From May, HHS GameLab students will also be supervised by Jasper Koning, former creative director and co-founder of Ronimo Games. He joins the lab's operational team and will work alongside Jeroen Derwort.
Jasper Koning is 45 and previously studied Industrial Design at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. As his interest lay in games, he went on to study Game Design & Development at HKU.
This led to founding his own studio, Ronimo. He spent 16 years as creative director of this Utrecht studio, known for titles such as Awesomenauts and Swords & Soldiers. After Ronimo closed its doors, he went solo as an indie developer.
Jasper also enjoys helping new talent flourish. "I think supporting people and helping them navigate the possibilities and limitations of the games industry is very important. Alongside our studies, we benefited enormously from initiatives such as Dutch Game Garden. Knowing that these things cannot be taken for granted gives me extra motivation to get involved," he says.
"I hope I can inspire and motivate people to make cool things while keeping sight of the challenges involved. In the longer term, I also hope to be part of a thriving games studio again and to encounter many of you there."
Pragmatic creativity
Jasper's focus will be what he calls "pragmatic creativity". Game development involves all kinds of limitations, and these constraints demand creative solutions. "I like encouraging students to think about things beyond the practical process of making a game. Project planning, marketing, accounting and office management are all useful areas to know something about, especially if you want to start your own business."
GameLab Manager Jeroen Derwort is delighted that Jasper is joining GameLab. "With Jasper Koning, we have brought in a heavyweight from the games industry. Someone who inspires and brings practical lessons that students can really use. I am very much looking forward to working with him."
With Jasper's arrival, Bowie Derwort will take a step back from GameLab's day-to-day management. Through Game Tailors, however, he remains involved in projects such as Rijkswaterstaat's InnovA58 .