The event "Stories from the past: History of Croatian video games" was held in front of an almost full movie theater in Kaptol Boutique Cinema and served as an introduction to the exhibition of the same name, which opens tomorrow in Museum of video game history. As pointed out by Damir Šlogar, the founder of the Museum, the exhibition is the result of several months of research and museological preparation and will become part of the permanent exhibition.
Special attention is paid to the pioneers of the domestic game scene. The Lifetime Achievement Award has been awarded Branimir Makanac for an exceptional contribution to the development of video games and the popularization of computing. Due to illness, he could not attend the event, and his son Juraj Makanec accepted the award on his behalf. The Multimedia Center under his leadership played a key role because it made computers more accessible to ordinary people and inspired young video game authors.
The panel discussion discussed the beginnings of the gaming industry in our area. The complexity of the issue of the first Croatian video game was highlighted, along with criteria such as country of origin, author and international distribution. Nevertheless, "Kung-fu" Damir Muraja it is considered the first Croatian video game to be successful in the world. Muraja emphasized that the early development was characterized by resourcefulness, creativity and cooperation, at a time when computers were perceived exclusively as a means of entertainment. Janko Mršić-Flögel emphasized the importance of quality technological education and the role of the Multimedia Center, founded by Branimir Makanec, as well as the library. In the 1990s, he played an important role in the development of domestic industry Croteam with his game "Seriously Sam", and their art director Admir Elezović concluded that the industry today needs a "reset", with less expensive projects and a greater focus on indie video games.
The first Game Jam competition in the development of video games in Zagreb was also announced, an opportunity for young and experienced developers to show creativity, experiment with ideas and create new games in a short time, which further encourages the development of the local game scene.
