The Craft of Swedish Game Design
Bridging technology and imagination with artistry and craft, the artists, designers and developers making videogames are building alternate worlds.
Environment for the Medieval Faction in Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (TABS) titled “Medieval Lvl 1” (2019) by Johan Lund for Landfall Games. © Landfall Games
Video games are everywhere. We play them on desktop screens and on devices that we hold in our hands. At home, on the bus, alone and together. But what do you actually know about the creative visual worlds behind the screens?
The broad array of visual styles that contribute to the field attests to the complex and collaborative creativity that video game design demands.
Studios often share common points of origin. Hand-made pencil sketches and models blend with digital animation and code to imagine worlds that entertain, puzzle, and immerse us. Characters are sculpted, narratives are scripted, and the end result—the games themselves—range from the playful to the cinematic.
Video games and the culture that surrounds them connect, affect, and inspire us. The analogue material behind a game, however, is often buried or forgotten. This exhibition elevates a group of creatives to reveal the visual craft behind one of Sweden’s most important artistic fields.
Until 25 August, 2019
Concept art for Shelter 3 titled “The Herd Seen From Above” (2019) by Emma Richey for Might and Delight. © Might and Delight
Scenic view from 'theHunter: Call of the Wild' of the fictional reserve Layton Lake District (2017) by Expansive Worlds for Avalanche Studios. theHunter: Call of the Wild™ © 2017 Expansive Worlds AB, an Avalanche Studios division. theHunter: Call of the Wild is a trademark of Expansive Worlds AB. Developed by Expansive Worlds.
Scene from Unravel titled "Watch the Waves" (2015) by Martin Sahlin for Coldwood Interactive. © Electronic Arts
Concept sketch for Unravel titled "Berry Mire Water Puzzle" (2014) by Dick Adolfsson for Coldwood Interactive. © Coldwood Interactive