Swedish Games Industry Announces 15 Culturally-Significant Games

Dataspelsbranschen, Sweden’s trade association for video game companies, has revealed a list of 15 gaming treasures which have deep significance in Swedish culture. The games were selected by an expert jury of historians, industry leaders, and academics, following hundreds of nominations from the general public. 

It was in December 2023 that Sweden’s minister for culture Parisa Liljestrand gave a committee the assignment to develop an official culture canon. Whereas it was not specified which artforms should be covered, Dataspelsbranschen took the initiative to develop one for games.

Celebrating Sweden’s rich gaming history over almost 50 years, the ‘game culture canon’ includes a range of genres, platforms, and release years. Alongside classics such as Stugan and Europa Universalis, the list also includes newer releases such as The Battle of Polytopia and It Takes Two. 

The full list, which can be found below, was created in response to plans by the Swedish government to create a cultural video games canon of the nation’s artistic achievements. To encourage the games industry to be included in this initiative, the ‘game culture canon’ was handed over to the chair of the official canon committee, Lars Trägårdh, in the presence of minister for culture Parisa Liljestrand at the policy summit Almedalen on the 26th of June. 

This seminal list of Swedish gaming treasures is released at a time when national games industries are fighting for governmental recognition of their economic and cultural significance. Likewise, debates over video game preservation continue to grow louder, with the Video Game History Foundation noting that 87% of classic games are not accessible to play. 

Per Strömbäck, Spokesperson of Dataspelsbranschen, commented:

“Games should be recognised as culture for several reasons: games are culture to the players, who relate to them similar ways as audiences in other art forms. Games are culture to the game developers who have the same drivers as other creators: the will to express, create something new and communicate with their audience. Games are also culture to society as they reflect the world we live in and have a rich history which is now being recognised by museums and other institutions. Also games are unique in that they are interactive. For these reasons, we think it is fitting that games have a canon too.”

Christian Lövstedt, General Manager at Midjiwan, the creators of The Battle of Polytopia, added:

“Sweden has a rich and diverse gaming history which has shaped many of today’s most popular titles. We are both honoured and excited that The Battle of Polytopia has been selected to this list. Gaming is an indispensable contributor to the Swedish economy, reaching audiences across the globe. We hope this list will continue to highlight the significance of this industry to decision-makers.”

According to Dataspelsbranschen’s 2023 Game Developer Index, the nation’s games industry revenue grew to EUR 3.1 billion in 2022, with 8,445 people working in Sweden’s games industry during the same year.

Selection in full:

• Stugan, Developed by: Kimmo Eriksson, Viggo Kann, Olle E Johansson, 1978/1986

• BackPacker, Developed by: Tati Mixedia, 1995

• Europa Universalis, Developed by: Paradox Interactive, 2000

• Ground Control, Developed by: Massive Entertainment, 2000

• Battlefield 1942, Developed by: DICE, (Digital Illusions CE) 2002

• Amnesia – The Dark Descent, Developed by: Frictional Games, 2010

• Minecraft, Developed by: Mojang, 2011

• Toca Tea Party, Developed by: Toca Boca, 2011

• Candy Crush Saga, Developed by: King, 2012

• Star Stable Online, Developed by: Star Stable Entertainment, 2012

• Goat Simulator, Developed by: Coffee Stain Studios, 2014

• The Battle of Polytopia, Developed by: Midjiwan, 2016

• Budget Cuts, Developed by: Neat Corporation, 2018

• Sayonara Wildhearts, Developed by: Simogo, 2019

• It Takes Two, Developed by: Hazelight, 2021