“We are delighted to be part of these investments in game development in Flemingsberg. It opens up opportunities for the Computer Games Programme External link. and can benefit the university’s students, teachers and researchers in many ways,” says Kai-Mikael Jää-Aro, senior lecturer and the programme’s coordinator.

A meeting place for game development

The aim is to create a vibrant meeting place for innovation and entrepreneurship around game development. The first part of the initiative includes launching a business development programme for computer games.

“Flemingsberg has all we need for this type of project. It offers a cross-sector environment with education, research, businesses and public bodies, so everything we need is here,” says Leslie Alfredsson, cluster developer from Drivhuset Stockholm External link., which is leading the work in close cooperation with Södertörn University and Flemingsberg Science Foundation External link., along with their partners (Fabege, Hemsö and Huge) and the municipalities of Huddinge and Botkyrka.

On 25 March, the stakeholders met at Innovation Station for a workshop that focused on developing a common vision and discussing future activities. Work on the game cluster’s development will be conducted in different phases and many of the project’s activities being linked to Innovation Station External link.. Regular bootcamps, conferences and other events are planned.

Great opportunities for the Computer Games Programme and the university

Kai-Mikael Jää-Aro highlights several benefits generated by this new local game cluster. Students on the Computer Game Programme can get help with starting their own businesses in a setting that offers a valuable network of industry contacts. Teachers on the Computer Game Programme gain closer contacts with the gaming industry and more frequent feedback on how the programme’s content meets the industry’s needs. In addition, researchers can better access research materials and organise research consortia with relevant companies. In turn, this allows companied to benefit more quickly from new research findings. The link to Södertörn University also means that the companies in the cluster will be able to start collaborations with and find inspiration from researchers in many other subjects, such as environmental science, tourism and education.

More information about the game cluster and the Computer Games Programme

Read more about the emerging game cluster via the Flemingsberg Science Foundation External link, opens in new window.. Want to know more about the Computer Games Programme at Södertörn University? Visit the Computer Games Programme at Södertörn University External link. (in swedish) and read an interview with a former student External link. (in swedish) on the Game Design Programme, specialising in game design and scripting.