Robert Homewood

What do you like the most about the University of Skövde?

One of the things that I have appreciated the most about my time here at the University of Skövde is the commitment to rigorous research methods and standards. I've found myself out ahead of the pack in terms of my ability to conduct and review research to an incredibly high academic level. The university also provides a wealth of access to databases and knowledge resources.

What do you like the most about your programme?

Unlocking the power of games as more than pure entertainment purposes is serious business and the Serious Games program at the University of Skövde is second to none. This program has provided me an opportunity to focus entirely on pushing the boundary of what games are capable of beyond the realm of entertainment. Through this program I have not only had my eyes opened to a plethora of cutting edge technology and methods but have been given an opportunity to contribute to the academic community in a meaningful way.

One of the greatest aspects of the program here is that it has built up a wealth of experience working with industry and academia alike to develop solutions that can touch people's lives. Their work in the automotive industry and with the physically impaired being just two such examples. In my time here as a Masters student, I have had the opportunity to work with an industry partner in Gothenburg where the modifications I developed have been rolled out to their entire customer base of over 1.6 million people.

What thing/s (food habits, cultural behaviour, concepts, nature, etc.) would you like to bring back home from Sweden?

Fika! Sweden's finest contribution to civilisation.. Well, perhaps not, but it's certainly my favourite. Fika means a short, social break centred around coffee and a sweet cake of some kind. The Swedish national average coffee consumption is 6-8 cups a day and is the second highest in the world. Luckily the Harvard medical review just conducted a study that says that this amount of coffee is actually very healthy! This is however only true if it is drunk without milk or sugar (as is the Swedish tradition).