The list of Sweden's game culture treasures
Photo: Imogen May, taket Embracer Games Archive
The Swedish government has announced that a Swedish cultural canon will be drawn up. We want to ensure Sweden's gaming culture treasure is represented and have taken the initiative for a game culture canon to be presented at the political festival Almedalen.
Games should be an obvious part of culture but are missing from most cultural policy documents. Therefore, as the trade association for Sweden's video game companies, we have taken the initiative to produce a list of digital games that mean a lot to Swedish culture.
During the spring, several hundred games were nominated by the public. An expert jury has then selected the 15 games that are included in the final list that represent Sweden's gaming culture treasure.
The expert jury:
Tommy Palm, Founder and CEO at Resolution Games
Jenny Brusk, Ph.D. Innovation Manager and Business Coach at Sweden Game Arena
Martin Lindell, video game historian and Senior Advisor at Embracer Group
Åsa Roos, Senior UX Designer at IO Interactive and Honorary Ph.D. at University of Skövde
Oskar Burman, Founder and CEO of Fast Travel Games
Bobbi Sand, Game Developer and Board member at Dataspelscentrum
Johanna Nylander, Head of Analytics and Deputy CEO at Swedish Games Industry
The jury's motivation
The list contains games from various genres, platforms, and times and together they represent the Swedish game wonder. It has been a difficult job to make the selection. Many more games would fit on an expanded list. The Mulle Meck/Gary Gadget games have held a special place in the hearts of many players and game creators. The Steamworld games by Image & Form from the west coast and Unravel by Coldwood from the north are proof that game development has been successful in all of the country. Rymdkapsel by Grapefrukt shows that even solo developers can be successful. The jury liked Valheim by Iron Gate, but the game has not yet been released in full version. Helldivers 2 is another newly made game that needs to be considered for an updated list in the future. All these games hereby receive an honorable mention.
The games are presented below in chronological order. The list spans over six decades and contains games for various platforms in a wide range of genres. The games have had an impact over time, are created by both men and women, for both adults and children. Our ambition with this list is for it to raise the bar, increase knowledge about games, and be relevant and accessible. These are all games that have been created independently, and the IPs have made their breakthrough as games.
Stugan, Developed by: Kimmo Eriksson, Viggo Kann, Olle E Johansson, 1978 (terminal) 1986 (PC)
One of Sweden's early PC games where the player, in text form, explores a mysterious and surprising cottage in Småland. The game was developed by three teenagers with access to a mainframe computer. It has inspired many and is still a source of joy with its humorous story.
BackPacker, Developed by: Tati Mixedia, 1995
BackPacker embodies the wave that made computer games a popular activity in Sweden in the 90s. Everyone could understand and appreciate the concept of travelling around the globe with quizzes along the destinations. BackPacker became the start of something big with newfound gamers and a growing domestic industry.
Europa Universalis, Developed by: Paradox Interactive, 2000
Paradox Interactive's historical strategy game, covering the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, offers great depth and demands a lot from the player. By daring to make such an advanced game, they defined the sub-genre of Grand Strategy. The positive reception led to several sequels and other successful series from Paradox, such as Hearts of Iron and Victoria.
Ground Control, Developed by: Massive Entertainment, 2000
Massive Entertainment pioneered their ambitious 3D real-time strategy game which focused more on tactical combat than resource management, in a bleak future where mega-corporations battle over colonised planets. Ground Control set the map for Massive, which later created games such as World in Conflict andThe Division.
Battlefield 1942, Developed by: DICE, (Digital Illusions CE), 2002
Back in 1992, DICE’s first game Pinball Dreams showed how vivid pinball machines could be on a computer. The game laid the foundation for what would become one of Sweden’s most successful game studios. Battlefield 1942 made the world open its eyes to Sweden as a game nation, and the game series has been loved ever since.
Amnesia – The Dark Descent, Developed by: Frictional Games, 2010
A well-made horror game with clever game mechanics and a remarkable script. The game maintains a high level of visuals and sound and skilfully uses the entire game medium, embracing horrors and emotions in a way that stuck with anyone who dared to play.
Minecraft, Developed by: Mojang, 2011
Initially developed by solo programmer Markus Persson, revolutionized the world of games with its open-world sandbox concept, fostering creativity and community building on a massive scale. It's a testament to Sweden's impact on the games industry, showcasing the country's ability to produce innovative and globally influential titles.
Toca Tea Party, Developed by: Toca Boca, 2011
With its playful design for tablets and mobile, Toca Boca showed new possibilities for creating games for the very youngest. The Toca Tea Party broke new ground for what a children's game could look like. Subsequently, the developer has released a long series of innovative games and apps that have been loved by new generations of children, now brought together in Toca Boca World.
Candy Crush Saga, Developed by: King, 2012
Candy Crush Saga made an entire world match candies and level up. The game took on new target groups that otherwise did not see themselves as gamers, and with its enormous impact, it has inspired countless followers and strengthened puzzle games as a genre to be reckoned with in the industry. It has also been an essential building block for establishing Swedish mobile games.
Star Stable Online, Developed by: Star Stable Entertainment, 2012
Star Stable Online gave enthusiastic horse girls their very own MMORPG built on community and well-designed adventures. By listening to their audience and releasing new content every week, they have created a beloved game that has maintained high content quality over time.
Goat Simulator, Developed by: Coffee Stain Studios, 2014
A humorous game that became a success story for the games industry in Skövde and made an impression on the world. Goat Simulator challenges game design, entertains the player, and early on addresses the fact that it can also be fun to watch others play wacky games.
The Battle of Polytopia, Developed by: Midjiwan, 2016
The Battle of Polytopia's strategic depth and accessibility have earned it a dedicated following worldwide. Its innovative inclusion as a preinstalled game in certain car models showcases its broad appeal, offering engaging entertainment for both solo players and groups.
Budget Cuts, Developed by: Neat Corporation, 2018
For its unique mechanics for moving through the world, as well as fully utilising VR motion controllers for maximum ”fun factor” as the player interacts with objects around them. Budget Cuts broke new ground in VR when it was released, spurring a generation of game makers to venture into this new game medium.
Sayonara Wild Hearts , Developed by: Simogo, 2019
A condensed game experience that lives up to the description of being a pop album in game form. With Malmö flirtations like falafel shacks, it has won cultural recognition at home, while the game experience with its speed and rhythm has gone down well with audiences globally.
It Takes Two, Developed by: Hazelight, 2021
The divorcing couple at the centre has brought the love of playing games to otherwise game-sceptical families. With an amazing level of detail and flair in everything from mini-games to storytelling, it's a modern game that wants to tell a story by concentrating on player-to-player cooperation.
THE FULL LIST:
Stugan, Developed by: Kimmo Eriksson, Viggo Kann, Olle E Johansson, 1978/1986
BackPacker, Developed by: Tati Mixedia, 1995
Europa Universalis, Developed by: Paradox Interactive, 2000
Ground Control, Developed by: Massive Entertainment, 2000
Battlefield 1942, Developed by: DICE, (Digital Illusions CE) 2002
Amnesia – The Dark Descent, Developed by: Frictional Games, 2010
Minecraft, Developed by: Mojang, 2011
Toca Tea Party, Developed by: Toca Boca, 2011
Candy Crush Saga, Developed by: King, 2012
Star Stable Online, Developed by: Star Stable Entertainment, 2012
Goat Simulator, Developed by: Coffee Stain Studios, 2014
The Battle of Polytopia, Developed by: Midjiwan, 2016
Budget Cuts, Developed by: Neat Corporation, 2018
Sayonara Wildhearts, Developed by: Simogo, 2019
It Takes Two, Developed by: Hazelight, 2021
Do you have questions about the game culture canon? Email Johanna Nylander at johanna.nylander@dataspelsbranschen.se