IMGAWARDS - time to vote!

Vision: Mobile Games are the driver of innovation in the smartphone industry and the most successful category in the apps economy. Mission: Manage and market the world’s largest competition for mobile games and recognize and reward the best mobile game developers.

Great games nominated from Finland: Bike Baron, Shadow Cities, Death Rally, Draw Race 2 and WildChords amongst the best of the best. Vote now and bring People's Choice Award to Finland :)

The competition is now the mobile entertainment industry’s leading showcase for groundbreaking innovations, displaying exceptional quality and new trends in mobile entertainment, whether the games are made for the iPhone, for Android Phones, Windows Mobile, Bada (Samsung), BREW MP, for Blackberry, WebOS, J2ME, Flash, HTML5 or any other widely spread Operating System for mobile handsets.

Job satisfaction survey (by Univ. of Jyväskylä)

WELCOME TO THE SURVEY OF JOB SATISFACTION IN THE FINNISH GAME INDUSTRY: I am Tuomas Roininen, Digital Culture (MA) student from University of Jyväskylä. I am doing a research for my MA thesis based on IGDA's Quality of Life White Paper (2004) but from the point of view of Finnish game companies. The purpose of this research is to carry out a similar survey as in Quality of Life White Paper (2004). Idea of this survey is to find material for my research about the job satisfaction in the Finnish game industry. This is valid way to find issues in the industry that need fixing to better in Finland. I hope that many as possible working in the Finnish game companies would respond to the survey, so that research should be comprehensive, reliable and useful for anyone who works in the field.

The themes of the survey are: - General Satisfaction - Job Stability - Work Load - Work Organization - Job Quality

I wish that you could answer as truthfully as you can, because that is the way to find the real pittfalls of the industry and also there can be done valid conclusions. All of the survey respondents will be treated as anonymously.

Survey takes about 10 - 15 mins and it includes multiple-choice questions.

Regards, Tuomas Roininen E-mail: tuomas.roininen@jyu.fi University of Jyväskylä Department of Arts and Culture Studies Master's Programme in Digital Culture

Thesis supervisor: Raine Koskimaa, Professor of Digital Culture

Survey is open until 17th of February 2012.

Exclusive IGDA Finland screening: YLE Teema "Pelinrakentajat" documentary on Finnish game industry

YLE Teema provides an exclusive opportunity for the Finnish game developers community to see Pelinrakentajat documentary before the masses. The documentary film is in Finnish. When & where: January 18th at 7PM, Andorra movie theater, downstairs of Corona Pub, at Eerikinkatu 11.

Register to the event: / rekisteröidy tapahtumaan täältä: http://pelinrakentajat.eventbrite.com/

*** YLE Teema ja IGDA Finland kutsuvat teidät seuraamaan Pelinrakentajat dokumenttifilmin ekslusiivista ennakkoesitystä. Päivämäärä on 18. tammikuuta, kello 19. suomalaiset pelikehittäjät ovat lämpimästi tervetulleita Andorraan, Eerikinkatu 11 (alakerta).

Pelinrakentajat on YLE Teeman peli-illan avaava dokumentti. Suomalaisesta pelintekemisestä kertova tarina lähtee 90-luvun alun demoscenestä ja kulkee suurien konsolipelien ja pienempien kännykkäpelien kautta aina tähän päivään. Ennen kaikkea siitä tinkimättömyydestä ja intohimosta, minkä avulla Suomen peliteollisuus on noussut 20 vuodessa lähes tyhjästä merkittäväksi teollisuudenhaaraksi.

Dokumentissa on haastateltu kymmentä pelialan vaikuttajaa mm. Remedyltä, Housemarquelta,Bugbearilta, RedLynxiltä ja Roviolta. Toimittaja Kaj Laaksonen Ohjaaja Tommi Mattila Tuotanto Markku Mastomäki YLE Kulttuuri ja viihde 2012 Kesto 54 minuuttia   Tervetuloa! Welcome!

IGDA Finland featured in IGDA Perspectives Newsletter (Oct 2010)

IGDA Finland Chapter was in the spotlight in IGDA Perspectives Newsletter in October 2010. There was also a story Crowning achievement: Marketing Lessons From Crown of Byzantus by Pyry Lehdonvirta, Casual Continent. Good stuff! We would also like to remind you that: It’s Global Game Jam time again and it’s fast approaching! The 3rd incarnation of this highly successful worldwide event is coming January 28-30, 2011. We invite you to take part in the largest game jam event in the industry.

Become an IGDA member and bring Warren Spector to Finland!

Warren Spector is the Prize! Deadline Extended: IGDA Chapter that Brings in the Most New Members By Nov.19 Wins Game Legend as VIP Meeting Speaker

LOS ANGELES – Oct. 12, 2010 -- The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) chapter that brings in the most new members by midnight PST Friday, November 19 (original deadline has been extended) -- will win game industry legend Warren Spector as a VIP speaker for a chapter event. Spector, a master storyteller and designer for one of the most highly-anticipated games of the year, Disney Epic Mickey, is known for his innovative views on game design.

Currently Spector is general manager and creative director at Disney Interactive Studios’ Junction Point. Prior to his work at Disney, Spector started the Ion Storm Studio in Austin and is best known for his work on blockbuster video game franchises such as Thief, System Shock, and Deus Ex.

All 81 chapters world wide are eligible to win.

Point values are as follows:

Lifetime Member: 10 Points (a limited number of Lifetime Memberships are available at $600.00) 2 yr Core Member: 5 Points 1yr Core Member: 2 Points Student Member: 1 Point

Member registration is available online and as a PDF. Send recruits to www.igda.org/join/online or print out the PDF membership application form here:

www.igda.org/sites/default/files/IGDA_Membership_Application_0.pdf? PDF forms can be submitted via email to Sheri Rubin, sheri@igda.org or faxed to (856) 423-3420.

The Winning Chapter will work with the headquarters of the International Game Developers Association to organize and promote the Grand Prize meeting.