Held at Tallinn Creative Hub, this past weekend's "Game Jam: Estonian Folklore Edition" gave participants 48 hours to design and build playable video game prototypes drawing on Estonian folklore, from myths and legends to folk songs and fairytales.

Some drew on revenants, or the returned dead, and water spirits, while others featured Kalevipoeg, the hero of Estonia's national epic, the Northern Frog and various local versions of the devil. Yet others featured simpler rural scenes.

According to game creator Ott Madis Ozolit, Estonia's fairytales and folklore provide a rich background and source of material for video games.

"I'd love to see more Estonian folklore in the global gaming industry," Ozolit said.

He noted the gaming world often recycles the same myths — Greek, Norse, Mayan, Aztec, Egyptian — while the Finno-Ugric peoples and their stories are largely missing. Events like this jam are small but important steps toward sharing them worldwide.

"We've reached a point where players are tired of the same old stories," Ozolit acknowledged. "We have so many new experiences to offer them."

The winner of the Game Jam was "The Letter," in which the main character is a kratt — a mythological creature made from inanimate objects brought to life — that delivers letters.

Third place went to the fighting game "Ülemiste Showdown."

"Basically, we took the Old Man of Lake Ülemiste and the Northern Frog and had them face off on top of Toompea Hill," programmer Jako Keskküla explained about the third place-winning game.

Creator Gregor Ojaveer described "Ülemiste Showdown" as visually retro and two-player friendly.

"There definitely has to be some kind of slightly addictive factor," he added. "It's a really fun way to spend time with friends."

Nearly 80 participants joined the Tallinn Business Incubator-organized event, including not just game designers and programmers but also artists, writers, designers and folklore enthusiasts. 

Describing the hackathon as a sprint, Nele Plutus, program manager at the incubator, said the goal was to quickly bring initial game ideas to life and connect developers, creatives and industry contacts.

"This helps Estonia grow more advanced game companies and studios that in the long term could also become valuable exports for our economy," Plutus said.

The video game sector is part of the country's creative industries and supported by the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS).

Kadi Haljand, creative industries manager at EIS, said according to the latest figures, about 80 companies and roughly 1,000 people work in the field.

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