The average age was considerably younger than at the other Nordic Cool events when Saku Lehtinen from Finland and Kristoffer Touborg from Iceland were on the stage at the Kennedy Center on Saturday evening under the heading Game Design: Behind the Screen.

Saku Lehtinen talked about how he began designing computer games when he was only 15. That was 24 years ago. In 1996 he joined the gaming company Remedy and became its Art Director 2002. He is the man behind the games Max Payne and Alan Wake which have had multi-million sales.

"We try to be original and not do what everyone else is doing. This has been successful", said Saku.

He showed an episode of Alan Wake who attacks with candle lanterns as weapons, and promises the children in the audience that no one was killed.

Kristoffer Touborg introduced himself as half-Swedish and half-Danish. He now lives in Iceland and works for CCP Games.

"Space ships come from Iceland", he joked and showed a bit from the company's successful game EVE Online which after 10 years on the market continues to evolve.

The moderator, Mike Snider, Tech Reporter for USA Today, wondered what lies behind their success and whether there is something typically Nordic in their games.

"Our games are complex and not always easy to grasp. We think people like challenges and so we make games like that", said Kristoffer.

"We try to do something unique, there is no point in doing the same thing as everyone else", said Saku.

They think that other explanations for their success are the high levels of education in the Nordic countries, the strong internet expansion and that foreign films are not dubbed but subtitled instead.

High levels of education in the Nordic countries

Obviously this has worked. The Nordic game companies have far more customers than the total population in the region. Kristoffer said, for example, that CCP has half a million subscribers. There are only 320,000 inhabitants in Iceland.

But what is it that is typically Nordic is the actual games?

"The Nordic countries have a strong design heritage and we want to defend that. Perhaps our games are also a little darker", said Saku.

Kristoffer added that social realism is a cornerstone in all Nordic culture. However, he warned against taking the Nordic element too far. You have to take into account that there are players all round the world who are attracted by different things.

"We would never make a Viking game, I would die of embarrassment", he said.

They also testified how the status of computer games had been boosted and it was now an equally well established medium as film.

"When I began doing this my family thought I should get myself a proper job. But this is my dream job. I like architecture and want people to interact", said Saku.

"Games are a much more flexible medium than film", added Kristoffer. "You can play anywhere and as long as you want, you can play alone or with others".

The audience asked questions about new games which are under way, but Saku and Kristoffer wouldn't comment on that.
After the presentations, Kristoffer commented that he was surprised that there were so many people at Nordic Cool.

"Imagine there being so much interest in the US for what we are doing. It's great fun to walk around and talk to people. I will try to get out on the town and perhaps get some new stimulus to take back home for the job", he said,

(Writer: Bengt Rolfer, freelance journalist)

Jesper F. Schou-Knudsen
Phone +45 33 96 03 55
Email jsk@norden.org