This document presents a methodological framework for an enhanced roadmap as a durable tool for the discovery of pertaining knowledge on game incubation and for the retrieval of valuable information for the game incubation community.
The project Baltic Game Industry (BGI) has introduced a roadmap (www.balticseagames.eu) for establishing and running a game incubator. This tool is a living body of knowledge that we are further developing, expanding and adapting in the extension stage project Baltic Sea Game Incubation (BSGI) with the help of a whole range of experts contributing in part very different, in part very similar experiences. In the roadmap we combine several components, such as text, articles, videos, files, news, etc. pertaining to a specific topic. The roadmap allows for easy access to a wide variety of knowledge and a comprehensive approach to knowledge transfer regarding game incubation.
This setup of the roadmap benefits both the users as well as the people responsible for the input itself. To a user, the roadmap presents itself as a one-stop-shop for all things game incubation without having to navigate scattered and unedited material from all over the internet, as well as opportunities for easy participation in a network. For the input side this means that any kind of material can be easily added to the roadmap since the industry is ever changing and new knowledge is constantly created. In the future, this will allow for even further additions to the roadmap and lower maintenance requirements.
The potential of the roadmap is immense and it can evolve beyond its initial layout, which is already happening during BSGI based on the work done during BGI. While the roadmap compiles a body of knowledge from game incubation experts for prospective or emerging incubators, the fact that game incubation itself is a fairly recent practice with little documented knowledge or endorsed standards calls for a broader approach to embrace all key stakeholders engaged in supporting game start-ups or studios with little entrepreneurial experience (e.g. splinters).
Creating a platform for exchange as a means for competence building in a peer-to-peer environment, acting at the same time as a complementary source of growth for the body of knowledge on incubation and game business development, has evolved into a very compelling route to venture on.