Meet the Dutch!

Of course we can start this Dutch week at The Puck Stops Here! with all the boring facts and figures about our rapidly growing games industry, the highly-educated population in the Netherlands and that 72% of the Dutch population on average spend 4.9 hours per week on playing games. But we’re sure you can Wiki that yourself. (or take the fast lane and check out our factsheet http://www.gamepioneers.com/ )

In this introduction we like to focus on one hardly ever mentioned demographic fact, which explains nearly every stereotype you hear about the Dutch: We are one of the most densely populated countries in the western World!

So what does this mean, living shoulder to shoulder with your next-door neighbour?

Practically it means we have a great infrastructure for everything but physical transport. Traffic is awful when all the working bees are on the move. Great connectivity and sewerage system though! And it means we are unchallenged in reclaiming land so we can peacefully fulfil our need for Lebensraum.

If we really can’t take it any longer we pack our bags and pioneer overseas opportunities like we will be doing at the GDC, or take our extremely long annual holiday.

On a more spiritual level we are free thinkers. Too free by some standards, but if there’s no freedom in space you have to create freedom within. Hence our successful creative minds in design and business. We already live in the box, so we are trained to mesmerize outside of it.

And last but not least, people find us bluntly honest. Forgive us that little shortcoming. We can’t afford to let tension build in our society, our way is to immediately speak our mind, have a little scuffle if necessary and live happily ever after…

So are you curious to meet some exploring, free-thinking and bluntly honest Dutch Game Pioneers? Stop by the Holland Pavilion, during one of the Dutch-Canadian events or drop a line and we will connect you…