My Life with Games

On this page I present my history in games, from the present back to my early years. This is intended both as a reminder to myself as well as a running track record of my involvement with games. So, here we go, starting with this year and counting backwards:

2007

CaveTales

March: Developed the second concept and prototype of CaveTales, the multiplayer / multi-platform cave painting / story telling game. It’s a social game for 3-7 people. The prototype runs on Flash, story cards & game tokens, but the final game is intended for web-based multiplayer. Board game version is also possible. I’ve done some playtesting with it, and it shows promise. Next step would be to define the target audience (in terms of player type / playing style).

January: Developed the first concept and prototype of CaveTales for the game design event in Jyväskylä. We playtested it there and I got lots of valuable feedback.

Board Game Prototype

Developed the first concept of a fast-paced sport-themed (team sports, guess which game!) strategy board game. I’ve playtested it a bit and have tweaked the rules according to results. The goal is to make a fast-paced game with meaningful tactical decisions involved, but also luck. The gameplay is going to be about 30-45 minutes, and it’s going to be a strictly two-player game. Another goal is to avoid the pitfalls of BloodBowl type of game (too long, too much setup etc.). I’ve also tinkered with the idea to design a web-based multiplayer version of this, too. Could be doable. Next step is to finalize the piece and card designs and invite an artist to work on producing a first real prototype with me.

Majestic

My excursion to the new wave of role-playing games. (Obs. Should probably change the title, although this game is a bit of old news). I’ve made the first draft of rules to experiment with the shared creation of narrative for this kind of role-playing game set in X-Files / Millennium / HellBlazer type of mystery / horror genre. If the experiment is a success, I may continue working on a version to publish (most likely on open game license). Sadly, the playtest is currently at a halt due other stuff.

The Game Design Event in Jyväskylä

 I helped out in organizing the first ever game design event in Jyväskylä. It took place at the University on 12th – 13th of January. There were about 20 participants and more than 10 game designs an/or prototypes. I gave couple of short lectures, playtested my game CaveTales and participated in other playtests as well as giving feedback to designs presented. A very good concept for an event, and we are arranging a second one this Summer. Here are the pages for the first event (only in Finnish, sorry).

2006

Gameli V2

Worked as a producer for the AGL game development project to produce the version two of the Gameli natural sciences simulation game. The goal for this version was to expand the game into a simulation game creation environment.

Games and Teaching Lecture

A held a lecture for the course IT Skills for Teachers about using games for teaching. I also produced the web material for the distance education part of a similar course. Now I’m in the process of editing that material so that I can publish it on the web.

2005

Gameli

Took over (after a month of project work) as a producer for the AGL game development project to produce the first version of the Gameli natural sciences simulation game. The goal for this version was to create a compelling game on top of the GameWorld simulation engine provided by the University of Hong Kong.

Suoseikkailu

In Summer we started to brainstorm a game concept that would a year later become Suoseikkailu (Peatland Adventure). In Autumn we worked with Mediakeittiö to come up with an idea of a web-based game environment that would lead the players to the secrets of mires. I worked as a game design and software engineering expert in the project from the start, but my role was pretty thin on the implementation phase next year due to other responsibilities and two competent game designers / programmers, Arto Koistinen and Jukka Varsaluoma.

Games & Storytelling Workshops

I participated in two workshops run by Katie Salen (the first one) & Ernest Adams (the second one). I cannot stress enough how useful this experience was for me. I participated in the design of three or four game concepts, got a chance to collaborate with very resourceful people, and got feedback from bona-fide experts in the field.

NeverWinter Nights

I toyed pretty much with the Aurora Game Toolkit during this year. One regret that I have about this activity is that I did not concentrate enough on producing any one of my concepts into a finished module. But, the experience of using such a toolkit helped me to learn a lot about level design and game scripting. And I found out that I could use my programming studies and experience as an asset in scripting.

2004

Master Thesis on Narrative Design of Multiplayer Games

This is the year I wrote my M.Sc. thesis. It was about methods and design decisions in designing multiplayer games from a narrative (or plot line or dramatic) point of view. The case study was about Ludocraft’s and Institute of Education Research’s eScape, a multiplayer educational game based on Unreal technology. The work on my thesis was my introduction to game research, too.

2001-2003

Quiet times for games. I was mostly active at the customer side Played a lot of BloodBowl, some pen & paper rpgs, some computer games (Championship Manager etc.), got my first exposure (and therefore, incurable addiction) to Pro Evolution Soccer. I was more active on my theatre work, acting and directing in the University Theatre and Campus Theatre as well as Theatre Poleemi. And really busy with my teaching and drama studies. I had a few interesting ideas for LARPs, but the “old school” style of arranging LARPs seemed more and more like too much work compared to the outcome. One major LARP, though:

Kothar XI (2002)

I was one of the three main organizers / designers / writers. The game was moderate in size (30 players). Our main goal was to make a solid game that would honor the Kothar style of playing and provide (nostalgic?) experiences to the people that had participated in previous Kothar LARPs. I think we did okay, the setting was good, and although the plotlines of the game weren’t that elaborate, most of the participants enjoyed their visit to Kothar. This was my last visit to “old school” LARP organizing and really fortified my beliefs that representationally accurate organizer / writer led LARPing is a thing of the past. Too much effort, not enough gained.

Still, the Kothar series had a distinct style of low fantasy barbarian fantasy with Finnish influences that were very popular for a certain audience at the time. Our playing preferences highlighted authenticity of the experience, simple archetype-like story lines and group spectacles, many of which focused around the yearly rites and customs of the fictional tribes of Kothar.

2000

Kothar X

Kothar X was the third latest LARP in the Kothar line. I was the main organizer, designer and writer. I also wrote and directed the play Venelas, which was performed in the Larp and was an important part of the plot line. The game had about 60 players and it featured a functional tavern that served food and drinks (thanks to my fellow organizers for that!). The game went well and I can be pleased about the result, but on hindsight I think that apart from the play there wasn’t anything really remarkable about it. It was maybe too mainstream for my taste (court intrigue, too much individual quests and all that).

1998

Kothar VIII

A smaller Kothar LARP I arranged. Nothing much to say about this one, it was a decent game, nothing special. Does not compare well with other games I’ve been a part of organizing, I’m afraid. And it was 100% outdoors and it rained the whole time :[ .

1996

Kothar V

Kothar V was a huge LARP in the age of many other huge LARPs. It was designed to run for two days, with a total of nearly hundred players. We had a village for the setting of the game as well as a team of five writers and several more organizers. I think the game was a successful one. It lacked the early enthusiasm and unity of the players, but despite being very large, did manage to counter many of the cliches found in the LARPs of that period. It had its share of flaws, too: There's no sense in trying to arrange a two day LARP and some of the characters and quests were pretty weak.

1995

Suuri Illuusio (The Great Illusion)

I was the main designer, writer and organizer of this LARP that took place in the town of Mikkeli on the Autumn of 1995. The genre was modern mystery with a mix of characters reminiscent of films by Kaurismäki (and/or other European films). There were some 30 players. The game was a unique mix of fiction and reality at the time; a predecessor of the pervasive games of now, perhaps? Despite its flaws (most of which were due to excessive workload taken up by yours truly) I consider this game still a great success and an amazing experience.

-1994

Kothar LARPs

I was part of the organizing team of Kothar I and Kothar IV (I think, or was it III?). Kothar I was a big game, as well as Kothar V (60-70 participants, if I remember correctly). The Kothar series had a distinct style of low fantasy barbarian fantasy with Finnish influences that were very popular for a certain audience at the time. Our playing preferences highlighted authenticity of the experience, simple archetype-like story lines and group spectacles, many of which focused around the yearly rites and customs of the fictional tribes of Kothar.

Role-Playing Games

[I'll get back to this one too, when I have more time]

I, together with a couple of friends, ran a role-playing club in Mikkeli during the years 1992-1995. The activity was completely our own idea and we did all the arrangements ourselves. This led to a few very good friendships and acquintances with other hobbyists.

Lots of original material were also produced, for existing games as well as homebrew ones. Lots of experiments were made, too, from role-playing without rules to using arbitrary dice-throwing to various other stuff.