开发者共识：芬兰游戏业的成功归功于其整体环境

我们已经连续五年在芬兰首都赫尔辛基举办为期两日的“Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki”大会。想必你已经有所期待——这里有世界顶尖的游戏开发商和发行商，他们分享自己的经历，展示他们的游戏，进行商业交易。

但在本次大会上，我们首次将主机游戏纳入议题。是的没错，除了PC以外，主机游戏的发展也是大屏游戏 (Big Screen Gaming) 历史的一部分，自本会议创立之日起，主机游戏的发展就包含在会议的研究范畴中。

“The Big Screen Gaming”议题的策划人Ari Arnbjörnsson，他也是2月的“Games Helsinki”大会的协助组织者（Eevi Korhonen也参与其中），以及Steel Media的高级活动策划Patty Toledo，他们在百忙中抽出时间，向我们介绍了该大会日程表以外的新增活动。

-为什么这次Pocket Gamer Connects大会要加入主机游戏议题，这有什么重要意义吗？

Ari Arnbjörnsson：大会需要根据举办城市的情况调整内容，这很重要。众所周知，芬兰拥有世界顶尖的手游产业，这里诞生了许多史诗级的手游，《贪吃蛇》、《愤怒的小鸟》、《部落冲突》等等。

但芬兰游戏产业的快速增长并不局限于手游领域。我们也有许多主机和PC游戏工作室，如Remedy，Colossal Order和Frozenbyte，还有一些极具潜力的新公司，以及正在发展的企业，如Housemarque，他们正在向制作3A游戏转型。

该领域拥有如此多的精彩故事和可供分享的经验，我们绝不能错过，因此我非常兴奋地看到Pocket Gamer联手Games Helsinki为本次大会筹备“Big Screen Gaming”议题。

Angry-Birds-2（from toucharcade.com）

Patty Toledo：PC和主机游戏诞生至今已有好多年了，它们对市场趋势造成了很大的影响。电子竞技和影响力者（influencers）的诞生使游戏市场上升到了新高度。

除此之外，当今的科技帮助开发者进行多平台移植，从而触及到更为广泛的玩家。我们的议题必须贴近市场变化，为所有开发者提供有效信息，帮助他们从行业顶尖那里获取知识。

“随着手游市场走向饱和，用户获取成本的上升，开发者们可以通过打入新平台维持业务，挖掘新机会。我们的目的正是为了帮助他们分享和获取相关信息！我和Ari一直保持密切的合作，确保我们为参会者提供最有价值的内容。我们的目标是一致的，因此我们的合作十分轻松愉快。”

-本次大会有哪些值得期待的内容呢？已经确定参会的人有哪些？你们期待能与谁见面？

Arnbjörnsson：Games Helsinki的开幕会议上将有许多精彩演讲，但该会议的观众数量有一定限制。因此我们希望通过“Pocket Gamer Connects”大会向更多观众呈现这些精彩演讲，我们邀请了某些演讲者返场，其中一些包括：

Juha Vainio，来自Remedy工作室，《控制》(Control)的首席制作人。他将以幽默真诚的方式谈论这款游戏的制作过程。Harry Krueger，《Nex Machina》游戏总监。他将谈论这款荣获众多奖项的游戏的设计。

除了返场演讲外，这次我们还邀请了许多新嘉宾，包括Super Evil Megacorp、Frozenbyte、Raw Fury等公司的人。

Toledo：人们将近距离了解PC和主机游戏的开发情况。参会的不仅有芬兰本土专家，还有来自世界各地的专家。确认参加的公司有Super Evil Megacorp、Colossal Order、Housemarque、Remedy 和Green Man Gaming，这只是其中一部分，后续还会增加。

此次盛会最令我期待的部分是技术会谈和反思会议。从他人的经历中学习这个环节提高了活动的质量和趣味性。

-这是Pocket Gamer第六年在赫尔辛基举办会议。为什么这场会议如此重要？

Arnbjörnsson：活跃的行业才能拉动活跃的社区。反之亦然。芬兰游戏行业实现了巨大的增长，如今本土游戏公司有好几百家，这很疯狂！我们的教育已经跟不上游戏制作者的增长速度，来自世界各地的专业人才集聚于此。

芬兰已经成为了游戏开发者的圣地，对游戏开发人才的需求与日俱增，举办Pocket Gamer Connects大会有助于稳固芬兰的这一形象。根据Neogames，芬兰游戏工作室在2019-2020年间预计产生500个岗位需求。

我强烈支持任何形式的知识共享。在我看来，人们聚在一起交流经验、技巧、故事和经历是件很重要的事。在职业生涯中亲身经历了各种碰壁后，我多么希望当初有人能对我说“我也遇到过这个问题，这是我从中学到的一切”，那么我本可不必遭受这些挫折。

因此我每次都试图从实用性的角度呈现演讲内容，希望听众有所收获。我也很欣赏同样这么做的人。这也是为什么我认为Pocket Gamer Connects是一个重要的活动。

Toledo：斯堪的纳维亚和北欧国家是一个人才的“大熔炉”，不同的政治、社会和金融结构培育了人才和创意。国家的思维模式促进了发展，特别是在芬兰。芬兰的“西苏”（SISU）精神——永不言弃，攻坚克难——加上政府对创新的支持，培育了创新的沃土。在赫尔辛基举办Pocket Gamer Connects是有意义的。这里有许多可以学习的东西，许多待挖掘的人才和机会。

-除了“Big Screen Gaming”议题，本次Pocket Gamer Connects大会还有哪些新鲜事物？

Toledo：我们致力于在两天内覆盖尽可能多的内容。我们的讨论将涵盖最新的市场趋势，包括西欧和东欧市场，如何优化盈利模式，如何获取和留住用户，开发和运营过程中的最佳实践，电竞，影响力者，小程序游戏平台。大会共有16个议题，因此每个人都能找到感兴趣的内容。

-你们认为未来将出现哪些重大趋势？与去年相比，今年游戏行业有哪些重大变化吗？

Toledo：游戏行业处于永恒的变化中。政策变化、用户基数增长、新用户进入市场和技术进步，游戏往往随着这些变化发展。即便我们的讨论话题与去年一样，讨论内容却是不同的。我认为当下最热的讨论是公司文化，这是一个有很大提升空间的方面，开发商们比以往更关注这个问题，讨论着最佳做法是什么。可学习的东西很多。

Arnbjörnsson：重大趋势才刚刚浮现，人们对此有着许多猜测。直播可能对未来产生怎样影响？下一代主机将如何改变游戏制作方式、人们玩游戏的方式？VR技术能够实现重大突破吗？我很期待在本次大会上听到人们对游戏未来的讨论。

-Ari，你在今年初创办了Games Helsinki，你的初衷是什么？你想通过它实现什么？

Arnbjörnsson：我的协办者Eevi Korhonen，我们俩发现尽管赫尔辛基的游戏行业非常活跃，但缺乏非手游开发者活动。我刚从手游开发转向主机和PC游戏制作，我很想融入这个新团体，虽然我必须自己创建这个团体。

由于我们从来没有从零开始组织过会议，我们只能先办一个小会议：我们组织了一场1日会议，100名观众，7名演讲者，当我们亲自挑选并直接联系这些行业能人时，我们抱着一种歉疚的心态。

-结果如何？如你们所愿吗？你们未来的打算是什么？

Arnbjörnsson：我们非常幸运！会议的票全卖出去了，所有演讲都非常精彩，食物也很美味，会议结束后的party好玩极了，From Grotto乐队即兴演奏了独立游戏Noita主题曲。

要说有什么过头了的话。我们把会议的水准提到了一个无法复制的高度。但如果我们不喜欢挑战，当初就不会进入游戏行业。

Games Helsinki最初是为了填补空白诞生的。在大会举办后我们看到了一些变化，比如Pocket Game Connects纳入了“Big Screen”议题，Slush（专注于科技创业和投资的国际大会）回归初心，今年举办了一个叫“Press Start”的免费1000人游戏开发大会。

许多喜爱Games Helsinki的人主动帮忙筹办下一次会议，我终于不用忙到透支了。这极大地提高了会议重复举办的可能性，因为如今举办会议不仅为了社区，还得到了社区的支持。

鉴于Games Helsinki的宗旨是团结社区，我认为这个愿景实现的可能性非常高。让我们共同期待未来它将变成什么样子，目前我们还没有具体的计划。

-芬兰的游戏行业有什么独特之处吗？

Arnbjörnsson：独特之处在于芬兰形成了一个游戏开发社区！人们可能会开玩笑说游戏开发者，甚至芬兰人很内向，但芬兰的游戏开发者一点都不内向。

芬兰拥有全球最活跃的游戏开发者协会（IGDA）分会，遍布全国各地，每个月有平均500名会员来赫尔辛基开会，有时甚至达到1000人。

芬兰是最频繁组织game jam（限时游戏开发比赛）的国家。芬兰创立了Assembly，这是全球举办时间最长的游戏demo创作大赛。再加上其它的大会，Unreal、Unity和Indie Beers常常在这里举行例会。这些使芬兰游戏行业独一无二。这也是我最喜爱该国的地方。

Toledo：毫无疑问，芬兰的国家意志使之独特。芬兰人的主动性、进取心和西苏精神是无与伦比的。这是一个既谨慎又热情的民族。再加上他们获得的社会支持，以及他们跳脱框架的思考方式，这些组合能够碰撞出不少火花。

由于Supercell、Rovio 和Fingersoft等游戏公司的成功，芬兰长期以来是全球手游强国。这也实至名归——他们真的很厉害。但芬兰不止步于此，我们可以期待这个“小国”未来产生更多的创意。别小看芬兰人。

-你们还想告知读者哪些关于PC/主机/Games Helsinki的信息？

Arnbjörnsson：我们邀请了许多演讲者在“Big Screen”议题中演讲，该议题的讨论主题将涵盖游戏行业的现状和未来、游戏业务，以及我个人最喜欢的实务和技术座谈。但愿每个人能各取所需。

Toledo：欢迎大家来参加会议，你将在这里接触到顶尖专家并参与讨论。你会学到很多，甚至找到你的商业伙伴……

本文由游戏邦编译，转载请注明来源，或咨询微信zhengjintiao

We’ve been running two-day conferences in the Finnish capital for five years already, so you know what to expect – world leaders in making and selling games, sharing their experiences, demonstrating their games, doing business.

But for the first time at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki we’re including console games in the track line-up. That’s right, alongside PC, console games development forms part of the Big Screen Gaming track, taking place throughout day one of the conference in its own dedicated space.

The Big Screen Gaming track is curated by Ari Arnbjörnsson, who co-organised February’s Games Helsinki conference (along with Eevi Korhonen), and Patty Toledo, Steel Media’s own Senior Event Content Producer. They kindly gave up time from their day to talk us about the exciting new additions to the conference schedule:

Why is it important that Pocket Gamer Connects introduces PC and console to the mix?

Ari Arnbjörnsson: “It’s important that Pocket Gamer Connects tailor the conference to the audience of its host cities. Finland is of course well known for its world-class mobile game industry, being the home of legendary mobile games like Nokia’s Snake, Angry Birds, Clash of Clans and many more.

But the rapid growth of the Finnish game industry hasn’t been confined to mobile game studios. We have established console and PC studios like Remedy, Colossal Order and Frozenbyte, along with promising new companies and growing ones like Housemarque with their move to AAA.

“And that part of the industry has so many amazing stories and lessons to share that we shouldn’t miss, that’s why I’m so excited for Pocket Gamer and Games Helsinki to team up to bring the Big Screen track to this year’s event!”

Patty Toledo: “PC and console games have been established for many years now and have a great influence on market trends. And the advance of esports and influencers have brought this market to new heights.

“Additionally, technology now allows developers to port for multiple platforms, expanding their reach not only in relation to locale, but also to all kinds of players. Our event needs to be on top of the market’s changes and provide information to all developers, helping them get the most from the top leaders’ knowledge.

“With the possible saturation of the mobile market and the new challenges in user acquisition costs, expanding to new platforms can help developers sustain their business and explore new opportunities. And we are here to help them share and acquire knowledge about it! Ari and I have been working very closely, making sure we are providing the best content to our attendees. We have the same goal, so working closely together has been an easy task.”

What can people expect from the Big Screen Gaming area of Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2019. Who is confirmed already? Who are you most looking forward to seeing?

Arnbjörnsson: “Games Helsinki’s inaugural conference had some absolutely fantastic talks but it was limited in audience size. With PGC we have a chance to bring those talks to a bigger audience so we’ve gotten some of the speakers back for an encore. Just to name a couple:

“Juha Vainio, the lead producer of Remedy’s Control, will be back with his humorous and honest talk on producing Control.

“Harry Krueger, Nex Machina’s game director, returns to talk about the design of the multi-award winning game.

“Along with getting previous speakers back we have even more new speakers this time around from companies like Super Evil Megacorp, Frozenbyte, Raw Fury and more.”

Toledo: “People can expect a very close look on what is going on in PC and console development. And also a fine mix of local and international experts. Companies like Super Evil Megacorp, Colossal Order, Housemarque, Remedy and Green Man Gaming are just some of the confirmed speakers, but much more will be added.

“My favourite parts of the PC and console event will be the technical talks and post-mortems. Learning from other people’s experience adds a layer of credibility and interest.”

Pocket Gamer has been hosted in Helsinki for six years now. Why do you think it’s such a big deal?

Arnbjörnsson: “An active industry brews an active community, and vice versa! Finland’s game industry has been through a lot of growth and is now at a few hundred companies; it’s crazy! We can’t educate new game makers fast enough and we have professionals from all over the world relocating here.

“Finland has become a mecca for game development, and having renowned conferences like Pocket Gamer Connects helps solidify that image as the need for more game developers rises. Finnish studios are expected to open over 500 new positions in 2019-2020 alone, according to Neogames.

“I’ve always been a huge proponent of all kinds of knowledge sharing. The big deal to me is our ability to come together and share lessons, tips, stories and experiences with each other. Having personally hit many figurative walls in my career, it pains me to think of all the hardships that could have been avoided if someone had just come up to me and told me ‘I’ve had that problem you have, here’s everything I learned from it’.

“It’s why I try to structure my presentations in a format that allows for practical takeaways and it’s why I’m such a big fan of others that do. That’s why I think conferences like Pocket Gamer Connects are such a big deal.”

Toledo: “Scandinavian and Nordic countries are a melting pot of talent. Their political, social and financial structures nurture talent and creativity. And their mindset supports growth, especially in Finland. Their ‘sisu’ mentality – never giving up, pushing through all challenges – combined with the government support to innovation creates the perfect space to innovate. It makes sense to have Pocket Gamer Connects in Helsinki. We have a lot to learn here and there are a lot of talent and opportunities there to be explored.”

Patty, as well as the Big Screen Gaming, what else is new at PGC this year?

Toledo: “We always aim to cover as much ground as two days allow us. We will be discussing the latest market trends, both in Western and in Eastern markets, how to better monetise, and acquire and retain users, the best in development and live ops, esports, influencers, instant games. There are 16 tracks, so there is something for everybody.”

Do you think there are any big trends or themes that people will observe? Is the games industry very different this year from last year?

Toledo: “The game industry is ever changing. As policies change, users grow and new users enter the market, technology advances, games tend to improve and advance with them. Even if we would discuss the exact same topics from last year, the discourse would be different. I believe the biggest trend being discussed at the moment is company culture, as much needs to be improved in that area and developers are more actively debating the best practices. But there is much to learn.”

Arnbjörnsson: “The biggest potential changes are just on the horizon and subject to a lot of speculation. What will streaming have in store for the future? How will next-gen consoles change how we make and play games? Is the next VR wave going to make strides? I’m looking forward to see how the future of games will be discussed at the Big Screen track this year.”

Ari, why did you decide to start Games Helsinki earlier this year? What was your ambition for that event?

Arnbjörnsson: “My co-organizer Eevi Korhonen and I saw that the bustling game industry in Helsinki had a very under-represented community when it comes to non-mobile game-dev events. I had just moved from mobile game development to the console and PC space and was eager to partake in this new community, even if it meant I had to create the events myself.

“Since we’d never organised a conference from scratch we started small; one whole-day event with 100 attendees and seven speakers. It felt more like an excuse to pick the brains of our heroes as we hand-picked the speakers by reaching out to them directly.”

And how did it go? Was it the success you hoped for? What’s its future?

Arnbjörnsson: “We got incredibly lucky! We sold out, all the presentations were amazing, the food was exquisite, and the after-party blew my mind with From Grotto performing improvised music of the upcoming indie game Noita.

“If anything it might have gone a little too well, haha. We raised the bar to an altitude which will feel impossible to redo. But we wouldn’t be in the game industry if we didn’t like a challenge.

“Games Helsinki was originally created to fill a void. We’re already seeing growth after the conference like with Pocket Gamer Connects’ Big Screen track, and Slush is doing a callback to its roots by doing “Press Start” this year as a free game-dev side conference for 1000 people.

“But many people who liked Games Helsinki have offered to help with the next one, meaning I won’t have to almost burn myself out to do it again. That’s definitely increased the possibility of repeating the conference, because then it can be done not only for, but with the community.

“Given how Games Helsinki was all about bringing the community together, that’s a future vision of it that I can definitely subscribe to. We’ll have to see what the future brings and how busy everyone is, right now there are no concrete future plans.”

What gives the Finnish games industry its unique vibe?

Arnbjörnsson: “The Finnish game development community! People might joke that game developers or even Finns are quite introverted, but when it comes to Finnish game developers they are anything but.

“Finland has one of the most active IGDA chapters globally, with hubs all over the country and huge monthly meetings in Helsinki of around 500 attendees average, sometimes closing in on a thousand!

“It’s one of the most active countries in organizing game jams and is also the home of Assembly, one of the longest running demo parties in the world. That along with other conferences, regular game-dev events like Unreal, Unity and the Indie Beers meetups make the Finnish games industry incredibly unique. It’s my favorite thing about the country.”

Toledo: “Definitely the Finnish mindset makes it unique, as the Finns are not like most people. The drive, motivation and ‘sisu’ they have is incomparable. They are the most controlled and most passionate people at the same time. It is fascinating. And adding the social support they receive and the will to think outside the box, it is an explosive combination.

“Finland has been seen as the mobile games capital of the world for a long time, due to the success of companies like Supercell, Rovio and Fingersoft. And rightfully so – they are amazing. But Finland is not stopping there, and we can expect much more innovation coming from this ‘little’ country. Don’t underestimate the Finns.”

Is there anything else about PC/console/Games Helsinki that you wish our readers to know about?

Arnbjörnsson: “We’re bringing a slew of speakers to the Big Screen track with themed sections of the present and future state of the industry, business, and my personal favorite, the practical and technical section. It should hopefully have something for everybody.”

Toledo: “Please come and pick the brains of the best experts in the market and be part of the discussion. You will learn a lot, and even possibly find your next business partners…”

Thanks both!（source：Pocketgamer.biz）