IGDA Finland in Steam

If you haven't heard of Steam Greenlight before, it's about time. Steam Greenlight is a new publishing platform inside Steam, where users can influence which games are to be sold in Steam's Store. Greenlight is a great opportunity for Finnish game developers to get peer support and, quite simply, to get the word around. And on the internet the word does get around.

Naturally IGDA Finland doesn't want to stand in the way of progress. IGDA Finland has a Greenlight Collection in Steam, where we want to showcase your games. The collection is an easy way to browse, rate and discuss upcoming games. If you want your game in the IGDA Steam Collection, contact us and ask us to add your game. If you already have a Steam account, send a message to the user IGDA_Finland. If you aren't in Steam yet, you can send email to jukka.huiskonen@igda.fi.

We also have our own Steam Group, and we welcome you all to join us there! The point of all this is to help gamers and developers throughout Finland to find an inspire each other. What Finland lacks in size, it makes up for in enthusiasm.

See you in Steam!

Finnish gaming cluster is on the threshold of hyper-growth

Habbo Hotel, Max Payne, and Angry Birds are examples of the international success stories created by Finnish gaming companies. The community award received by Finnish gaming cluster was presented to three organizations that are active in the field: Finnish Game Developers' Association ry., which represents gaming companies, IGDA, which brings together game developers in Finland, and Neogames, which represents business, training and research in the games industry.

"The task of organizations is to serve as a spokesperson for the industry and promote company activities by creating structures for matters like training and financing. Game companies are always aware that they have to be international. They participate in tough international competition right from the start, so the operating field for organizations is also international," explains KooPee Hiltunen, Director of Neogames Centre of Game Business, Research and Development.

In economic terms, the rapidly growing game industry is Finland's most important cultural export, and it produces top international products and success stories. More than 90% of the market for Finnish game companies is in the United States and Western Europe. Companies that develop games and provide game services are at the heart of the industry. The game industry employs approximately 1,300 people in Finland. The combined turnover of the 70 companies operating in the industry was more than EUR 165 million in 2011, and the industry is the largest of its kind in the Nordic countries.

This post is a partial copy of this press release

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 November Gathering with Supercell!

Finnish game industry is super hot and Supercell is even hotter! If you want to know what's cooking at the Supercell HQ, join the presentation and pub night at Cuba on November the 8th. The event starts at 6PM with a presentation by Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen at MJK auditorium. Ilkka will share some insights what Supercell is about to do next. There is room for the first 73 - better hurry hurry! And for the rest of the crowd: see you at the Cuba bar. Pub night starts at 7PM with special program. First of all, we'll have mega-sized Supercell logo that definitely should be amongst 7 wonders of the world! The first-ever public viewing of one of the Supercell's upcoming games will also happen at Cuba because Supercell <3 IGDA Finland! The news pair well with Super-drinks offered by the company. Sweet!

Mark the date and join us for what will for sure be an amazing time!

IGDA Finland Presentations venue is sponsored by Sulake.

Presentation Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 6PM Place: MJK auditorium, Iso Roobertinkatu 20-22 Register: http://igdasupercell.eventbrite.com/

IGDA Finland November Gathering Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 7PM Cuba Bar, Erottaja 4, Helsinki Finland

Jobs.Igda.fi and Mentor Network for women in games!

I would like to remind you that IGDA Finland provides job board jobs.igda.fi for all game industry related positions. Now Finnish game companies are starting the Mentor Network for women. IGDA Finland proudly supports this initiative. If you would like to work in Finnish game industry, mark November the 1st 6PM to your calendars. Register through Facebook or by sending an email to sonja . kangas igda fi. Mentor Network will organize a kick off cocktail event in Helsinki. ANY woman interested in working in game industry from students to freelancers and professionals of various fields is warmly welcome to the cocktail event to hear more. We want to find the brightest talents and help Finnish game industry to grow and flourish! Mentor network for women interested in game industry positions

Mentor network is organizer by a few Finnish game studios not IGDA - IGDA membership is not needed.

Our objective is clear: we want to attract more women to games business, as employees, co-founders and founders. Game industry is not what it used to be. There has been positions for management, design, art, sound and programming talents in games. Additionally we need game economy experts, cultural specialists, marketing & communication experts and sales skills to make Finnish game industry to grow and bloom. New ideas and perspectives are more than welcome, too!

The range of game categories and genres cover the whole spectrum of human life. Play takes place on smart phones on the move, as snack sized Facebook entertainment during the workday, as social pastime and hobby. Gamification puts game mechanics outside traditional games and only the sky is the limit.

The industry needs more diverse know-how. We want to help you to understand how exciting this industry is with a lot of global growth potential. We want to hire you!

Sonja Kangas, SPM Digital Chocolate (sonja (.) kangas (@) igda (.) fi; 0400759817 Other mentors: Elina Arponen, CEO Tribe Studios Heini Kaihu, SVP Habbo Product Sulake Arja Martikainen, HR Director Digital Chocolate Mari Mäntylä, Lead Designer Digital Chocolate Tiina Zilliacus, CEO Gajatri Studios

*********** Pelialan mentorointiohjelma naisille

Huom! Mentoriohjelma on suomalaisten pelialan yritysten yhteistyön tulos. IGDA ei ole järjestävänä tahona eikä IGDA-jäsenyyttä vaadita osallistumiseen.

Tavoitteemme on selvä: haluamme innostaa enemmän naisia työskentelemään pelialalla ja perustamaan pelialan yrityksiä. Peliteollisuus ei enää ole sama, mitä se oli kymmenen vuotta sitten. Pelialalla on ollut haastavia positioita hallinnan, suunnittelun, grafiikan, ohjelmoinnin ja äänisuunnittelun eksperteille. Lisäksi pelialalle tarvitaan enenevässä määrin peliekonomian ymmärtäjiä, kulttuurintuntijoita, markkinointi ja viestintäammattilaisia ja myyntitykkejä, jotta suomalainen peliteollisuus kasvaa ja kukoistaa entisestään. Uudet ideat ja näkökulmat ovat myös enemmän kuin toivottuja!

Pelikategorioiden ja lajityyppien määrä kattaa koko ihmisen elämänskaalan. Erilaisia pelejä pelataan mobiililaitteilla matkalla, haukkapalarentoutumisena Facebookissa työpäivän keskellä, sosiaalisena ajanvietteenä ja harrastuksena. Gamification eli pelillistäminen on yksi tapa laajentaa pelimekaniikkojen hyödyntämistä pelien ulkopuolelle, jolloin vain taivas on rajana.

Suomen peliteollisuus tarvitsee lisää monipuolista tietotaitoa. Mentoriryhmänä me haluamme auttaa sinua ymmärtämään kuinka mielenkiintoinen ja haastava toimiala pelit on ja miten paljon tällä globaalilla toimialalla on kasvupotentiaalia. Haluamme palkata sinut!

Sonja Kangas, SPM Digital Chocolate Muut mentorit: Elina Arponen, CEO Tribe Studios Heini Kaihu, SVP Habbo Product Sulake Arja Martikainen, HR Director Digital Chocolate Mari Mäntylä, Lead Designer Digital Chocolate Tiina Zilliacus, CEO Gajatri Studios