need several ideas and pivots before becoming sustainable.
- Long-term mentors are best sought as generalists, such as former entrepreneurs or veterans with leadership experience, while specialists are more useful for lectures, workshops and ad hoc needs.
Manual on International Cooperation for BSR-Wide Game Business Development
The manual, produced under Output 3.5 of the Baltic Game Industry (BGI) project, summarises findings, lessons learnt and recommendations from a pilot on international cooperation among game incubators in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR).
- Only three of the BGI incubators reported using English as their common work language, though almost all others said they could switch to English if required.
- The authors argue that a common network can serve as a foundation for other forms of international game incubation collaboration.
- The Baltic Sea Games Award drew 29 startup teams from the eight BSR countries, with the online jury voting on curated selections from other regions.
Slovak Game Industry Infographic
The Slovak Game Industry Infographic, produced by the Slovak Game Developers Association, gives a snapshot of the country's game development sector as of December 31, 2019, with some approximate projections for 2020.
- The Slovak game industry experienced significant workforce expansion between 2016 and 2019, growing from 436 to 762 employees.
- The top ten companies in the sector generated over 48 million euros in annual turnover as of 2019.
- The industry is geographically concentrated, with 52 percent of the 55 active companies based in Bratislava and 24 percent in Košice.
Slovak Game Industry Annual Report 2020/2021
Slovakia's game industry is young, fragmented, and growing, and the 2020/2021 annual report maps it through statistics, company profiles, and a survey of the surrounding support ecosystem.
- Slovak game development includes studios like Tater Games (founded 2019, 7 employees, released Nunu Spirits, Cyber Forge), Atomic Realm (founded 2019, 4 employees, released Magnet Run, developing Squabble), and Fatbot Games (founded 2015, 6 employees, released Vaporum).
- Larger studios include Pixel Federation (founded 2007, 220 employees, titles like Diggy's Adventure, TrainStation 2) and Inlogic (founded 2005, 60 employees, titles like Football Championship 2020, Zombie Hill Race 3).
- Several studios focus on specific niches: Incidental Minds (founded 2018, 6 employees) develops 2D illustrated story-driven and strategic games, while Neutraworks (founded 2018, 6 employees) is an independent studio.
The Game Industry of Poland: 2020
Poland's game industry in 2020 is a fast-growing, export-driven sector, and the PARP and Indie Games Poland survey of it makes the case for its maturity and international reach.
- The Polish game industry has over 440 studios and companies, with 43 of them listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (12 on the main floor, 31 on NewConnect).
- Between 2017 and 2020, over 120 studios closed down while over 160 new ones were established, indicating a high variability in the sector, though the rapid growth observed before 2017 has slowed.
- 11 bit studios, founded in 2009 by former Metropolis studio members, developed 'This War of Mine' (the first video game on Poland's official school reading list) and 'Frostpunk', and has 140 employees.
Gaming Industry Report: Serbia 2020
Serbia's gaming industry reached record revenue of roughly €120 million in 2020, up about 20 percent year over year.
- Serbia’s video-game industry reached over €100 million in revenue in 2020, marking a 20 percent year-over-year growth across 120 development teams.
- The sector employs approximately 2,100 people, with women accounting for one-third of the workforce and a majority of firms planning to increase staff in 2021.
- Educational infrastructure expanded significantly with new programs at the University of Kragujevac and the University of Arts in Belgrade, supported by partners like Epic Games and Nordeus to serve over 1,500 students.
Catálogo de Servicios – Desarrolladores: España
La Asociación Española de Videojuegos (AEVI) presenta un catálogo de servicios para desarrolladores con motivo del segundo aniversario de su área de desarrollo, activa desde 2018.
- AEVI has expanded its development division to over 30 member studios since 2020, including firms like Artax Games, Binary Box Studios, and Blackmouth Games.
- The association provides direct financial support through a €10,000 grant programme and maintains a low barrier to entry for small firms with an annual membership fee of €150.
- Members receive specialized professional services, including free initial legal consultations from Bird & Bird and blockchain-based IP protection via Tutelio.
The Banner Saga Franchise: Making Indie Sound AAA
The Banner Saga trilogy demonstrates that high-fidelity, AAA-quality audio is achievable within indie-budget constraints through strategic creative choices and unconventional financial models.
- To achieve a high-production sound on a limited indie budget, embrace creative constraints by using specialized ensembles—such as the Dallas Wind Symphony—rather than attempting to replicate a full orchestral score.
- Leverage non-traditional talent pools like YouTube stars (e.g., Peter Hollens) to provide unique, cost-effective, and high-quality vocal performances that add a distinct emotional core to the project.
- When recording budgets are tight, prioritize spending on crucial, high-impact moments rather than spreading resources thin across the entire score, filling the gaps with creative sound design and smaller, specialized instrument groups.
Mobile Game "Color in Life" Development for Dichromatism Color Blind: Indonesia
This research focuses on the development and evaluation of an educational mobile game, "Color in Life," designed to increase awareness and knowledge regarding color vision deficiency (CVD), specifically targeting dichromatism.
- The 'Color in Life' mobile game significantly improved player knowledge of color vision deficiency, confirmed by a paired samples t-test showing t(34) = -7.704 and p < 0.05.
- Visual novel and adventure genres effectively deliver educational content without compromising entertainment value, as evidenced by high scores in enjoyment and environment metrics.
- Inclusive design, such as grayscale backgrounds and mechanics based on the Farnsworth-Munsell D-15 test, allows for a unified gaming experience for both color-blind and non-color-blind users.
Virtual Angklung Application using Adobe Flash
A 2018 conference paper from Bina Nusantara University's Computer Science Department describes the design and development of a desktop virtual Angklung simulator built in Adobe Flash, intended to let people learn and play the Indonesian bamboo instrument without a physical one and to be embeddable in web browsers.
- In a user acceptance test with 34 respondents, 91% said they were satisfied with the prototype application.
- In the same test, 88% of respondents said they were still interested in using the application.
- The UAT found that 82% of respondents said they directly knew how to use the application, and 88% said it was easy to use.
Time IS on Your Side: Personal Time Management Strategies for Crunch
Game development professionals face significant challenges during high-pressure crunch periods, necessitating a transition from reactive firefighting to proactive, outcome-based time management.
- Transition from reactive firefighting to proactive, outcome-based planning to maximize output quality and minimize task completion time during crunch periods.
- Prioritize high-impact objectives by utilizing the Results-Oriented Purpose-Driven system and the 'big rocks' method to prevent non-essential distractions from depleting cognitive resources.
- Automate daily rituals to preserve finite willpower, ensuring consistent productivity throughout demanding development cycles.
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