How do the worlds of analog and digital board games connect? And what happens when you adapt a physical game into digital form — or bring a digital game to the tabletop? Spilbar 63 dives into the age old games format and its impact on human civilization.

Board games are one of the world’s earliest forms of communication. Through their mechanics, narratives, and components, they have always been a medium for storytelling in countless forms.

And at SpilBar 63, we’ll dive into the evolving relationship between physical and digital board games, and explore the role they’ve played — and continue to play — in human culture for thousands of years.
Open Call for game showcase - register here, if you want to showcase your game at SpilBar 63.

As always, attendance is free, and you need not register if you simply wish to attend without showcasing your game.

Program – September 18

16:00 – Doors open

16:30 – Welcome

Head of DADIU Thomas Vigild bids welcome and introduces tonight's event.

16:35 – Pick a Card

How did the beheading of St Denis lead to the creation of Mario Kart World? Author Tim Clare dives into the history of games to show how key moments of cultural exchange have rippled through the centuries, using playing cards as a case study, explaining how they fuelled crime waves, sparked revolutions, and spawned numerous modern games, both analogue and digital.

17:20 – Coffee Break

17:35 – From computers to cardboard: Transforming video games into board games

Game designer Ole Steiness will talk about the experience and challenges of converting video game experiences like Deep Rock Galactic, Valheim and Hitman into board games, and his work with some popular Scandinavian game companies in that process.

18:00 – Crafting a miniature world in Wartile and Successor

Michael Rud Jakobsen from Playwood Project will showcase how they brought miniature worlds to life in game productions Wartile and Successor: inspired by board games and Dungeons & Dragons, we combined diorama landscapes and figurines with accessible yet tactical gameplay. Our mission was to capture the magic of tabletop play and expand it into a living digital universe.

18:25 – News, announcements and info

18:35 – Mingling + Game Showcases

Sign up here, if you are up for showcasing your game.

20:00 – Goodbye