Moderator: Ruth Lemmen

Our 5 panelists are:

• Kerstin Schütt of Twisted Ramble Games
• Natasha Skult of Turku Game Hub
• Sebastian Deterding of Digital Creativity Labs (York, UK)
• Mikkel Lodahl of Dania Games
• Per Backlund of University of Skövde

More info: A lot has been written on and said about serious games, impact games, applied games and gamification. And although there is a progressive consensus about their various definitions, their distinctive nature and the general game design approach, this knowledge has not yet gained ground within incubation programmes.

Perhaps because in spite of predictions to the contrary, the game business for non-entertainment markets has not yet grown into a full-fledged market of its own or proven as successful in terms of revenue and market share as the market for entertainment games. Comparatively few businesses build their portfolio and shape their business profile for a serious games / gamification market. Many game companies are still considering gamification and serious games as their contingency plan. It seems, however, that there has not been much discussion on how to approach incubation or mentoring for companies aiming at building up a business as serious game specialists.

The questions arising are: Is a different approach for their incubation necessary? Does it require another business model and entrepreneurial skill set than those needed for entertainment game incubation? And if so, what would serious game incubation need to pay attention to beyond the interesting issue of how to design such games?

BGZ Berliner Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit mbH, as lead partner of the EU-Interreg project Baltic Game Industry, and project partner Krakow Technology Park organised the panel.

Baltic Sea Games acts as a central point of contact for the video game industries of the Baltic Sea region. This joint presence facilitates not only easier access, e.g. for investors, but also increases the visibility of the Baltic Sea region as a hotspot for its growing video game industry within the EU and worldwide.

Website https://balticseagames.home.blog

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/balticseagames

Twitter: https://twitter.com/baltic_games

Baltic Sea Games by the project Baltic Game Industry is financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund, within the programme Interreg Baltic Sea Region.