Elias-project: Reports

Background:

Elias-project has charted new avenues for game production in the border-region between Finland and Russia. Using a shared cultural source, the epic story of Kalevala, as a case for co-operation, the project mapped out many potential partners located in the area: From the notable expertise in games and digital media in St. Petersburg, to the heritage and knowledge of Kalevala around Petrozavodsk.

In addition, the project has surveyed solutions for small-scale game production, charting out different low-cost platforms, and modeling the basic process of such enterprises.

Oversight and support for this project was coordinated by LudoCraft game research unit, located in university of Oulu's Department of Information Processing Science. In addition, the project combined a vast array of partners from different technological and cultural areas.

Reports themselves:

Game Production Process

This report analyses the game production process down to its basic elements, providing a blueprint of the roles and phases of such a production. As an example case of concrete production process, it describes the co-operation of LudoCraft and an accomplished game company from St. Petersburg, Driver-Inter Ltd., which took place within the confines of the Elias-project. This co-operation used the Finnish national epic Kalevala as its source material, both as a text, and through the Kalevala-paintings of Tamara Jufa, a reknown painter living in Petrozavodsk.

The report was mainly written by Tony Manninen, PhD., the team leader of LudoCraft with contributory material from other members of the team.

Open Source & Low Cost Game Engines

This report maps out the field of different low-cost game-engines which can provide a workable basis of game production, lowering the work-costs of production significantly. Because of the fast changes in this field, the report cannot be exhaustive, but it covers all the major solutions in this area, and includes also many smaller, less-known platforms.

This report was mainly written by Tuomo Korva, MSc., lead programmer of LudoCraft.

ELIAS - Business Possibilities of Game Competence in the Border Region

This report describes different business models applicable to game development over the Finnish-Russian border region. The models take into account both the peculiarities of game development, and the region itself.

The report was written by Petri Lintula, PhD., a business consultant for the Elias-project.

The Concept Plan for an online game product, case: In Spirit of Kalevala

This concept plan explores different ways to make an online game product based on Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. It also aims to provide guidelines for tailoring game development towards a marketable product.

This report was also written by Petri Lintula.