I’ve been to Sweden and Denmark several times in the context of participating an the annual Nordic Game Conference. Always a great experience to hang out with folks from the Nordic game community. And, the first Icelandic Game Industry anniversary/celebration/conference was no exception.
The one-day event, held at the famous (and awesome) Blue Lagoon was a forward looking affair, with discussions geared toward the future of games in general, and in Iceland specifically. Despite recent economic challenges in Iceland, the vibe was quite positive and the energy level very high. The two hours of “mandated” lagoon time on the schedule only added to the good spirits.
I did a joint opening keynote with Pablos Holman (Intellectual Ventures Lab), who mainly spoke about invention and creativity. I gave a Schell-like presentation on gamification.
On the final day, the speakers and journalists were treated to an outdoor adventure. Wow, was totally amazing and awe inspiring to get a glimpse at the beauty and uniqueness of Iceland (see photos below).
After the IGI conference, I flew directly over to Denmark for another event. Hosted by Computerspilzonen/Copenhagen Entertainment, the half-day summit was geared towards the development of Copenhagen as a cluster for game/film/digital media production. I gave the keynote largely based on my economic development consulting work via Perimeter Partners.
Here are some photos from the combined trip:
View outside my hotel window in Reykjavik.
Along the waterside, heading into downtown Reykjavik.
Famous house where Reagan and Gorbachev negotiated to end the Cold War…
Viking art along the waterside.
New conference/concert center being built. From a distance, looked like it was falling over.
The old fisherman’s harbor area.
Oldish/newish architecture.
A church and the city hall.
Idyllic lake in the middle of town.
Oldschool fishing village style housing layered over each other.
Big church at top of hill.
The pristine whiteness and lack of decor was startling.
The organ looked like some Final Fantasy style gunship canon!
Hmm, don’t remember that building from the game ;)
Speakers’ BBQ/reception at the Gogogic office.
Blue Lagoon! Yes, that’s where the conference was held.
More Blue Lagoon.
Even more Blue Lagoon.
Pablos Holman (Intellectual Ventures Lab) unveils his hacker roots.
Andie Nordgren (CCP) discussed participatory culture/media.
Peter Warman (Newzoo) dives deep into market stats.
Yummy whale meet. Sadly, no putrefied shark was served.
Torfi Frans Olafsson (CCP) shows off Dust 514, and how the console shooter game will share data with Eve.
Heads of industry discuss Iceland’s future in games: Ivar Hermann Unnporsson (Betware), Jonas Anton Bjorgvinsson (Gogogic), Thor Gunnarsson (CCP) and moderator Eyjo Gudmundsson (CCP).
Our 4WD chariots to adventure!
Drove up the peak of a mountain to get a good view of the landscape. Very foggy, though.
You know you are about to do something a little risky when everyone gets out of the other truck to take pictures of your truck!
Super cool multimedia display at the geothermal powerplant.
These engines/turbines/whatever were massive!
Colorful mossy flowers covering the volcanic landscape.
Entrance to a volcanic tunnel (created by streams of molten lava under the ground).
Super red rock in the tunnel.
Some points were a tight fit…
A ~200-year-old lamb that got lost in the tunnel.
The Brave-8.
Getting tighter on the way out.
A geyser that blew apart a nearby pancake shack a few years back. Soooo stinks like rotten eggs.
Erla Bjarney Árnadóttir (Gogogic) on the high cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
X-Files-esque shot of the jeeps high-beaming the cliffs.
Eyjo Gudmundsson (CCP) and a bucket of lobster tails eaten at the little seaside village.
Inside the IO Interactive HQ in Copenhagen. Hmm, I recognize that from the side of the LA Convention Center a few E3s ago.
Dino Patti (Playdead Games) discusses the origins of Limbo.
Danish culture creators brainstorming ways to foster Copenhagen’s creative capacity.
Was able to sneak in two Judo sparring sessions at the Amager club in the suburbs.
The fabled Tivoli park gearing up for Halloween.
Appropriately enough, flew over Greenland on the way back home.
