Video gaming in the Netherlands

History

Although the first generation of video games were obtained by a select few, video games became first available during the second generation of video games, when a select few Dutch electronic stores carried the earlier systems. With the third generation, more stores started carrying video game related products, a trend that has been setting through ever since.

In the early '90s, independent video game stores first started to open in the Netherlands, with a fast expansion in the early 2000s. Since 2004, video games have gotten more important for general stores however, which has led to the closing of a number of game stores, and a merger of others.

Currently, there are about 1,200 stores, of which about 75 independent, in the Netherlands that carry video games and related items, and numerous online stores.

Distribution

Distribution of games on physical media in the Netherlands is usually done by publishers or major distributors such as Micromedia BV in Nijmegen that cover the entire Benelux, although most of the publishers' offices are located in the Netherlands, and only a few have offices in Belgium. Since not every publisher has a separate office for the Benelux, certain publishers take care of multiple labels, including those of other publishers.

The Netherlands also has several publishers for games through digital distribution, such as via web portals and mobile platforms like the App Store and Google Play.

Game developers from the Netherlands

Defunct game developers

Game publishers from the Netherlands

Games developed in the Netherlands

• Killzone series
• Age of Wonders
• Overlord
• Swords & Soldiers
• Rocket Riot
• Toki Tori
• The Chronicles of Spellborn
• Worms: Open Warfare 2
• Bang Attack
• Delicious series
• Ship Simulator
• Adam's Venture
• Moorhuhn

Education

Up until 1998, whoever wanted to work in the gaming industry was best off pursuing a computer programming or graphic design education. In 1998, Utrecht School of the Arts offered the first 'pure' game education on the European continent.^[5] Since 2013 the University of Amsterdam offers the first master programme focused on game development (Game studies). Currently there are 11 schools offering specific game educations in the Netherlands.

Breda University of Applied Sciences

Breda University of Applied Sciences has been offering a course in game development, for over 10 years. The 4 year course is entirely focused on practical teaching, working with a variant of Project-Based Learning called "Role-Based Learning". Students work entirely on game development projects, with assessment based on their behaviour and learning within those projects.

Rotterdam University

One of those schools is Rotterdam University. They have a minor Gamedesign and Development for example where students have to create several games within a short amount of time. First they learn to create a 2D android game within 6 weeks. Then they learn to create a 3D game within 13 weeks total.

Print media

• Power Unlimited, since 1993 (oldest active publication)
• Control, since 2007

Television and radio

• Gamekings, since 2002 (television)
• InsidegamerTV (television)

Online media

• GamersNET.nl
• Insidegamer.nl
• Gamer.nl, since 1999 (oldest active online publication)
• Gamekings.tv
• Tweakers (games section)
• nl.IGN.com (Dutch)
• XGN.nl
• PSX-Sense.nl (PlayStation community)

Philips CD-i

The Philips CD-i (Compact Disc Interactive), first released in 1991, is an interactive multimedia CD player developed and marketed by the Dutch electronics manufacturer Royal Philips Electronics N.V. This category of device was created to provide more functionality than an audio CD player or game console, but at a lower price than a personal computer with a CD-ROM drive at the time. Earlier CD-i games included entries in popular Nintendo franchises, such as Hotel Mario, Link: The Faces of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon and Zelda's Adventure, although those games were not developed by Nintendo. In addition to games, a lot of educational and multimedia reference titles were produced for the system, such as interactive encyclopedias, museum tours, etc. The CD-i was a commercial failure, selling 1 million units across all manufactures in 7 years, and losing Phillips $1 billion.

digiBlast

The digiBlast portable console was launched by Nikko at the end of 2005 and promised to be a cheap alternative (selling at approximately $117.86) to the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. Cartridges for games, cartoon (Winx Club, SpongeBob SquarePants) episodes, and music videos were released on the handheld. A cartridge for MP3 playback and a cartridge with a 1.3-megapixel camera were released as add-ons.^[6] However, a shortage of chips around the release date and thereafter resulted in a failed launch and loss of consumer interest.^[7][8]

LAN scene

In the Netherlands, several large and smaller LAN parties and other gaming events are held yearly. In recent years, the 1000+ visitors have declined in popularity, with the scene seeing a shift towards smaller, more sociable events and/or events that offer more than just non-stop gaming. Additional activities include (outdoor) sports events, quizzes and other non-gaming competitions. In addition, small LAN-parties held at home for typically 5-15 visitors, remain popular.

A notable organization is Gameparty.net, a website that functions as a central hub in the Dutch game event scene, who also hosts two large annual events, TheParty and CampZone. Other major LAN-parties and organisations that have organized 1000+ visitor events include Drome, Netgamez, LAN = Life and Regroup. Most of these organizations operate on a non-profit basis, finding sponsors within the computer and gaming world to be able to operate budget-neutral.