IGDA Finland Summer Meetups part 2

Are you still wondering what to do this Summer? The IGDA Finland hubs are holding events all around Finland; from mini golfing to grilling and summer parties.

Kajaani

When: Tuesday, 25th of June at 18:00
What: Join us at Rantapuisto (or in case of bad weather, Rock House Kulma) for a get-together where we'll catch up with fellow community members and unwind after a long day. We'll bring our summer pal BBQ, you bring the snack to sizzle!
Where: Rantapuisto
More info: Event Page

Kymenlaakso (Kotka)

When: Thursday, 27th of June at 18:00
What: BBQ meetup at beautiful Jokipuisto in Kotka. Sausages and condiments are sponsored by the Finnish Game Jam and some non-alcoholic drinks are also provided! Feel free to also bring your own grillables as well! The afterparty is hosted by Kuura!
Where: Jokipuisto
More info: Event Page

Porvoo

When: Thursday, 18th of July at 18:00
What: Minigolf and Grilling! The event will be held as a private event in the Porvoo Minigolfkeskus. At the venue there will be minigolf, billiard, darts and a grill!
Access to minigolf, billiard and darts will be free of charge and for grilling there will be some sausages available, but please bring your own if you desire! The afterparty will be held at the Porvoo Game Club / IGDA Porvoo Club house!
Where: Porvoo Minigolfkeskus
More info: Event Page

Oulu

When: Friday, 19th of July
What: Teekkaritalo Summer Party
Where: Teekkaritalo
More info: Coming up on IGDA Finland Discord with the role “?Oulu”:
Discord

Lahti

When: Friday, 19th of July at 17:30
What: IGDA Lahti grill party, IGDA Lahti will provide grilled sausages to the event. You are also welcome to bring your own foods to grill.
Where: Pikku-Vesijärvi
More info: Link to event sign up

Helsinki

When: Tuesday, 13th of August at 17:00
What: Rovio Summer Party
Where: Maxine
More info: Coming soon

IGDA Finland has now a Linktree, find all our hubs in one place and special events like Leadership Day 2024!

IGDA Finland x Rovio Holiday Party!

IGDA Finland & Rovio Present: Fireside with Reggie Fils-Aimé, plus more!

Tuesday 15th December
19:00 - 21:00 EET

IGDA Finland and Rovio will be bringing some holiday cheer to all of the studios, homes and home offices out there with a special online holiday party. 
Rovio will host a fireside chat with Reggie, who will share his experiences, thoughts on what the future holds and answer some of your questions.

This will be a one-time live event only, there will be no possibility to see it afterwards so make sure to tune in!

On top of getting your sweet fill of Reggie we have:
- Rovio’s inhouse band 
- Holiday cheers from Finnish game devs
- The traditional Yule Log

The livestream will take place on the following streaming services:
IGDA Finland Twitch
IGDA Finland Youtube
IGDA Finland Facebook

See y’all in December!

Tampere Hub: December Meetup with Colossal Order

A Colossal Meetup

The Tampere Hub: December Meetup was sponsored by Colossal Order, a Tampere based game company known for their renowned simulation series, Cities. Colossal Order celebrated their 10th anniversary this year, since being founded in 2009.

IHKU and more

The December Meetup was held at a new location, IHKU bar, a karaoke establishment in the heart of the Tampere city center. Attendees were treated to a variety of delicious foods including: ribs, roast potatoes, an assortment of salads and more. As with most of Tampere Hub meetups, the evening was relaxed, laid back with community members performing some of the best karaoke in Tampere.

Helsinki Hub: September Gathering with Aalto ENT and Game Makers of Finland

By Giorgos Riskas

The September IGDA gathering at the Helsinki Hub was sponsored by the Aalto University Developing Entrepreneurship (Aalto ENT), a service that helps companies grow into successful business and Game Makers of Finland, the first union in the world for game industry workers.

Aalto ENT offers a collection of services that aim to offer agile and practical solutions to startup companies at the beginning of their journey as much as in later stages. Interested entrepreneurs are able to join many different educational programs and Online Courses while becoming at the same time part of the entrepreneurship ecosystem of Aalto University.

The main goal of Game Makers of Finland is to ensure that workers and students alike get the required tools and training to prepare them to face the challenges of working in the games industry today.

Apprien and Pocket Gamer joined the event as partners offering 200 goodie bags and a 20% discount for the participants of Pocket Gamer Helsinki respectively.

Left to right: Panelists Arja Martikainen, Taina Myöhänen, Natasha Skult, Veli-Pekka Piirainen, with moderators Milla Pennanen and Sami Vuolanne. Photo by Jesse Eloranta.

Milla Pennanen and Sami Vuolanne, Coordinator and Vice President of Game Makers of Finland respectively, organized an in-depth panel discussion about Education and Training in the Finnish game industry and tried to answer all the questions that were planned for the seminar, as well as the questions asked by the audience. During this process, the audience was able to participate by answering survey questions via an online platform.

The topics of education, benefits of training and diversity were discussed by a diverse panel of professionals- that included Arja Martikainen, Business Owner at Northstar, Natasha Skult, CEO at MiTale, Veli-Pekka Piirainen, founder and Chairman of the Board at Critical Force and Taina Myöhänen, President of Women in Games Finland.

The conversation started with a question about the importance of industry-related education. The speakers acknowledged how good education can always be helpful but they did not stay on that. They shared some cases where professionals coming from different backgrounds found their way in the industry and had successful careers as proof that one’s passion for what they like can cover for the lack of education and lead them forward.

Spiritual father of the Kajaani game development scene, Veli-Pekka Piirainen of Critical Force, chatting with the audience following the panel discussion. Photo by Casimir Kuusela.

When asked if the education in the industry has changed, the speakers unanimously agreed that the field looks very different if compared to 15 or even 10 years ago. There used to be considerably fewer options while most of the games specific studies were not even existent. Of course, having more education options available eventually creates more competition and thus game industry workers should be more flexible and adaptable.

Different learning methods require different disciplines but what they all have in common is that they work more efficiently if the learner is genuinely interested in the subject. Studying theory helps to avoid the mistakes that others did before and learning by doing is a very common hands-on approach that is followed often in the industry, but at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference on which method is the best.

When asked if there is a shortage of experts in the industry, the speakers agreed that it is indeed an issue, especially further away from Helsinki that seems to have most of the jobs and attracts most of the talent. It is the industry’s responsibility to bring in new blood and keep a diverse and healthy mix of different talents, ideas, and backgrounds among the employees.

The foreigners that come to Finland to fill some of the mentioned positions, usually find their working life calm and not very stressful, but many of them have reportedly suffered from loneliness in their personal lives. To deal with the issue a program has been created to welcome foreigners to Finland and make them part of the community that has its door open to everyone.

The conversation concluded on a positive note, talking about the benefits of education in Finland. The speakers and audience agreed that educational institutions offer good support to their students regarding the study material they offer, the opportunity to study for free, the team projects they get to work on, the competitions and game jams they get to participate and the opportunities to start networking in the industry.

Expert advice from mentors and coaches in the Networking Demo Corner. Photo by Casimir Kuusela.

After the seminar ended, the attendees had the chance to get some free advice from experienced mentors and coaches at the Networking Demo Corner about how to improve their networking skills and portfolio.

Celebrating GGJ/FGJ with a Post Play Party

Hey Jammers! IGDA Finland and the Finnish Game Jam are teaming up to host a Post Play Party in the Helsinki Hub Demo Corner on Tuesday, February 12th for all the games that were made during the 2019 Global Game Jam.

Bring your creations, show them off with others, relive the exhausting and spirited fun you had, and encourage people to jam. Please use this form to sign-up. Space may end up being limited so we’ll let teams know if they have a spot by Sunday, February 10th.

The Gathering and Demo Corner start at 19:00.

And speakers — did we mention there’d be speakers?

These awesome folks will start sharing game jam experiences at 19:30:
Annakaisa Kultima, President of FGJ: Crazy Stunts and Awesome Numbers
Minna Eloranta: A GGJ Experience in Israel
Samuli Jääskeläinen: Jamming in China
Elie Abraham: You Never Heard a Jam Story Like This

Please note:

1. This event is not sponsored and the fee for the cloakroom is 2,50€.

2. Space is limited for the demo corner and if there are a lot of submissions there may not be space for everyone. Registration will close on Sunday, February 10th and teams will be notified they have a demo spot by Monday February 11th.