IGDA Finland May Gathering with PlayHaven

Hi there!

We hope that you all have recovered from last Tuesday’s IGDA Gathering, the amount of awesomeness was once again very much to our liking.

When the party had properly started the stage was occupied by Ville Heijari from PlayHaven. Drink in one hand and a friend in the another we listened through a brief introduction to PlayHaven’s business. Heijari gave us some insight into in-game marketing and to the basics of knowing your diverse audience and how to reach them.

Our Hi-Tech Gathering Monitoring System informed us that 182 thirsty visitors had found their way to Adams. Thank you for coming! We had tons of fun, hopefully so did you.

See you in June!

IGDA Finland Turku Hub Gathering with Remedy Entertainment

In 18. of April, good times were had for game developers in the Turku region in the first ever IGDA Finland Turku Hub Gathering!

From Remedy Entertainment, Aki Järvilehto & Jukka-Pekka Parkkonen were our guests of honor, giving us a presentation about the Remedy approach to gamedev to a crowd of over 115 visitors. As always, the night continued on till late with drinks and socializing, also in the private sauna. That’s right, our gatherings are held at Bar Bryssel’s Arcadia Lounge with its own sauna for our dear visitors relaxing after a day’s work at the pixel mines.

Of course this wasn’t the first time the game developers around Turku region have gathered to share their experiences and connect in a night like this. The local game development club LOAD has arranged its own gatherings in the past 2 years for 13 times with guests like Redlynx, Sulake, Nitro Games and Supercell.

Big thanks to all our visitors and especially Remedy for making our Hub launch event a success. You’re welcome to join our next gathering in ye olde capital of Finland in the end of May!

Tatu Laine

IGDA Finland Turku Hub coordinator

Photos: Tomi Kokkonen & Henna Tuunainen

IGDA Finland May Gathering with PlayHaven

Bioshock may be Infinite but the spring isn’t, so we better bring you another Gathering! In May we join forces with PlayHaven to deliver to you the much-sought-after drink tickets.

PlayHaven delivers a lifetime value maximization platform to help mobile game developers better acquire, understand, and intelligently engage and monetize users. For more information check out their website at www.playhaven.com.

PlayHaven recently opened a European office, headed by Ville Heijari. The May Gathering is the perfect opportunity to join PlayHaven and Ville to learn about PlayHaven and mix and mingle with the IGDA Finland community all at once!

We hope to see you all in Adams once again, so come spend the best Tuesday of May with us. See you there!

NOTE! This is K-18 event for game industry professionals. No IGDA membership needed.

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IGDA Finland May Gathering Time: 7.5.2013 at 19.00 Place: Club Adams, Erottaja 15-17, Helsinki Finland

Introducing IGDA Finland hubs!

IGDA Finland boosts game development in all of Finland!IGDA Finland ry wants to accelerate game development activity in your area.

If you’re involved in the game development scene in your region, you can apply to become an IGDA Finland Hub! If you’re having get-togethers or other kinds of professional activity for game development professionals in your region, we want to help you!

IGDA Finland promotes the development of careers and professional skills of individual game developers based in Finland, and develops further the international recognition of the Finnish game developer community. IGDA Finland Hub -membership can help you boost your local activity and networking. You’ll have our help in arranging your events and visibility through our information channels. If you’re an active coordinator in your area, please contact us!

This is an example of IGDA Finland local hub logo. Design by: Sami Marsch

Prerequisites for becoming a Hub:

• Gather 5 active IGDA members to become the Hub
• Hold 4 public IGDA Hub gatherings per year
• Update activity log on IGDA Hub pages

Benefits for becoming a Hub:

• You may present your club as IGDA Finland [area] Hub
• Promote your events on IGDA Finland FB-page and web eg. www.igda.fi/hubs/turku/
• Email address for your region eg. turku@igda.fi
• Right to use IGDA Finland hub logo

BONUS! Starter pack for the new IGDA Finland Hubs:

• 5 IGDA Finland hoodies
• IGDA Finland rollups for presentations and meetings
• IGDA Finland Posters and flyers

IGDA Finland reserves the right to revoke the Hub status if deemed necessary (eg. due to lack of activity). New individual IGDA Finland Hubs are accepted by IGDA Finland Board.

Interested? Contact us and we’ll get you started: jyri.partanen@igda.fi and tatu.laine@igda.fi

Hello Finland, IGDA Finland supports local clubs and communities across Finland. Design by: Sami Marsch

Pocket Gamer's Mobile Mixer in Helsinki 23rd April

Pocket Gamer has teamed up with Neogames and the IGDA Finland with support from Cocoa China and Papaya Mobile, to organize Pocket Gamer Mobile Mixer in Helsinki. Pocket Gamer's Mobile Mixers unite the greatest minds and freshest faces in the world of mobile games development with a heady mixture of presentations, panels, and networking - all gently lubricated with a little complimentary booze.

The Program

Doors Open (5pm)

Welcome - Chris James, MD - Pocket Gamer

Market Spotlight: China Cocoa China's US GM Lei Zhang, explains why it makes sense to look East right now!

Market Spotlight: Russia Nevosoft's Business Development Director, Julia Lebedeva points out that one of the fastest growing app markets is right on your doorstep Acquisition & Monetisation Panel: The hottest topics relating to recruiting users and making money discussed with industry luminaries. Chris Hanage, GM - Papaya Mobile Tommy Palm, Mobile Guru - King Thorbjörn Warin, CMO - Grand Cru Jon Jordan, Editor at Large - PocketGamer.Biz

Recruitment Focus Looking to advance your career? Look no further. Rovio Unity Grey Area Supercell AppCampus

Battle Panel - Big Vs Small Is it better to stay small, nimble and retain full creative control or do you need to think big to survive in the increasingly competitive market place? Chris James is your referee for a tru david vs goliath battle featuring leading industry heavyweights. Chris James, MD - Steel Media Illkka Paananen, CEO - Supercell Markus Pasula, CEO - Grand Cru Games Jami Laes, SVP Games - Rovio Johannes Vuorinen, Co-Founder - Frogmind

Sign up to the event: Eventbrite.