Games for Health Finland and IGDA Finland Turku Hub Gathering in Sparkup Turku 10.12.2015

On Thursday 10 December researchers and professionals from the gaming industry and health care sector gathered in the ICT-building in Turku. The seminar was organized by Turku Science Park and keynotes were held on topics like the serious game market in China, exercise games for the elderly and emerging trends in health games.

The seminar guests could also try health games themselves in an exhibition outside of the seminar room. There were virtual reality exercise bikes, health care robots and different physical games to play.

Making healthcare fun

Some reflections on the seminar: a lot of people seem unhappy with the concept of “serious games” and other suggestions popped up during the day, like ”applied games”. The word “serious” makes you think if something that is not primarily fun, and the point of gamifying health care is to make it more fun. Health games have a track record of not being very “good games”, so this is an area that needs development. If gamification is to actually work, the games have to be good and as engaging and addictive as mainstream games.

The atmosphere was optimistic. We are still only in the beginning of developing health games as a business, even though the idea of health games is not new anymore. But there is much potential for growth, and Finland is in a leading position. The problem right now is the lack of actual finished and good products. Health care researchers brought up the various challenges in creating health games: are they supposed to be actual medical devices with all the extensive and time-consuming testing and research that is needed for certification? Validation and testing processes in health care are very slow.

As an answer to this there is a research project in Turku University where commercial games are being tested on people with brain injuries. Could already existing and engaging games help in rehabilitating these people? As part of this project, player preferences are also being researched. If health games are to be effective at all, we also need to understand what kind of games different kinds of people like to play. A good finishing point for the seminar was the statement that creating good and effective health games, requires focusing on: 1. Entertainment, 2. Mechanics, 3. Player preferences, 4. Business model.

IGDA gathering and after party

In the evening IGDA took over and hosted an after party for everyone. The gathering was held in the newly opened Sparkup facilities, where Boost Turku, Creve and Turku Science Park are giving the local start up scene a cool new home.

There were presentations by NordicEdu, Morrow games, Ikoniac, Boost, Turku Game Lab and Quadro Delta.

Tatu Laine’s post mortem of NordicEdu’s math game Tile Tales was very insightful. Tile Tale is math, puzzle game with beautiful graphics and music that was aimed at a core audience of casual, social gamers and puzzle lovers. Developing it took two years, and it was first launched as F2P on the Windows phone. And this autumn it was launched on Appstore as a premium game, and it was featured in several countries, still it did not make it to become a big hit, even though reviews were largely positive. Tatu’s message to us all was that they had to eat a lot of humble pie, but “it’s a good pie”.

The other talks were a bit shorter, but no less sweeter. Liisa from Morrow games presented their horror game Crowmire. Jaakko from the new game company Ikoniac presented their work on a sci fi, puzzle game with deep storytelling for mobile (and they are hiring!). Konsta from Boost told us some more about the coming Startup Journey 2016. Natasha from Turku Game Lab gave us some exciting news about new developments for next year (Turku Game Lab is entering the entertainment industry). And finally Vitali from Quadro Delta blew our minds with a new, almost finished game trailer.

After the presentations the evening continued with drinks, snacks, networking and some gaming on Sparkup’s huge TV screen.

IGDA Finland Turku Hub wishes you a Merry X-mas and Happy New Year. Hope Santa brings you something nice!

White Nights Helsinki 2016

On February 11-12, 2016 the White Nights Conference will be held in Helsinki for the very first time. White Nights Helsinki 2016 is a unique business platform for mobile and social games industry that will join gaming worlds of East and West. For the 9th time in a row the conference will gather leading companies from all over the world.

Besides, Helsinki is called one of the European IT capitals and you can kill two birds with one stone: attend the conference and visit offices of the greatest gaming companies.

Purchase a ticket at a the lowest price possible now as early bird rates are ending soon! Note that by using the promo code "IGDA-Finland" you get 20% off on all tickets.

Experts from leading companies will share their knowledge and secrets to success! Supercell, Rovio, Wooga, Playraven, Wargaming, Google, Amazon, Facebook, VK.com, Creative Mobile, Skolkovo and many more will be attending! Preliminary program will be available on the official conference website at the end of the year.

Developer Exhibition

Talented indie teams will get a chance to present their best project in order to find partners, investors, a publisher or to receive support from platforms.

Every team will get a super awesome mini-booth with their company name on it, as well as one free Premium ticket. To participate please apply here: (http://goo.gl/forms/QxQ15HK9hS)  Please note: the number of developer booths is limited!

Indie Game Cup

Indie Game Cup, a prestigious contest for game developers, will once again be held as a part of the White Nights. Games for various platforms are accepted to enter the competition. If your game is in alpha or higher and you wish to participate, please apply here: (http://goo.gl/forms/CdPfnjKyji)

A panel of judges will select one winner for each category: The Best Art, The Best Game Design, The Best Story-Telling and The Grand Prix.

Applications will be accepted until January 15, 2016. Participation is free of charge. Please note: you have to have a valid conference ticket to be able to participate in the contest.

White Nights Game Industry Awards 2015

The White Nights Game Industry Awards will be held as a part of the conference for the third time. Companies that achieved the most in the year 2015 will receive awards in 5 categories. The nominees will be announced next week. Don’t forget to cast your vote on the White Nights website. The fate of the nominees is up to you!  

See you in Helsinki!

Gamedu 2016 connects devs and educators in January

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January has an interesting opportunity for everyone interested in games and education: Gamedu 2016 is a seminar focused on gamification and interactive cooperation between game-related businesses and schools. The two-day event is organized by Kouvola Region Vocational College, KSAO. The goal is to enhance game industry education by connecting educators and industry talent, and reinforcing the dialogue between different operators.

IGDA members will get 10% off of the seminar price. To claim your price reduction state your membership status in the billing information section of the registration form.

Note that the main language of the seminar is Finnish.

Programme

Thursday 9:30 – 16:00

9:30

Coffee & registration

10:00

Opening words – principal Timo Olli (KSAO)

10:20

Building successful game education – game industry veteran and pedagog Juha Huhtakallio (Metropolia)

Break

11:20

Case KSAO/Keuda: BioSampo game – lecturer Jukka Harju (KSAO)

11:40

Business-Akatemia – team leader Tiia Lappalainen (KSAO)

12:00

Lunch

13:00

Game development education in Leeds and in the UK – Abu Berat (Leeds City College)

13:40

Coffee break

14:15

Peliteollisuuden tulevaisuuden osaamistarpeet – education councillor Ulla Taipale-Lehto (Opetushallitus)

14:45

Workshops

16:00

Wrapping up the first day

18:00

Evening programme starts

Friday 9:00 – 14:00

9:00

Helping start-ups – teacher Patricia Toledo (Oulu Game Lab/OAMK)

9:40

Pelialan koulutus yritysten näkökulmasta – CEO Jussi Tähtinen (Nitro Games Ltd)

10:20

Coffee break

10:40

Oppimisen pelillistämisen tarpeet – game pedagog Mauri Laakso (Meillä on leikki kesken)

11:20

Pelit opetuksessa – learning developer Mikael Uusi-Mäkelä (TeacherGaming)

12:00

Wrapping up and closing the seminar

Lunch

There will also be an open forum and pitching workshop, for entrepreneurs and talent to meet.

Event details

Date: 14.-15.1.2016
Venue: KSAO Liiketalous / auditorium, Salpausselänkatu 57, 45100 Kouvola
Price: 45 € (incl. 24% VAT), includes seminar and catering for both days

RSVP by 31.12.2015 at https://bit.ly/gamedu2016

More info: Susanna Rintala, KSAO Aikuisopisto, 020 61 56290, susanna.rintala@ksao.fi

Seminar attendees have a room quota reserved at two local hotels, Cumulus Kouvola and Sokos Hotel Vaakuna. Mention “GAMEDU” while making your reservations.

Vaakuna:

• room for one 99 €, room for two 119 €
• reservations: 020 1234 651, reception.kouvola@sokoshotels.fi

Cumulus:

• room for one 80 €, room for two 95 €
• reservations: 05 789 911, kouvola.cumulus@restel.fi

IGDA Finland Seminars + December Gathering with InMobi: The Aftermath

This year was wrapped up in our December gathering last week. Not only did we have traditional Christmas caps for everyone, provided by our sponsor InMobi, but a seminar to kick off the evening and a demo corner featuring local devs as well. What a night! The first presentation was by Jami Laes, CEO and co-founder of Futureplay Games. Instead of the traditional free-to-play monetization model with IAP, his company has opted for a different approach: view-to-play. Laes showed us why video ads are a more profitable option – with few companies using this opportunity right now.

Continuing the theme, Mitchell Smallman from Next Games gave us some insight as to why ads have monetized remarkably well with Compass Point West. He listed some key points they had learned from other successful games on the market as well as the things they had done differently.

Seminar slides available for download here:

• Jami Laes / Futureplay Games
• Mitchell Smallman / Next Games
• Sohan Maheshwar / InMobi

After the seminar it was time to gear up for the party. The revival of demo corner was a huge success, with eleven teams and developers showing off their games to peers.

Thank you for another great gathering – happy holidays and see you in January!

Photos by Daniel Schildt.

IGDA Finland Turku Hub November Gathering with LudiCreations

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This November the Turku Hub went analog with Iraklis from LudiCreations, who gave the developers of digital games a glimpse to a slightly different world: that of board game development and publishing. When Finnish people think of board games, the first one that probably pops to the mind is Afrikan Tähti, whereas in the English-speaking world the stereotypical board game might be Monopoly.

Board gaming has come a long way in the last couple of decades. “You might be surprised to hear this, but Monopoly is a horrible game”, told Iraklis. “Four people start the game, but after a while two of them drop out and just sit and watch the two chase each other around the board.” The renaissance of board games started in 1995 with the publication of Settlers of Catan. According to Iraklis modern board games aim to give players agency, interesting choices and interesting experiences around the table, not just luck-based die rolling like in Chutes and Ladders – an old game from India that was originally designed to teach the players about the inevitability of fate. Instead of competing with each other, in many modern games the players co-operate, either by trying to overcome a common obstacle, or building something together.

According to Iraklis the latest big thing in board games is a so-called Legacy phenomenon, where the actual game will change permanently according to how it is played. This can mean that the players are supposed to tear apart a card when the rules tell them so, write on the game board or add stickers there, or change the rules of the game in some way. The end result is a game board and state which can be unique from other groups. The problem with Legacy games is to find a stable group to play them with.

Some things in designing and publishing board games sound familiar to people working in the digital games, such as the role of licenced games and the problems around them. There is a history with licensed board games that are badly slapped together. License holders can be very protective of their IP, and they are more concerned with the look and feel of the game instead of the mechanics. As a result there is a certain amount of preconception with licensed board games being bad, which is familiar from video games.

Ideally creating and publishing a board game is not a solitary job, but like video games it requires a talented team – a publisher, a game designer, an illustrator and a graphic designer, rule designers, proof readers, production manager and a team of playtesters. A board game should go through at least a hundred blind playtests, which means a test where the publisher or designer is not present.

Unlike in video games, where the unfortunate norm is to publish a buggy game and patch it post release, board games should be thoroughly tested. Are half-baked games published in the board games business? “More than I’d like to admit”, was Iraklis’ reply. The games are becoming more visual and the players pay more attention to art than the mechanics. A certain amount of “we’ll fix it in the expansion” attitude is creeping in.

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Although board gaming is living a new heyday, Iraklis still describes it as a minuscule business compared to digital games, and Finland as a minor business area. Most of the big business comes from Germany and United States, which also applies to the designers. Iraklis describes the designer and publisher community as a small and tightly knit one, where everybody knows each other, what they have published and done. There is perhaps ten people in the world who make their living off designing board games. As a company LudiCreations has published ten games, three of which have had a Finnish designer. The minimum print of a game is 1000 copies, and one that sells more than 5000 is a hit. This doesn’t mean that board games are just a curiosity, since for example in Germany there are board game reviews in newspapers next to movie reviews, and according to Iraklis there are weekly events where 100-200 people gather to play.

How about tips for an aspiring board game designer? “Look, if you really love board gaming, my advice is not to do this, seriously”, said Iraklis with a smile. “Every year I’ve been publishing is I’ve been playing less and less. One reason I’m not developing is that I’d have to play the same game again an again, and it gets very boring. Why to do it? When everything else is gone, 300 years in the future everyone is still enjoying your game. It’s a creative pursuit with so many facets - how the game is created, distributed, and so forth. I love board games and bringing them to people. I’m surrounded by very, very talented people who help me bring the games to the people and see them enjoy them. It’s definitely not the money, but then again board games are a low risk, low reward pursuit.”

What other learnings are there to take home from board games to the digital side of the fence? “There’s the saying that if you can design a good board game, you can design a good digital game, and that’s absolutely true. The effort that goes into balancing and designing a single board game is incomparable to designing an average digital game.”

After Iraklis’ excellent presentation the 30-odd people enjoying the evening at Hunter’s Inn had the chance to try out a selection of new and old board games.