Sámi culture in the digital age

Bilde: Red Stage Entertainment Oy

Skábma - Snowfall, developed by Red Stage Entertainment, is a Sámi inspired action adventure video game released in 2022. It follows the orphan reindeer herder Áilu as he navigates himself through the Sápmi, healing and fighting off the disease that has ravaged the land. The game takes inspiration from a series of Sámi myths and traditions, incorporating them as part of the lore with the game’s framework mainly being based around the familiar spirits called, in Northern Sámi, «Sáiva ealli».

Stikling was granted the opportunity to speak with the script writer of Skábma - Snowfall and co-founder of Red Stage Entertainment, Marjaana Auranen. Her Sámi name is Teresá Joret Mariánná.

Hey Marjaana! What do you want players to feel when they first meet the world of Skábma?

Well of course I want them to get immersed into that world, but I know more of what I don't want them to feel, which is that I'm trying to educate them or preach to them. I don't want players to feel that I am lecturing them about Sámi culture.

What was the reason for telling an original story instead of retelling one of the Sámi myths?

I consider myself an artist, a creator, so I wanted to create my own story and put my own twists on it. Although the safest bet with an old culture is retelling a story, the Sámi culture is still alive and evolving as we are telling new stories and creating new art and culture. So for me it was somewhat of a statement to not repeat what has been told before, but to instead make something new. Repeat history, but also tell it in a way that young people understand. There are many things where if you speak the language you can kind of already guess some things, and if you know the culture you can probably guess what happens next as well.

What was the main source for historical Sámi aspects to include in the game?

The game takes place right after the Noaidi persecutions, around 1600-1800, where the main source of information about the Sámi came from the travellers and priests, so people outside of the culture. There were no Sámi sources from that period. The main source we used was «Muittalus samid birra - An Account of the Sámi» published in 1910 by Johan Turi, as this was the first recording of the Sámi written by a Sámi. We also used texts by Lars Levi Læstadius. He was a priest but he did have a background in Sámi culture. I had to keep in mind the fact that outsiders' views were not the same as the insiders’ views. I tried to divide it in the game so that the French explorer Jean-François told the story that the outsiders wrote, while the villagers would bring up the real history, so that both recollections could be included.

You have previously stated that language, rhythm and music were important aspects you were keen on including in the game. Was there something you wanted to include but ended up dropping?

We had many meetings regarding what to include in the game, as we were touching on a bit of a taboo by including Noaidi, a Sámi healer and seer. Some of the traditions we included deviate somewhat from the actual source material, and as with all religious representation in games it is important to be careful and conscious of what kind of image or message is conveyed. Originally there was a lot more violence in the game, but it felt awkward including it together with Noaidi traditions. Instead I wanted to focus more on the healing aspect, and the revival of culture. We want to respect other people’s beliefs and considerations on what is harmful for the culture, but it is also important how we represent our culture to other people outside of the culture, who are not Sámi. On the one hand, we wanted to include as much information as we could about the culture, but on the other hand we were strengthening stereotypes as, historically, there were aspects that did make us seem «exotic».

How was the process of making the music for the game, when you also had to make it work with the drums?

Complicated and difficult! I remember our sound designer Jaakko Liukkala hitting his head on a wall with how to match the drum with the music and all that, making it loop and stuff. It was a process that took a long time to get right. The first music snippets and melodies we made quite early on when we were creating our first demo. We had lots of conversations about instruments, what instruments to include in the music, and what not to. A lot of early development was just about teaching the team that we are not making just any game, we are making indigenous content. That means we should pay attention to and respect certain things more. I can’t say a lot about the composing process because I wasn’t there, but I can say it was magic and they made it happen!

How did you decide on the clothing for the characters?

That was a process! I know how to make the Gákti (the Sámi traditional dress) and some of the rules regarding these clothes. But of course, I don't know about every region's colours. So we decided quite early on that we were going to design our own regional attire. We created a family tree on how the colours are related. For example, from which side the red Gákti and the gray Gákti come from, and so on. There was a lot of redoing because the designer who modelled the characters is not Sámi, and we had to do it multiple times to get the patterns just right. However, there is one intentional clothing error in the game. Áhkku (grandmother) has a hat that is actually a modern Sámi hat from around the 1900s to 2000s, which replaced the Ládjogahpir (hornhat). This is because I wanted to include the story of how the hornhats got replaced.

What did you want players to feel when sitting down by the bonfires spread across the world?

We wanted players to get the feeling that you are in the wilderness sitting by the fire as you listen to joik or you joik yourself, and are present in that moment. Slow it down, meditate a bit. The bonfires are intentionally not all put on the intended story path, and are instead often put in places that have something beautiful to see or something beautiful to experience. They are hidden gems, little candy rewards for players that explore. It's a collectible like the bunnies and the grandpa treasures.

What inspired the landscapes in the game?

We decided there were going to be mountains, cliffs and rocks so we went to the Norwegian side of Sápmi. This way we could also narrow down where the player could travel. At first we wanted to embrace the fact that you can get lost in the forest, and have to pay attention to your surroundings. But because of so much player feedback about there not being a map, we ended up adding it to the game after all.

How was the process of finding voice actors that speak Northern Sámi?

It was difficult to record as it was during the pandemic, so we had to prioritize those who were inside the borders. The voice of Áilu’s uncle, Mihkkal, was recorded over a distance by Johan Rasmus J. Eira (also known as Shookie Eira), which was possible as he had his own studio. However, our pool of actors was relatively small, so we had individual actors do several roles and then later chose which voices to use.

Were there many first time voice actors?

Most of them were first timers. For example, Ture Laiti (Sámi name: Mihku Ilmara Mika Ture), who voiced Askovis and Stállu, was brilliant, with the first take often being the one used in the game. Same goes for Hildá Länsman who voiced both the main character Áilu and his cousin Nana.

Animasjon: Line Goran Hussein

Why is the game called Skábma?

Skábma means Polar Night. Our original plan was to make a game called Skábma - Polar Night but we didn’t get enough funding for that so we ended up doing a smaller game called Skábma - Snowfall as a sort of prequel for a longer game some day.

Who is the intended audience for the game?

It is definitely for people over 12 years old, because of complicated jump mechanics that require good timing. Also storywise it's not a little kids game. It's dark with man eating giants and dark creatures that can easily scare younger audiences.

How does the final product compare to the idea you originally had in mind for the game?

You have these beautiful visions of what a game is going to be and then reality hits where you don't get the funding you need, or the tech might not be there yet. Like if you have this cool game mechanic in mind but for some reason you can’t get it to work. It would take too much time so you have to just accept the second best option. Which is sometimes the better option after all. It's an interesting part of the process. When we first started, Skábma was more like an adventure game for kids. The main character looked more like a cartoon character, but over time the style evolved into a more natural colour palette with realistic environments. So definitely quite different from what we had first pictured, but it's mostly for the better, I think.

How have you experienced the reception of the game?

The reception has been quite positive, so of course I'm happy about that! But before the game was released I was afraid of how my own people were going to react to it. I was worried that other Sámi would criticize that we are using this kind of taboo subject with the drum and Noaidi as a main part of the gameplay. The only thing I'm displeased with is that the game has disappeared on the internet. If you go to Steam there are tens of thousands of new games all the time, so it's easy to disappear on these platforms.

Could you tell us about another project you have been working on?

Rana - the Shaman Girl is a project we have been working on with Miksapix Interactive for about seven years. A bit different from Skábma since it's a mobile game and it's in its own Sámi universe. We also just finished developing our next game «Purr-Suit of Happiness», a narrative adventure about cats, mice, hoomans and The End.

Interview by Ivo Lucano Rückmann and Line Goran Hussein