CORONA AID: Digi & Game Center Needs Your Support! - Help us to reach 15K goal at Mesenaatti.me! #savedgc
There are great items for everyone to support, check them out.
Support us here (in Finnish): bit.ly/Save-DGC-Korona-Aid-Fin
Support us here (in English): bit.ly/Save-DGC-Korona-Aid-Eng
The idea of a digital and gaming community was born in 2012, when the Expa Game Business Co-operative was founded. Since that year, studies, surveys and opportunities have been sought to make such a community a reality. That moment came on Wednesday, January 1, 2020, when the Digi & Game Center (DGC) opened on Matarankatu in Jyväskylä. Now, DGC’s operations are at stake due to a coronavirus that has had a significant impact on the revenue streams of the DGC that manages DGC’s Expa. Expa is responsible for e.g. rents for public premises totaling € 15,000 over a three-month period. In order to keep this long-dreamed community in Central Finland, we invite you to fight against the corona!
What is Digi & Game Center?
The Expa Game Business Co-operative , together with the Central Finnish gaming and digital community, has established the Digi & Game Center (DGC) in Jyväskylä. DGC is a community and ecosystem that brings together Central Finnish gaming and digital experts under one brand and creates a framework for high-quality and diverse production of gaming and digital services and cooperation between companies and educational institutions in Central Finland and internationally. DGC's offices were sold off immediately and the operation has got off to a very good start. DGC has provided 16 entrepreneurs and companies with office space in a resource-wise and cost-effective way, facilities for Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences (JAMK) game developer training for Demo Lab, GamePit space for JAMK's youth game coaching, cost-effective mobile workstations and meeting rooms. for various lectures, trainings, workshops and gamers, as well as facilities for a modern XR-AR-VR studio that can also be used for recordings. By the end of February 2020, DGC will e.g. was attended by more than 1,000 visitors, the first Finnish Game Jams were held, the gaming networking event Game Business Booster, as well as several lectures and massive openings. Now this start has been significantly jeopardized by a coronavirus pandemic. In particular, activities that are important for (Peliosuuskunta Expa) Expa Game Business Co-operative's business, such as organizing events and trainings, and renting premises, are not currently possible. Because Expa operates the space, it corresponds to e.g. rents for public premises, which means EUR 15 000 for a period of three months. In addition, many service production projects have been suspended due to the situation and their continuation is currently uncertain. That is why we call on you to support the DGC and fight the effects of the corona!
Values guiding the operation of Digi & Game Center:
Strengthening the awareness of the local (Central Finland) gaming and digital industry both domestically and internationally
Employment of gaming and digital professionals locally - Increasing the attractiveness of Jyväskylä among experts in the field
Close and networked cooperation between different companies, experts, developers and educational institutions
Sustainable development and internationalization
Expolore the Digi & Game Center in 3D:
https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=tGEm1yhqJ6t
Website of Digi & Game Center:
www.digigamecenter.org
Where does the money from the Mesenaatti campaign go?
An excellent question with a simple answer: the money is used to cover the rental costs incurred by the DGC for the Expa Game Business Co-operative and other expenses such as accounting and salaries. Expa operates the DGC and is responsible for rents for the center’s shared facilities, which will accrue around € 15,000 over three months.
One of DGC’s companies, W1llou Agency, has also been employed in the campaign, and product rewards will be made in Finland. At the same time, we support Finnish companies as well as the buyers of the campaign.
We are not talking about a large number of buyers, so the goals are very achievable!
For example, to achieve our minimum goal – € 15,000 – we need
300 buyers of Collect All! product package
OR
120 #XmasJKL ticket buyers
OR
10 buyers of the DGC Loves U visibility package
OR
2 namings of the Stage reward buyers + 2 namings of the meeting rooms
After deducting the taxes and other expenses such as ordering the product rewards, DGC will have € 9,000 left. With this, we can cover about two months of rent.
For example, to achieve our maximum goal – € 50,000 – we need
1000 Collect All! buyers of the product package
OR
34 buyers of the DGC Loves U visibility package
OR
20 buyers of the Gamification and Game Industry lecture
OR
10 buyers of the Collision of Worlds workshop
After deducting the taxes and other expenses such as ordering the product rewards, DGC will have approximately € 25,000 left. With this, we can cover about five months of rent, which already helps a lot.
What is Game Business Co-operative Expa?
The operator of Digi & Game Center is Game Business Co-operative Expa (Peliosuuskunta Expa), which is a community open to everyone, e.g. for game creators, researchers, students, teachers, events or other persons and entities operating in the field in Jyväskylä or in the territory of Central Finland. The purpose of Expa is to promote the success of the gaming industry in the Jyväskylä region and Central Finland. Expa was founded in 2012 and has been an active advocate for game developers in Central Finland ever since. The cooperative has 116 members and a separate 2-year board. The current chairman is Tuomas Roininen, he is also IGDA Finland and Neogames Boars member.
Expa Game Business Co-operative (Peliosuuskunta Expa), is also IGDA Finland Jyväskylä Hub one of the very first IGDA Finland hubs since 2013.
Website of Game Business Co-operative Expa: www.expa.fi