TING North – successful premiere in Boden

Following up on the previous meet and greets hosted over the last years, Futuregames were happy to host the first TING at Boden Business Park. TING North got off to a great start!

Judging by the turnout for the very first TING North, it was clear that the event was very much appreciated. Over one hundred students from Futuregames in Boden and Skellefteå attended to pitch their portfolios to the studios.

Wes Ekman is a Game & UX Designer student in Skellefteå.
– I am here today to make connections within the gaming industry, get to know more people and hopefully in the future get an internship. Ideally, I want to work in game and level design. So somewhere where that is possible and where you can enjoy yourself. So far it has been great, I have met lots of really nice people!

Wes Ekman, Game & UX Designer student in Skellefteå.

– It is a good opportunity for everyone who studies up here, so that we do not have to travel all the way to Stockholm to meet with studios. It makes it more available for everyone: that we can meet people from the industry in person here.

“It feels a little more like home”

Nelson Kossugam, Game Programming student in Boden agreed about being on “home turf”.
– This is really good, it is quite pleasant to be interviewed in the same environment as we work in, because it feels a little more like home to us. Also, a lot of these companies are not easy to reach out to – we cannot just expect to send out an e-mail to whomever and expect to get a proper answer.

Nelson Kossuga, Game Programming student in Boden.

Sebastian Ojala, Head of Studio at Pixadome at locally based Aurora Punks enjoyed his first TING:

– I have heard about the event in Stockholm and was very happy that they took this initiative here as well. I’m here to check out what interns are available. Aurora Punks was started by three students – and now there are 50 of us. So, it’s important for us to stay up to date with  these educations. Even though 15 minutes is a bit short, I get to meet 26 students here today. You also get a personal impression, which is a hundred times better than a personal letter. So – great concept!

Sebastian Ojala, Aurora Punks.

“Looking for local talent”

– This is a great set up, said Ingrid Fridesjö, CEO & Producer at Blamorama Games. I think 15 minutes is a very good time, to meet as many as possible. We have our team in Indonesia, but now we want to put together a team in Sweden as well. So today we are looking for local talent, where we can start with an internship and see how it works. We want to offer the trainees to do something completely new together with us producers.

Maya Umar, producer and co-founder and Ingrid Fridesjö, CEO and producer Blamorama Games.

– For us, the big advantage is that we don’t have to go to Stockholm, because we have our office in Luleå. Our studio will also be there, so it’s great to be able to meet everyone here in Boden. For a big studio it is easier to fly down to Stockholm, but for a small indie studio it is often resources and time we don’t have. And – Boden Business Park is impressive!

“Very insightful meetings”

Liu Zhiao, Investment & Strategy at Netease Games, made his first visit to the north of Sweden.
– I am here to support Futuregames and Boden Game Camp, to interact with the students and feel the pulse here. We think there is something special with the education system in Sweden, and that is why there has been so many small teams creating great games with global appeal.

Liu Zhiao, Investment & Strategy at Netease Games.

– The meetings I had with students has been very insightful, in terms of thinking what they want to do, how they want to plan their career, what kind of companies they would want to work for. And I think it is important to get a sense of what the young people are thinking.