IGDA Finland End of the Year Highlight

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This year we hosted over 250+  meetups from all over Finland!

These events involved regular meetups, tabletop game nights, game jams, game dev lunches, picnics, hub visits, collaborations between hubs and other organizations, and much more!

Grant

The first-ever IGDA Finland Grant was announced, and it went to the talented team at End-all Entertainment and their game Paradigm Island!

Finnish Game Awards 2024

At the Finnish Game Awards 2024, this year’s IGDA Volunteer of the Year 2023 went to  Nova Salmivaara.

#LastOnline

This year we were honored to take part in the Blood Donation Campaign #LastOnline, which have been shared at our hubs, and highlighted on our posts!

The Campaign will run until the end of the year so there is still time to save lives:

More things that happened this year:

  • We got a new hub: Ostrobothnia, a vibrant community led by Benjamin Vehling in the regions of Jakobstad and Kokkola. 

  • Leadership Day by IGDA Finland was part of Finnish Games Week together with PGC Helsinki and W <3 Games.

  • Kajaani Hub celebrated its first Kajaani Game Awards.

  • Lahti Hub celebrated its 5th anniversary

  • Peliosuuskunta Expa / Jyväskylä Hub, became the northmost Unreal Authorized Training Center.

  • Continue to support the art event Theme Park Finland.

  • This year you could find popular chat corner at events like PGC and W Love Games.

Find out when our next year’s events are by checking out the calendar or by following our hubs directly from our Linktree: https://linktr.ee/igdafinland 

We have also worked on improving things inside IGDA Finland, such as spicing up hubs leads meetings with useful workshops, improving our anti-harassment work, general communication, collaboration and onboarding. We will continue working on these next year as well.

Thank you to the current board members. Kristo Juurinen, Vesna Grau, Jami Andersson, Niko Pyrhönen and of course our beloved chairperson JJ Häll.

We will continue the work with IGDA Finland together with a new board that is filled with folk of high talent!

With the lead of our new chairperson Kim Kupiainen, we will also have Karoliina Kuutti, Jonne Taivassalo, Emma Varjo, Joeli Niva, Vesa Raudasoja, Aleksi Kariniemi and Emma Von Munthe Af Morgenstierne Vantaa.

As our advisors we will have, Christopher Hamilton, Natasha Skult, Teemu Haila, Jay Ranki, JJ Häll, Niko Pyrhönen and Jami Andersson. They will ensure that whatever we do, provides the highest value to the community.

This year has been challenging for many in our community, with significant hardships affecting individuals and companies across the game industry. We acknowledge the struggles that many of you have faced and emphasize that IGDA Finland remains committed to being a support network for you. Our hubs, events, and special interest programs will continue to be available to help connect, uplift, and inspire our community as we navigate these uncertain times together.

If you or your company want to support our work, please explore our JOIN US page or consider volunteering with one of our amazing HUBS

IGDA Future Invites You to Contribute to "Should Games Be Fun" Survey

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Fellow gamedevs - IGDA Future team invites you to help researchers from University of Turku and University of Jyväskylä in their study of finding what defines “fun” in games!

Survey is completely anonymous and welcomes both gamers and game developers to give their input on what is fun in games, it takes 10-25min to fill and we thank you in advance!

https://form.jotform.com/243111190156344

Join the IGDA Game Accessibility SIG's European Conference

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The IGDA Game Accessibility Special Interest Group volunteers have worked since 2003 to aid the game industry in making games accessible for all, regardless of impairments or other limitations. The European conference is a hybrid event taking place in London and online April 22-23. Tickets for the streamed content and networking in Discord are free, but you must register in order to get the link for the remote networking.

For more information visit the IGDA Game Accessibility SIG webpage or the conference registration page.

Espoo GameLAB is inviting you to join their kick-off event on the 11th of January!

/ Espoo GameLAB/

Espoo GameLAB is welcoming everyone to join their upcoming kick-off event on the 11th of January in A Grid, Otaniemi!

We are thrilled to invite you to the kick-off event of the capital region's game hub for small and medium-sized enterprises. To start the year off in a truly epic way, we will be launching the open call for the first Espoo GameLAB period at the event!

What’s this Espoo GameLAB, you ask?
We would like to think that our game lab is a creative playground and launchpad for anyone into games and creative business that will also offer pre-incubator and accelerator services. Whether you're a game wizard, a visionary artist, or just curious about the gaming scene, Espoo GameLAB is the place for you!

 And what about the game hub?
The goal of our game hub is to create new game businesses in the capital region of Finland. Think of it as a vibrant community space buzzing with game enthusiasts and creative minds. It's not just a hub for gamers; it's a hub for collaboration, ideas, and turning gaming dreams into reality.

When and where all this is happening?
We've found the perfect spot to bring our gaming dreams to life, and we can't wait to share it with you. Join us on Thursday, January 11th, 16.00 - 18.00 at the Mordor auditorium, in A Grid (Otakaari 5, Espoo) to hear more!

AGENDA:
- Welcome words by Harri Paananen, Director, Economic Development and Employment,
- City of EspooThe game hub initiative in a nutshell, Daniela Metsäranta, Senior Advisor, Game Industy, City of Espoo
- Espoo GameLAB in all its glory, Jonne Taivassalo, Senior Advisor, Game Industy, City of Espoo
- Q&A 
- Refreshments and snacks

Questions, doubts or just want to say hello?  
Please contact Daniela: daniela.metsaranta@espoo.fi

We look forward to celebrating this exciting moment with you!

Click here to register your participation by January 9th:
https://link.webropol.com/s/gamelabkickoff2023

 

Give Your Career an Edge With Games Job Fair Autumn 2023

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf0TRbZG0p8

Ready for new growth and career opportunities from Games Job Fair Autumn 2023?

Join studios such as Redhill Games, Gaijin, FunPlus, GIANTS Software, and many more for 3 days of networking and fresh new fun, career-boosting activities ONLINE & ONSITE on October 25-27. The onsite part of the Hybrid Day takes place once again in Espoo, Helsinki area on October 27th. 

Event Highlights

🎮 Expert talks, panels, workshops
🙋 Dedicated recruitment day
💬 Networking with games studios
💻 Unreal, Unity, and Art Challenges
📔 Creative and Animation Portfolio Reviews
🗺️ Hybrid Day 3 in Espoo + Afterparty at HypeHype HQ

Be sure to keep an eye on the event’s Career Wall as well.

Programming and Art Challenges

The Unreal and Unity Programming Challenges are back, and there are new, fun prompts to work on. Show us your coding skills and win prizes!

Redhill Games are hosting a VFX Art Challenge where you get to create a complete projectile effect that fits either of the two provided character’s visual theme.

If you want to take a swing at something different, Sloyd brings us the Sloyd in-a-Ball Render Challenge. Create your own snow globe using the Sloyd tool, and showcase your rendering, material design, and environment art skills!

Animation and Creative Portfolio Reviews

The event’s familiar Creative Portfolio Review is being held as usual, but now you get the brand new Animation Portfolio Review! Adam Turnbull, Principal Animator at NetEase Games, will be reviewing animation portfolios and works!

New Workshops

Arja Martikainen of GamesJobs.FI and Barona, is hosting a super fun onsite workshop on the event’s hybrid day, October 27th. During “Play & Learn the Basics Through a 1-Hour Roleplay - The Do's and Don'ts of Interviewing With a Games Studio,” participants get to dust off their acting skills and step in the shoes of those involved in interviews with games studios.

Redhill Games are hosting one for the audio folks this time. Rob Carr, Mission Scripter & Senior Audio Designer, will head “The Art of Sound Design;” an hour long, detailed overview on how sounds are made for video games and movies.

Make sure to click on the links and register for the workshops above!

The Legal Employment Clinic by Maria Jauhiainen, expert lawyer with Game Makers of Finland, returns, so be sure to check out their booth onsite.

More HypeHype’s Afterparty Goodness + Surprise Activity

HypeHype is welcoming attendees of Games Job Fair back for the October event. Enjoy drinks and snacks in the good company of peers, and get that competitive spirit going for a special fun activity the studio has planned for the hybrid day.

How to Join

Just fill out this registration form and remember to pay for your ticket when you are taken to Eventbrite. All applications are screened, and all approved talents receive further instructions by email. Don’t forget to join the Games Factory Talents Discord server and get to know the community.

Use the code "IGDA" if you're a member to get a 15% discount! Only 100 tickets available, so act fast!

For more on the event, check out GamesJobFair.com.