Saga Grönqvist

As I grew up with a gamer, my big brother, my access to games were quite impressive. I still remember the many times I would run to his room and join him as he was sitting on his bedroom floor playing videogames. I was really young at the time, and I had no clue what I was doing, pushing a million buttons and hoping for the best. I also did not understand english which meant that I was unable to follow the storyline of whatever game we were playing at the time. Despite all of this, he would still let me play, being a good and very patient big brother. He eventually passed his Playstation 1 on to me, with one memorable game to go with it - Resident Evil. I was too young to play horror games and I might have had some doubts, but in the end my curiousity could not be stopped.

 

To this day, I still recall how my best friend at the time, Jimmy, came over, and while he hid under a mountain of pillows, I started the game. I chose to play as Jill Valentine, member of S.T.A.R.S. I remember perfectly how she walked down the corridor of the old mansion, that would lead her to the infamous scene where a zombie, kneeling over a corpse turns it's head slowly before deciding to follow her back down the hall. The horrible graphics, the awkward controls and the limited inventory just added to the horror and despite my many efforts, I never made it far before being killed by a zombie, or worse.

My first step into the world of horror began with this game long before I ever got to watch a horror movie or read a scary book. And the fact that the only way for Jill to survive the ordeal would involve me picking up the controller and not be a passive audience really fascinated me.

Which video game came to be your first and very own? Leave a comment below!
Read about my first computer game here.

 

I'm a big fan of Diversi, which is a non-profit organisation working for more diversity within the gaming sphere.
They have a podcast, in which they discuss different topics on diversity, they arrange meetups, events and work in many other ways in order to make the game culture better for everyone.

On the 21th of August Diversi will host a Game Jam in Skövde.
Check out the event here.

Other songs to check out: Nothing Thought, Houstatlantavegas, Soft Shoulders.

Earlier this year I worked as an intern at Playcentric Industries & Institute and Story Architect, both owned and founded by the talented curator and experience designer Jasmine Isdrake.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into my internship, but I ended up learning a lot about myself, the game industry, game diversity and the role of game culture in Gothenburg. During my internship, that were scheduled for a month, I managed to work with the game diversity network Diversi at GothCon 2016, with the preparations for the project Älvornas Strand at The International Science Festival in Gothenburg 2016, communications, social media and more! It was an experience of great value and inspiration.

But the adventure doesn't end there - my next internship will take place in spring 2017.

If you have an idea of an organisation or company that would be a great fit, or maybe you are interested in having me, please send me a message at [email protected]. Who knows? You might be the next piece to the puzzle of my upcoming adventure!

 

The first computer game that I ever bought was Little Big Adventure 2.
It was the 90s and I was about eight years old when i discovered the colorful box while being bored in a tech store as my parents were running errands. Looking at the box containing the game it had me intrigued, despite the fact that I had no clue what it was. My father was kind enough to give me some of the change he carried around in his pocket so that I could buy it. Since then I have played the game a million times.

 

Little Big Adventure 2 begins on the planet Twinsun where our hero Twinsen and his partner Zoe along with all the other inhabitants live in peace following the victory over the evil protagonist Dr.Funfrock in the first game. That is until a strange storm hits Citadel island and Twinsen's friend, a Dinofly, is hit by lightening and crashes into Twinsen and Zoe's backyard. Twinsen must find a way to heal his friend, and this quest brings him on a great adventure to other planets inhabited by fun and bizarre characters.

Fun facts about the game:

+ Twinsen can switch between 4 different modes - normal, athletic/sporty, aggressive, and discreet.
+ Having The Book of Bú, containing the prophecy of The Legend of Sendell, Twinsen is able to talk to animals.
+ On the planet Zeelich there is a race called Knartas that look like sausages.
+ In order to find characters that have gone missing on Desert island, Twinsen must become a wizard, which means at one point in the game he attends a mysterious school of magic.

Which computer game was your first? 
Write a comment below!

Do you live in Gothenburg and want to attend more gaming events, meet other people who are into game culture and to be a part of a more diverse gaming community? Gothgames.se is a website for local projects, organisations, studios and more. Gothgames also have a public event calender so that you won't miss out on interesting and fun things to come.