IGDA Helsinki Presents:
September Meetup
10.9.2024
IGDA Helsinki presents: The September Meetup on Sep 10th!
Note: There is a mandatory cloakroom and security fee of 2,5€ for the event this time!
This Meetup our program will be split in two. Doors will open already at 16:30 and the seminar starts at 17:15! Our seminar will be focused on the main implications of EU sustainability legislation on the games industry. Jani Kahrama, the Founder of Secret Exit & Founder of Pelimetsä, and Tommi Lappalainen, the Senior Sustainability Manager at Rovio, will be on stage chatting about the topic. At the end, there will be an opportunity for Q&A! We encourage everyone to attend regardless of your current knowledge on the subject~ A bit further below, you can find a short intro to the topic and more info on our speakers. ⬇️
After the seminar and a short break, we’ll start our more regular program. ✨ As a highlight, the talented participants of the first round of the Espoo Game LAB game dev program will be on stage sharing about their experiences. They’ll also be showing off their games at the Demo Corner! Come check it out~
A packed evening, be sure not to miss it! See you at Maxine on Tuesday September 10th 16:30 onwards 🤩
Demo Corner for September Meetup is already full! Come check out all the cool games 🕹️
Chat Corner will be open as usual. 💬
What is this EU sustainability legislation? Need a short intro to the topic? We got you! Dr. Benjamin Abraham, Research and Standard Lead of Sustainable Games Alliance, wrote us a short summary to give you some background:
“The previous EU parliament made the green transition a central focus of its policy effort, resulting in a suite of new regulations that will oblige EU businesses to avoid greenwashing, undertake comprehensive sustainability disclosures, align with Paris Agreement climate targets, and, for the largest companies, to engage their entire value chain to ensure human rights and environmental protections are upheld. Some of these initiatives are already in force, and more are set to be phased in over the next 5 years.
Several new implications for the games industry arise from these various legislative acts as they come into effect. The first is the requirement to ensure that all green claims be verified in advance by an accredited third party, ending the current situation where claims of “carbon neutrality”, “green” initiatives, and other ambiguous terms leave consumers with little confidence about products and services. Deriving commercial benefits from unsubstantiated green claims is to be considered “unfair” commercial practice across the EU, applying to all businesses and products. Another next major implication will be that between now and 2028 large, and eventually even SMEs that are publicly traded in the EU will be required to disclose according to the requirements of the European Sustainaiblity Reporting Standard (ESRS). The ESRS is perhaps the most detailed and complicated sustainability regime in the world, with an enormous list of 600+ mandatory sustainability data points requiring considered responses, and even SME’s are likely to receive new requests for data from larger business partners (publishers, platform holders, etc) which may require new sustainability data collection and measurement efforts. Finally, many game developers may begin to be required by their business partners to ensure the protection of human rights and environmental concerns in new ways, if they are within the value chain of larger companies covered by the Corporate Sustainaiblity Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) which will apply to even international business with a substantial interest in the EU. The next several years in European business are set to be challenging, potentially disruptive to the unprepared, but ultimately transformative in a positive way. EU businesses and consumers will both become more aligned with the green transition and prepared for a changing world.”
Seminar speakers
Jani Kahrama is an SGA board member, the facilitator of the Pelimetsä-initiative, and an indie game developer as the Founder and CEO of Secret Exit. Quite opinionated, often irritable, rarely amusing.
Tommi Lappalainen is a Senior Sustainability Manager at Rovio and is leading Rovio's work on Climate and Environment alongside other sustainability related tasks. Tommi has years of versatile sustainability experience with duties ranging from sustainability of consumer products licensing to raising awareness on green gaming.
Espoo Game LAB is a creative playground and launchpad for anyone into games and creative business that will also offer pre-incubator and accelerator services. The aim of the project is to increase the number, quality, cooperation and employment readiness of small and medium-sized Finnish gaming companies.
In the Espoo Game LAB programme, a number of selected participants can develop their games as well as themselves in a professional environment. The first Espoo Game LAB round began in March 2024.
WHAT:
IGDA Helsinki September Meetup
WHEN:
Tuesday 10.09.
Doors open at 16:30
Seminar starts at 17:15
Regular program at 18:15
WHERE:
Maxine, Kamppi shopping center, 6th floor (Elevators can be found on the E-floor, between Jungle Juice Bar and Rax).
Maxine is wheelchair accessible! There's a few steps at the entrance, for that please ask security at the cloakroom for a ramp. Accessible toilet can be found at the back of the space.
TL;DR:
- September Meetup!
- Tuesday 10.09.
- Doors open earlier! At 16:30, seminar starts at 17:15
- Demo and Chat Corner are Open!
- Mandatory cloakroom and security fee of 2,5€
Reminder that IGDA Meetups use the THE FINNISH GAME INDUSTRY Code of Conduct!
