Egill Hansson's passion for drawing, video games, and storytelling began in a small village in Iceland. Today, he develops his own games and animation projects using the skills he gained through the Interactive Media – Animation bachelor's degree at Noroff University College.
Stories Came First
For Egill Hansson, creativity has always been a natural part of life.
Some people know from an early age what they want to do. For Egill, it all started with pencils, comic books, and video games.
Growing up in a small village in Iceland may not have offered a large creative community, but it gave him plenty of room to imagine. He spent countless hours drawing, reading comics, and exploring digital worlds. Yet it wasn't the games themselves that fascinated him the most—it was the stories behind them.
- I've loved comic books, video games, and drawing ever since I was a kid. I've always had a strong desire to tell stories, he says.
That passion first led him to study Multi-Media Design in Iceland, where he gained experience in digital art and 3D modeling. Still, he felt something was missing.
- At the time, I was mainly working with 2D illustration, but I felt I needed to expand my skill set, especially in 3D animation and modeling.
A Natural Next Step
In 2022, Egill moved to Norway to begin his studies in Interactive Media - Animation at Noroff University College.
Looking back, he describes the decision as both spontaneous and logical.
- It was far enough away to feel like a new adventure, but close enough that it didn't feel intimidating. At the same time, the program felt like a natural continuation of what I had already started.
Throughout the bachelor's degree, he explored every stage of the production pipeline—from concept development and modeling to animation and finished productions.
What stood out the most was the way the courses were structured.
- I liked that each course revolved around one major project. It gave us the freedom to approach assignments in our own way while allowing us to explore both the creative and technical sides of the work.
He also highlights the lecturers as an important part of the experience.
- They were calm, supportive, and great at guiding us without controlling the process. That allowed us to develop our own way of working.
The Course That Had the Biggest Impact
Although animation was always his main interest, it wasn't necessarily his favorite subjects that taught him the most.
Rigging—the process of building the technical skeleton that allows a character to move—turned out to be his biggest challenge.
- I struggled a lot with rigging. It's highly technical, and for a long time I felt like I just couldn't get it.
Eventually, everything clicked.
- Once I finally understood how a rig is built, I felt like I truly understood the entire production pipeline. Looking back, it's become one of the most valuable things I learned.
More Than Just Studying
University life wasn't only about projects and deadlines.
Many students shared a passion for games, technology, and animation, and Egill describes the community as welcoming and relaxed.
- We played board games, hung out together, and spent time outside of class. It was a really friendly environment.
It was also during Freshers' Week that he met his girlfriend.
- So I definitely have a lot of great memories from my time as a student.
Bringing a Steam Game to Life
After completing his bachelor's degree, Egill has continued building his experience through personal creative projects.
The biggest of these is Starkheim Tournament, a retro-inspired fighting game with pixel art visuals, currently available on Steam Early Access.
The project began back in 2019 with a game developer from Poland and has grown significantly ever since.
Today, Egill serves as the game's lead animator.
- It's been a long journey. Recently I've been able to dedicate much more time to the project, and it's incredibly rewarding to see how much it has evolved.
Building His Own World
Alongside game development, Egill is also working on a project that's even more personal.
"Nikolai" started as a simple character sketch but has gradually evolved into an original universe with its own stories and characters. The project followed him throughout several courses at Noroff and eventually became the foundation of his bachelor's project.
- I drew the character one day, and suddenly the whole story started to grow. Now I'm developing it into a screenplay or treatment that I hope can become something much bigger.
For Egill, storytelling remains the driving force behind everything he creates.
- Now I finally feel like I have the tools to tell the stories I've had in my head for so many years.
Watch some of Egill's animation and student projects on YouTube:
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