Skills learned in the gaming center are applied beyond video game development

In the center of video game development in Novska, there are more and more entrepreneurs, craftsmen, and startup founders, but not all are exclusively engaged in video game development; rather, they apply the skills learned in various other industries and sectors. One of them is Josipa Bencek, the founder of Grow, which, in addition to producing tools for video game development, is also involved in the digitalization of various public institutions and companies. During yesterday’s conference ‘Invest in Novska’ Bencek shared her story with numerous participants at the round table ‘Novska – my new home’. After seeing an advertisement for education in video game development in Novska, she decided to come (and stay) in a city where the gaming industry has been thriving for over six years.

– My wife and I were interested in the gaming industry; we had done creative work before, but we didn’t know what we wanted to do. Today, six years later, I can say that I am doing the job of my dreams. From the six-month education for video game development, we now have the company Grow, which employs about ten people and is developing in the direction we want. We want to be the best at what we do, even though it is not just video games, but also gamified products, and the application of learned knowledge to other sectors and related industries – Bencek described her entrepreneurial journey, believing that Novska’s goal is not to bring people back but to attract new talent.

– We saw Novska as a potential city where we can create what we want, together with other people – Bencek added.

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Josipa Bencek

photo Boris Ščitar

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Presenting to investors

When talking about Novska, it was confirmed by Andreja Šeperac, director of the JU regional coordinator SMŽ, the project holder of the gaming center in Novska, that it is not just about playing and programming video games.

– Our users gain basic knowledge, and it is up to them whether they will continue to do it or not – Šeperac said, describing the activities they are undertaking to present the gaming center to the wider public and potential investors.

– We must present what we have and not wait for investors to come. The entire Banovina could be an investment area; investors are welcome in every part of the county, and a higher percentage of support in this part of Croatia testifies to that – Šeperac added.

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Andreja Šeperac

photo Boris Ščitar

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The vision of a few people, but also synergy – the nucleus around which everything expands – is a little light that can open many possibilities through vision and work, said Krunoslava Kosina-Milutinović, project manager at the Sisak company Applied Ceramics, which produces spare parts for chips and is one of the few companies in Croatia that exports 100% of its products. This was also recognized by Lider, awarding Applied Ceramics this year for the best investment that contributed the most to exports.

– Domestic investors always need to provide a tailwind, as the effects of retaining jobs and opening new ones are faster. Attracting direct foreign investments is a process that takes time and costs, and it requires targeted work. Unfortunately, Sisak is not yet specialized, while Novska is a Croatian example of a local government that has strategically decided what it wants. Strategy is something long-term, longer than a mandate. But Novska is also thinking about diversifying, that not everything is just in the gaming industry, while simultaneously paying attention to traditional industries that exist in the city, from metal to wood industries. Also, a balance between private and business life is being worked on in Novska because we all know that this is the only sustainable long-term, and that is investing in a greater number of kindergartens – Kosina-Milutinović said.

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Krunoslava Kosina-Milutinović

photo Boris Ščitar

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Quality, not quantity

The metal industry in Novska is recognized as a branch that has perspective and future, said Zlatko Redžić, director of the Novska company Metaflex with a 60-year tradition, which has undergone restructuring over the years and today actively employs new people.

– When we came to Novska as investors, the support of the local community was general until we started implementing what was promised in record time. Then that support became concrete – every inquiry we had towards the institution was completed in record time, some things even before our expectations – Redžić described his experience.

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Zlatko Redžić

photo Boris Ščitar

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Entrepreneurial opportunities are not lacking even in Vinkovci, where the company Grad-Export, which produces decorative panels for entrance doors, is headquartered, and whose director Petar Šimić emphasized the importance of investing, or reinvesting, at the round table.

– Novska is a small town, but a town of hardworking people. In entrepreneurship, the most important thing is investment, or reinvestment. Without the synergy of local and regional governments and the state, that investment would not be at such a level. We are fortunate that all parts of Slavonia are developing; in Vinkovci, we have a good geopolitical position because we are close to all borders and highways. But we are not close to Zagreb, and without investment and new technologies, it would be very difficult for us – Šimić noted, adding that without that, his company would not be able to export 97% of its product range.

– We do not care about the quantity of investors; the quality of investors and what will be done is much more important. In Vinkovci, we have an entrepreneurial zone of one million square meters, but we will not allow less profitable activities with low personal incomes into that space. We look at how Osijek and Novska do it – Šimić added.

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Petar Šimić

photo Boris Ščitar

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Small towns with great potential

In response to the question from the panel moderator, Lider journalist Ksenija Puškarić, about what Pleternica offers to entrepreneurs who are there and those who will come, and what Pleternica can learn from Novska, Marija Šarić, the mayor of Pleternica, explained during the round table that, like Novska, investors are their top priority.

– When they come, we put everything else aside and focus solely on them. We are small towns with great potential, but without jobs, there is no progress. If we do not all drive together in a big direction, then it is very difficult – Šarić said.

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Marija Šarić

photo Boris Ščitar

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In the concluding part of the conference, Vida Iličić, director of the Development Agency of the City of Novska (NORA), reflected on the presentations and panels, concluding that Novska, but also all of Croatia, has everything necessary for a quality business and private life.

– Croatia is a beautiful country, it has countless opportunities for success and progress, there are great opportunities from the EU and the Government of the Republic of Croatia, but also at the local level. It is very important how and what is done at the local level, as shown by the example of Novska, which has an excellent team of people who know what they want and where they are going, but most importantly, they know, love, and believe in what they do – Iličić said.

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Vida Iličić

photo Ratko Mavar

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