The organization Sverok, which gathers the country's gaming associations, and the board game company Ion Game Design have taken the initiative to create a Swedish board and role-playing game canon. The general public has been able to nominate games, which have then been sorted out to the final list by an expert jury of six people.
Among the titles are classic board games like "Thief and Cop" and "Farmer's Game", but also modern big games like "Terraforming Mars". Even "Hnefatafl" from the 700s, which is roughly a chess-like game with Sami roots, is on the list. The role-playing game list is dominated by titles from the 1980s and 1990s like "Dragons and Demons", "Cult", and "Mutant".
"By highlighting the gaming culture as a central part of Sweden's creative heritage, we hope to strengthen its visibility and value within cultural policy," it says in a press release.
The work on a Swedish cultural canon has been debated and criticized from different quarters. Lars Trägårdh, professor of history, received the government's assignment earlier this year to lead a committee that determines which cultural areas should be included in the Swedish cultural canon. The deadline for the assignment is August 31 next year. Earlier this year, the Dataspelsbranschen presented 15 digital games that are proposed to be part of the cultural canon.
Board games: "Hnefatafl", "Swedish Board", "Thief and Cop", "Farmer's Game", "Jägersro", "Horse Racing Game with V65", "Dragon Castle", "Svea Rike", "Terraforming Mars", "Pax Viking".
Role-playing games: "Dragons and Demons", "Mutant", "Cult", "Eon", "Nordic Creatures"
Source: Ion Game Design, Sverok.
