| Kristine Ask studies the user-technology relationship with a particular affinity for use that is about play and pleasure. By researching gamers and fans, her work highlights the unexpected and unintended ways technology is used. |  |
| Jorunn Bjerkan is a nurse with a master’s degree in health informatics from Aalborg University and a PhD in health sciences from NTNU. The thesis focused on user involvement in the development and implementation of an online interaction solution for “individual care plan”. She holds a position as an associate professor at Nord University, Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences. |  |
| Johan Einar Bjerkem is a storyteller, and have also founded and is the director of the organization Hilmarfestivalen (www.hilmarfestivalen.no). He owns Bjerkem farm (www.bjerkem.com) where several businesses that work in the experience industry are located. He has written six books about tradition and culture: mainly storytelling, fairytales, folk dancing, presentation technique and history, and is also a trainer in UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. |  |
| Paola de Bruijn is a visual artist and educator specializing in the intersection of social art and creative education. As a member of the International Social Work team at HAN University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, she contributes to the full-time main phase curriculum, focusing on Creative Skill Visual Storytelling and the theoretical foundations of Social Art. Paola’s work is grounded in fostering students’ ability to reconcile with reality and find their place in the world, drawing inspiration from Hannah Arendt’s philosophies. Highly regarded by her students, Paola’s lessons explore the intuitive, imaginative, and knowledge-based dimensions of perceiving and creating visual stories, ensuring their practical application in the social domain. A passionate advocate for teaching, she relishes passing on her skills to the next generation. Beyond her professional pursuits, Paola merges photography, embroidery, and printing in her art, and delights in listening to Thom Yorke’s The Smile albums for hours. Visit her website at: https://www.paoladebruijn.nl/portfolio-onderzoek-page/ |  |
| Dr. Víctor Manuel Pérez Colado is a PhD in Computer Science working as a Project Researcher for Nord University, co-founder of Symovetech and contributor for the e-UCM group at the Complutense University of Madrid. Graduated Cum-Laude in 2022 he has over eight years of experience as researcher where he has contributed to many fields within Storytelling, having much focus in narrative and adventure serious games. In such games, he has studied point-and-click game authoring tools, pervasive narrative games, learning analytics, augmented reality and generative AI. He has, since a kid, been a constant lover of games and game development, enjoying them personally and academically. Beyond this, Victor is also an active open-source contributor and is a passionate musician where he is a singer and guitarist of the metal band Axire |  |
| Mata Haggis-Burridge Mata (they/he) is a consultant writer, narrative director, and game designer with over twenty years’ experience of AAA and indie development. They are a professor at Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas) in the Netherlands. Mata’s credits include Burnout Paradise, Dying Light 2, Resident Evil: Resistance, the LGBTQ+ drama Fragments of Him, and Satisfactory 1.0. They’ve also been a professional circus performer, and have a PhD in cyberpunk literature. |  |
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| Heidi Haavan Grosch has worked as a professional storyteller in both Norway and the USA and currently works in the teacher education program at NORD (Levanger). Collaboration is key in her research and creative endeavors and current projects include “Stories in a Suitcase”, “Collaborative writing with 2nd and 7th graders”, and “Shaping the Modern Classroom: Implementing Student-Active Digital Learning Cycles within Norwegian Teacher Education”. You can see Heidi in action in her two YouTube channels; CyberBridge (tips & tricks for teachers done in collaboration with FSV) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_vRkIVgyrHOJFXRyFcYMsw and Monday Musings (short reflections about teaching and learning inspired by nature) https://www.youtube.com/@HeidiMondayMusings. Heidi is also a Christmas tree farmer and the keeper of the magic Nisse (gnome) skogen (forest) in Sparbu. |  |
| Chris Hart: Recently I have been teaching at Nord university and been surprised how liberating the students found drawing in a 3D space. During the pandemic I noticed people were turning to art as way of relaxing and VR headsets were in demand. So I took 10x individuals with a wide range of artistic experience and got them to do a series of life drawings then switch half way to VR headsets. All of them found the experience enjoyable and I hope that you will too. Throughout my career I have always been open new ideas and techniques in the creative field, from the early days of computer graphics to augmented reality. Many years ago I read about Picasso painting with light and although he wasn’t the first, this lead me to explore new ways of drawing. First came the Quantel paintbox, painting in video, then Photoshop painting on the computer and more recently drawing in VR with apps like Tilt Brush and Gravity Sketch.” Chris Hart, Creative Director – Film, television, multimedia, teaching and XR |  |
| Paula Sofie Haugan is primarily a teacher, employed at Nord University. She teaches at the bachelor’s degree in social work and her focus is education and pedagogy. Her claim of fame is to establish a course in MI in Levanger in 2006 that is still running and popular amongst practitionairs in different fields. She also likes to investigate possibilities for collaboration between different disciplines – we can get a bit self-centered. | Picture to come |
| Sine Maria Herholdt-Lomholdt is a Registred Nurse with a Master in Educational Studies and Ph.d. She works as professor in Nursing at Nord University, where her teaching areas cover the field of care philosophy, care ethics, caring science and care aesthetics. Her research is based in phenomenological approaches, focusing on bringing lived experiences of patients and caregivers to the forefront. At the moment, she is in charge of a two year phenomenological action research project named: Consolation at the edge of life. In this project they inquire into lived experiences of consolation among dying people, their relatives and professional caregivers. To give words to overseen and hitherto tacit dimensions of everyday practice, as e.g. a consolative practice in the palliative field, is a strong motivation for me. Sine thinks that this is one of her greatest accomplishment – to give voice to overseen but important dimensions of nursing. A fun fact about her: Her husbond reads fairytales and other lovely stories for her during the winther evenings. |  |
| Erika Kvistad is a literature and media scholar who works on digital narratives, sex, and horror. Her Ph.D. is on sexual power dynamics in Charlotte Brontë, and she has published on topics including sexual consent negotiation as a textual and cultural phenomenon, domestic spaces in Victorian horror, and the idea of the monstrous in university pedagogy. Her work in digital narratives includes work on haunted spaces on the internet, interactive fiction games, horror webcomics, and digital horror hoaxes, and her current work explores how collaborative storytelling practices shape the kinds of horror stories that can be told on the internet. She is a founding member of the creative-critical practice-based research initiative the Internet Ghost Collective, whose current project is a Gothic Studies special issue on the Gothic as practice. She is Associate Professor of English and a member of the Pedagogical Academy at the University of South-Eastern Norway. |  |
| Kjersti Nicole Larsen (Sherstee) Kjersti has been crafting stories and experiences in the media and production industry since 2013. She has provided both tools and creative sparks for major projects at some of the largest local TV stations in her country, while also lending her talents to music videos and other creative endeavors. A lifelong enthusiast of digital creativity, her journey began with a childhood immersed in technology and video games. In 2021, she began studying game development, but her true strength emerged when she stepped outside conventional paths. In 2024, faced with industry turbulence and the challenge of gaining experience without opportunity, Kjersti took a bold step: creating the games she always dreamed of playing. Her project, Trollbound, grew from a personal passion into an international collaboration, attracting talent from iconic gaming and film companies. In this talk, she’ll share her unique journey of storytelling and bringing dreams to life |  |
| Dr. Line Kolås is an associate professor and a certified meritorious teacher at Nord university. Her background is a PhD in informatics and 25 years of experience in higher education, with a focus on the combination of pedagogy and digitalization. Line has taken part in numerous international and national R&D projects since 2004, and has been teaching and supervising higher education students at bachelor’s, master’s and PhD level, both at the Games and Entertainment Technology program and at the Teacher Education. Line is the cluster leader of “Pedagogy in IT education”, which is one of three clusters in Excited, Centre for Excellent IT education. |  |
| Ástráður Ísak Lárusson, “Ace” is working as a Narrative Tech Designer at Myrkur Games since 2022. He’s won 2nd place in multiple game jams and even won one of them once or twice. He graduated from the games course at Nord University in 2018 and his Masters Degree in Game Design at the National Film & Television School in the UK in 2022. |  |
| Magnus Lillemark writes and directs ads, industrial, information and training films through the production company Camerat in Steinkjer. In addition, he teaches screenwriting and filmmaking at Nord University. He is also a screenwriter of short and feature films, and has co-written the feature film “Heim”, premiering in the summer of 2025. Endlessly fascinated by human being’s ability and seeming urge to be affected emotionally by make-believe, he hopes to bring some insights and food for thought to the conference regarding the educational potential of film narrative and style. Magnus prefers tea over coffee, which he believes is the reason he’s not always as productive as he’d like to be. | Picture to come |
| Deborah Lygonis With close to 30 years’ experience in founding, managing and supporting tech start-ups, Deborah has an extensive knowledge in the art of starting and growing a business, building communities and business development. Currently sharing her time running her own businesses Palderio Creative Labs/Friendbase and Mellanmål, she also supports as a business coach at the space incubator ESA BIC Sweden and being the chair at NSS Water Technology. Passionate about continuous learning and supporting the innovation system. |  |
| Dr. Robin Isfold Munkvold has a background in Computer Science and is an experienced researcher within the fields of Computer Science, ICT, Games and Learning. He is an Associate Professor at Nord University and has been part of the leader group of the Centre for Excellent IT-education, since it started back in 2016. |  |
| Elisabeth Aarebrot Madsen is a 2D-artist, script writer, game designer and pedagogue at Miksapix Interactive. Elisabeth is from a small city in Norway called Florø, but now lives in Trondheim and has worked in the game development industry since 2013.She loves to tell stories through visual media, and in 2023 she won a talent grant as an illustrator by Sparebank1. She is also the one who designed the first Saami superhero, Raanaa – the shaman girl, which is a mobile game. Today she is working on a new school platform called “samiskeventyr” in Norway, where she is part of making educational games. Elisabeth is excited to join as a speaker at Nord Entertainment Week to share her experiences and skills with people who share her passion for visual arts – or just to nerd and talk about games! Homepage: https://www.emeraldusdesign.com/ |  |
| Adam Palmquist https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Adam-Palmquist https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0000-0003-0943-6022 |  |
| Malena Persson is the Art Director at SURT, where she focuses on creating vibrant worlds through environmental art and character design. With a background in photography and a passion for visual storytelling, she loves using art to bring games to life. SURT’s debut game, Rhythm Sprout, won multiple awards at the Norwegian Game Awards 2023 (Spillprisen), including Best Visual Design. For Malena, visual storytelling is the heart of what makes games truly memorable. | Picture to come |
| Luke Savage (Epic Games): Luke Savage is Education Advisor at Epic Games, working with universities and colleges around the world to build the next generation of talent. He previously ran the PlayStation First academic program at Sony Interactive Entertainment, helping students develop and publish games on PlayStation. He has a long-burning passion to open up the creative industries to new diverse talent. Luke lives in London, still owns a pristine Sega Mega Drive, and makes a damn fine cup of coffee. |  |
| Geir Olve Skeie Geir Olve Skeie is a consultant neurologist at Haukeland University Hospital in Norway and a professor at the Grieg Academy in Bergen. He has a unique combination of expertise in both neurology and music, having studied classical piano with Jiri Hlinka at the Grieg Academy2. Skeie has a longstanding interest in the neurology of music and has shared his insights on how music can improve the brain |  |
| Hans Jørgen Støp Hans is an Associate Professor in Music at Nord University. He has worked for the last thirty years within the music industry as a producer, composer and artist. He combines his knowledge of the industry with the academical view on subjects concerning Music production, technology, copyrights and artistic ownership. Besides his job as a lecturer at Nord, he has been leading Creative Europe cooperation projects between his own Institution and international Creative and Cultural Operators. Right now most of his research time is spent raising an AI-child named BELEM and explain to it how to read “between the lines” and understand the real meaning of life in 99 different languages. He is also creating and releasing his own songs under the artist name “Trees Up North”. |  |
| Dr. Helga D. Ísfold Sigurðardóttir is an Associate Professor at Nord University, and holds a PhD in Science and Technology Studies. With a background in social anthropology (BA) and education (MA), her diverse research interests include social impact games, digital game-based learning, online cultures, diversity, social media, feminist theory, gender, career development, and more. When not immersed in research, she enjoys chasing virtual creatures in Pokemon Go and perfecting her superhero poses for Marvel Snap”. |  |
| Katherine Skaife is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences at Nord University. Her research interests lie within the intersection of arts, health, and social sciences and therefore offer opportunities for creative, collaborative, and applied research methods. She has a background in psychology (BSc and MSc), social sciences, and dementia care research (PhD in Dementia and Ageing) and her PhD explored the benefits of visual arts for care home residents with dementia. She is passionate to improve the health, well-being and support for older people, people living with dementia, and caregivers – both family and professional. Originally from the UK, she is now embracing the Norwegian concept of Friluftsliv. | Picture to come |
| Charlotte Stav er universitetslektor ved Nasjonalt kompetansesenter for kultur, helse og omsorg. Hun underviser i opplæringsprogrammet Musikkbasert miljøbehandling, har ansvar for fagutvikling av programmet og er emneansvarlig for samlingsbaserte kurs i MMB. Charlotte er utdannet faglærer i musikk, og har en mastergrad i musikkvitenskap. I tillegg til jobben som universitetslektor, jobber hun også med utvikling og drift av Helsekor i Melhus kommune. Se en film om effekten av Buen helsekor her: Venner for livet. |  |
| Robert Steen The documentary movie “The Remarcable Life of Ibelin” has opened the eyes and touched the hearts of millions through Netflix. Robert Steen is the father of “Ibelin” and will come to the conference. He will share how the documentary become a global sensation and how “Ibelin” became so much more then a docmentary movie. |  |
| Victoria Vera Vigaray‘s main focus as a game designer is taking game mechanics that are not violence-oriented a step forward, trying to find new game loops and structures that are innovative and based on other metaphors and themes yet not explored. She is fascinated by the idea of creating systemic games that may engage players from unconventional backgrounds, with emphasis on social simulations and emergent narratives. As a Game Studies enthusiast, she believes in the academia-industry relationship and how it can develop game design theory and methods further. That is why she leans towards being both a lecturer and a developer at the same time. |  |
| Malle Vogelsang is a PhD student at Nord University, specializing in youth mental health and recovery narratives as part of the NEON Young Norway project. Her work explores how recovery stories are understood and used by young people and mental health practitioners, as well as their potential for future application in digital health support. She is passionate about the transformative power of storytelling to inspire hope, reduce stigma, and create more effective care strategies. | Picture to come |
| Inger-Marie Ask, Tobias & Torje Bergersen Affiliation Gamelab 4 is creating a mixed reality multiplayer game. The talk will be held by Inger-Marie (producer) Tobias (creative director) Torje (technical director) The project is affiliated with Nord University | Picture to come |
| Ida Hansen Eldøen is an award-winning Norwegian writer and director. She studied at Nordland College of Art and Film and has a master’s degree in film studies from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She’s mostly known for her queer comedies, The Half Wall and This is Katharine, and for her commitment to lesbian representation on film. Her short films have been screened at several international film festivals and have received great reviews and lots of laughter. Ida received the city artist grant from Trondheim municipality in 2023. | Picture to come |
| Speaker | Picture to come |