Press Start and enter Game Nest: a shared space for Ghent's rising game talent

What happens when you bring Ghent’s game developers together in one co-working space? Starting August 1, that’s exactly what Dagmar Blommaert and Stan Loiseaux will find out. Along with Andreas Veeckman and Abdelkarim Houari, they’ve found a spot near Gent Dampoort. Next door to an office space where a handful of other game developers have already settled. And so, alongside established game hubs in Kortrijk, Brussels and Hasselt, Ghent is now gearing up for a level up of its own: Game Nest.

But this isn’t about chasing commercial gain. No, it’s about connection. The aim? To strengthen the local digital ecosystem. “Sharing games and ideas just feels more natural than keeping them under wraps,” says Dagmar.

The stereotype checks out: before Pajama Llama had an office of their own, they were working from the parental home of Stan, one of the co-founders. “But when we took that step towards having our own office space, we quickly realised it was too big for just us,” says Stan. “First, we invited Mantis Games, and later Tovenaar. So this move to a larger space just feels like the logical sequel.”

Dagmar is a freelance narrative designer and currently works for Tovenaar. “I once spent some time working from the co-working space in the Brussels game hub,” she says. “And I actually felt quite at home there.”

Now that they’re going public with the news, they’re seeing a lot of excitement. “Many developers or freelancers start out working from home, simply because they can’t afford office space. Some rent a desk in a co-working spot for one day a week, just to make sure they’ve seen another human that week. Yeah, just give us a laptop and we’re good to go. That’s literally all we need,” she laughs.

Nothing beats exchanging ideas over lunch after hours of staring at a screen. “First and foremost, we want to use this space to strengthen those networks,” says Dagmar. “Having lunch together, chatting by the coffee machine, and testing each other’s games, it all adds up. We’re also planning to host meetups. Nerdlab already organises Game Dev gatherings four times a year. We could host two of those ourselves, which would be a logical next step. And I’m sure other collaborations will follow, because our networks just keep growing. We just need to be careful not to outrun ourselves. It all has to stay manageable.”

“That’ll grow organically anyway,” says Stan. “Mantis Games recently launched Deck of Haunts, and suddenly everyone at our office was testing it out. Same story with Tovenaar and their game BattleSage. Once we’re all in the same space, we’ll be able to just test and play each other’s games on the fly.”

“I can already hear you thinking, ‘What about competition between teams?’” says Stan. “But, honestly, that just doesn't apply within our community at all. Everyone’s working on such different games, and we genuinely root for each other’s success.”

“Exactly,” adds Dagmar. “We play each other’s games to help make them better, not to tear them down. We even throw all kinds of results and behind-the-scenes details into our shared Discord channels. When I tell people from other industries about that, they think I’ve lost my mind,” she laughs.  “But it’s never an issue. It's how we learn from each other.”

“Of course, if you’re working with a big publisher, then they’ll demand confidentiality,” Stan explains. “But in our region, that doesn’t typically happen. You can’t compare our games to the American or British blockbusters. I mean, sure, if you’re developing something exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2, they’ll want to keep that under wraps. But we’re playing a different game altogether.”

“In the UK, for example,” says Dagmar, “some studios have their reception completely separated from the development teams. You never even see who the clients or visiting publishers are. We have contracts and house rules, too - of course - but it’s a whole different vibe.”

The image of the games industry has had quite an upgrade. It used to be treated as a bit of an afterthought. “Games were supposedly just for kids,” says Stan. “Now it’s become a major segment. That’s mostly thanks to the online platform Steam. These days, you can just release a game by uploading it, much easier.”

“But the stigma hasn’t completely disappeared,” says Dagmar. “When I tell people at a party that I write stories for games, some of them just switch off, because they don’t play games. Or worse: they tell me I should have a chat with their son, because all he ever does is play games,” she laughs. “If I were to mention that I write books, I would receive a completely different reaction. Even if someone doesn’t read, writing books is still seen as a respectable profession. So yes, we’ve still got some way to go. That’s exactly why visibility strategies matter, and that’s something we can work on together here.”

“It’s not just about visibility,” adds Stan. “There’s also room for improvement when it comes to diversity in the industry. When I was in school”—Stan studied Digital Arts & Entertainment in Kortrijk—“80% of the students were male. Now, when I go back to give a guest lecture, for example, I see a lot more women around. And the games can only benefit from that evolution. The spectrum of what’s being made is much broader now. The focus is more and more on creating interesting stories.”

The Flanders Audiovisual Fund (Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds, or VAF) has become a solid fixture in the sector. “In the beginning,” says Stan, “right after I graduated, I really had to figure out how to apply for funding. You had to find your own way. A few friends from school helped us back then. But now, there’s so much more support. VAF really helps you get started. They also organise events, which is great for community building.”

“When I think about it,” Stan continues, “a lot of studios would never have got off the ground without VAF’s support. In games, you only get paid once the whole thing is finished, unless you’ve got a good publisher, of course. Then you get funding to actually develop the game. We were lucky, too, because we had already put Flotsam online before its release. That gave us early fans and helped us prove there was a market for what we were making.”

“To be honest? We’re actually making a game that’s way too ambitious,” Stan admits. “There’s only three of us, and we keep tweaking and improving,” he laughs. “I’m in charge of the artwork, and I can dream up all kinds of features, but if something doesn’t work, you have to be willing to change it. That’s why it’s so important to take your games out to conferences, for example. It’s only when you release them into the real world, when you see what users actually do with them, that you can move forward.”

As you can see, these creative minds are bursting with wild ideas. “But let’s just see how things go first,” says Dagmar. “A lot of people have already said they want to drop by, that they’re looking forward to it. So we’ll see.”

“We can definitely start working on a few fun concepts to build that group vibe,” says Stan. “I’m thinking of game-testing days, where we try out each other’s work. Or just a good old D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) night,” he laughs. “A game jam would also be great. Just take a weekend to design a game from scratch, much like a hackathon. Since you’re not making it for a client, you can just let your creativity run wild.”

“So feel free to swing by,” Dagmar concludes. “We mainly want to gather interesting people with their own specific expertise. I’m already looking forward to those lunch chats!”