Wednesday, October 31, 2007

s p e l f e s t

I N · T H E · C I T Y · O F · M A L M O · this years edition (v.2) of Spelfest is hosted. The event is a collaboration betewen the game industry orgainsations Spelbranschen (CEO Per Strömbäck), Malmo City Council, Malmo University College, Swerok, Nordic Game Program and several video game companies. Three days of expo, lectures and gaming. The event is aiming at youth in highschools who are interested to entering the game industry in the near future.
The Malmo based company Massive Entertaiment (CEO Martin Walfisz) will present their BAFTA nominated and E3 2007 winner “World in Conflict”
A list over Swedens most influencal individuals in the video game business could be found at Ekonominyheterna (swe)
The image to the right showing the editior was taken during the clubnight at last year’s gamefest in Stockholm

l o n d o n . g a m e . f e s t

L O N D O N · G A M E · F E S T I V A L · 2007 · is taking place right now from late October to early November. BAFTA Video Games Award was conducted 23 October. Best original score for a game was composed for the game Okami (Capcom) by Atsushi Inaba.

Visit BAFTA Video Games Award list of winners

Visit London Game Festival

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

v i d e o . g a m e . r o c k

(Wed 24 Rocktober)
Current mood: awake
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

L A N · P A R T I E S · and gaming cafes/centres are rock'n'roll culture in the 2000 I will claim. In Stockhom we have Norhen Europes biggest video gaming centre, called Inferno Online. And in Jonkoping we have the bi yearly Lanparty/gamefestival Dreamhack with 5.000 attenders.

I · C H A T T E D · with the founder of the Gaming companies RedPlanet and GameShout. He is developing the video game community business right now in the USA, with game radio station, podcasts, news center, forum, irc-chat etc. etc. The head quarters is located in Florida.

I · M A I L E D · a research friend in Umeå Sweden. He will soon publish a doctoral thesis on Video Games as Culture. He has worked on his research for several years and now he is soon finished with his thesis. Visit Stefan at Umea University culture and media department and humlab

T H E R E · W I L L · B E · a gaming conference in 23 november on "The Competente Gamer" in Stockholm City. You are all wellcome to attend www.nordicgameprogram.org is the host.

I · J U S T · W A N T · to shout out like an old bumbpersticker: “VARNING FÖR LANBARN!” (warning for lankids) Could be the title for a book on Lan-life and culture. Or this ”stay sane - play games”

Monday, October 15, 2007

n o b e l . p r i z e

T H E · N O B E L · P R I Z E · in economy was presented in Stockholm today. It is three american professors: Hurwicz, Maskin and Myerson that have been honored by the prize this year.
Read more at the Royal Swedish Academy of Scienses

When the research behind the ecconomy prize last year was presented in a lecture at Stockholm University, an event I was attending and reported. Read my 2006 report here

Sunday, October 14, 2007

s t r e e t . a r t . i s . m a i n s t r e a m


A N D · A · N O T I C E D · P A R T · O F · C U L T U R E · That’s my conclussion. I heard a mother in her fourties with her son today. They discussed graffiti. She claimed that this paintings is not just paint on the wall but art. In the broad masses in ages under, say fourty, this street art form is accepted as a part of society.

I friended the Berlin street artist xoooox who makes stencil portraits with speech bubles with couds of X and O:s. There have been at least two new books published on the Stockholm street art scene lately. The Street Art has become high culture and put inside the fancy shops with the large glas displays.

Some days ago I found a Pearl Plate sign placed at Grimsta. A small but classy design. I asked on one of my favorite IRC-channels if anybody knows if there is a pearl plate widget around. No, you have to do it yourselfe they claimed.

The relatively old painting portraying a rising red round rocket with yellow flames at Thorildsplan subway wall is in need of a restoration. Are there any street art conservators out there on the streets?

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

b l a d e . r u n n e r

T H E · C U L T · movie from 1982 is now restored, again. The picture, directed and writed by Ridley Scott, is a dystopia in dark blue with heavy shadows, smoke, dirt and rotating fans, a filhy blend of New York, Hong Kong and picture solutions and views from the comic Heavy Metal from the eighties. Read more on Blade Runner on New York times issue today where a multimedia presentation is offered.

s c a r y . f r e a k s

E I G H T · L E G G E D · F R E A K S · is a horror movie from USA/Australia 2002. Eight Legged Freaks is a movie that is genuinely overacted and full of big spiders and soft gore in almost every scene, aimed at a quite young audience +13 years old.

The picture is aired right now 11.25 PM in Swedish State TV channel 1. Some firm analysis: The sound design is made in a very much dynamic manner with almost silent parts mixed with loud classic intense symphonic action music passages, screams, shooting, shouting crowds etc. The picture to the left showing Bob getting attaced and turned to a cocoon. Excellent b-horror movie scene with an infantile, innocent, nice and friendly old man surprised by the big ugly monster from behind. The colors are saturated in blue and yellow and the faces of the actors look upset and scared like hell.

t h e . s k r a p e r


T H E · R E C O N S T R U C T E D · skyskraper in 29 floors at Sodermalm, Stockholm was finished 20 September and is now housing students and a flashy shopping mall in the lower levels which focuses on lifestyle, sport, fashion and media with 30 stores (10 media/IT and 6 sport shops). 600 students will live there togheter with 7.000 sqm office space with top modern IT-solutions for businesses. The owner is Svebo, Swedens biggest housing company owned by Stockholm City and head quarters in Vixton / Vallingby. Per Ahrbom, A&P Arkitektkontor is the assigned architect.