Next Gen Leaders at GDC 2019 Applications Open!

The Next Gen Leaders Program focuses on increasing the inclusivity of the game industry by supporting the retention of under-represented minorities who would otherwise be at risk of leaving the industry. The program is book-ended by two consecutive opportunities to attend the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, including a travel stipend, career-focused workshops, individual mentorship, extensive networking opportunities, and post-GDC discussions.

Applications are open to game developers around the world with 2-8 years of professional experience who identify as a member of an under-represented group and demonstrate a passion for game development.

Please help spread the word and apply today for a chance to join our 2019 cohort at GDC! Applications close on 30 November.

Get -10% off or even -15% off! #XmasJKL - The Game Industry Business Seminar 14th of Nov 2018

#XmasJKL - The Game Industry Business Seminar 14th of Nov 2018

#XmasJKL – The Game Industry and Business Seminar is the annual game business seminar in Jyväskylä, Central Finland. And it is already 4th time already!

Seminar speakers, networking and business in an open, relaxed event.

Learn, share, co-operate!

Organized by Expa Game Business Co-Operative
- Let’s make awesome game business!

Top lineup of spekeakers again with various topics from industry experts like Global Business, Game Development, Human Resources, Adaptive Music Design, Taking over the world with YouTube etc:

Opening words:
The opening words by Suvi Vuojolainen, Business and Marketing Manager, Business Jyväskylä, City of Jyväskylä

Lineup:
- Mika Rahko, Co-Founder, Futureplay
- Lauri Vuohensilta, Hydraulic Press Channel
- Adam Sporka, Adaptive Music Designer, Kingdom Come Deliverance
- Mirella Keto, Head of Organizational Development, Ubisoft RedLynx
- Jussi Immonen, COO, Nitro Games
- Timo Soininen, CEO, Small Giant Games

The event is K18

Check tickest and more event info at the website:
www.xmasjkl.com

Join to the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/321368438598749/

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IGDA members USE THE CODE get -10% off: IGDAGOESXMAS

Get even -15% with Group Deal sent email for more details: sales@expa.fi

Source:: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/xmasjkl-the-game-industry-seminar-2018-tickets-50903992211

Helsinki Hub: October Gathering with Next Games

Text by Giorgos Riskas and Roope Sorvo, photos by Jesse Eloranta

October is the time of the year when the evenings get darker, leaves fall and the spirit of Halloween rises with undead horrors.

The October gathering was appropriately sponsored by Next Games, celebrating the release of their recent title, The Walking Dead: Our World, an AR title where the player takes on the zombie hordes on the streets of the real world. For the past five years, Next Games has been working hard to elevate the reputation of games using licensed intellectual property (IP), and they are currently working on three new games based on popular entertainment franchises.

Sulka Haro, lead designer of The Walking Dead: Our World, opened the seminar with his presentation “In Search for Location-based Mechanics - The Walking Dead: Our World Design Retrospective.” He went through the game’s creation process from their three core design pillars (“Play everywhere, Support couch play, and Be true to The Walking Dead) to aspects of the game’s core loop and the concept of shared reality. The presentation also delved into a brief history of AR games, listing influences and lessons learned from each spiritual predecessor of Our World.

The second speaker was Matias Ärje, director of technology at Next Games. His presentation “Earth, My Game Level - How the Planet-Wide Gameplay in The Walking Dead: Our World Came to Be” explained the methodology and language of the impressive mapping technology used in Our World. The presentation went into detail about the process of mapping, use of art, troubleshooting gameplay elements, and offhandedly explained compatibility issues between Google Earth and Google Maps.

The third and final presentation of the night was “How We Gather, Use and Lose Data - On Data Architecture, Selected Results, and Data Retention” by Jörkki Hyvönen and Vesa Palonen, the self-described “Matti & Teppo of the Game Industry”. Both worked with analytics on Our World; with Hyvönen as the Head of Analytics, while Palonen described himself as a ‘happy generalist’. The duo went through how data collection works at Next Games, and how applying analytics to that data affected the creation of Our World, from visibility and prediction to modelling and automation.

In addition to the presenters, we talked with Susanna Aittokoski, the communications manager at Next Games. According to her, the company’s success in the industry and good reputation on work ethic are thanks to the company’s culture, based on values of Caring, Courage and Curiosity.

“We give our employees the amount of responsibility they ask for themselves,” Aittokoski said. “Nobody is handed more to bite than they can chew.”

These values also extend to their partners, which has allowed a tighter relationship with the licence holders. Currently Next Games is the official, exclusive developer of The Walking Dead games. The close working relationship has enabled Next Games to have their games closely integrated with the series. For example, events of the series are reflected in The Walking Dead: Our World a day after the episode airs.

“Things like that are just plain cool to do,” Aittokoski said with excitement.

Alongside the seminars IGDA Finland presented their new project IGDA Future, an upcoming series of events aimed at kids and young people, created in collaboration with the libraries of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and Digitalents. The aim is to create an equivalent of IGDA gatherings for younger audiences, with less stress on networking and more emphasis on activities.

See you in November!

Announcing IGDA Future

IGDA Future is like the Scouts of Game Development. It’s free, easy to access and aimed to give the participants tools and aid them in becoming independent, confident and skilled adults. We want to create an environment where it is safe to experiment, find friends and learn without fear of failure. It is our mission to encourage youth during times of strife and reward them for participation and volunteering.

Functioning under the same principles as IGDA, our goal is to take down the walls of obscurity surrounding the Game Industry and to offer people 18 and under an on ramp into the world of game development. Together, with the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Libraries (HelMet) and Digitalents Helsinki, we aim to produce events that will not only spread the knowledge of the games industry, but also empower the younger generation to participate and create their own games.

By choosing to organize events in open, public forums, we ensure easy access for participating. Libraries have long been in the forefront of media education in Finland, hence they provide a perfect venue for IGDA Future. Likewise, Digitalents Helsinki has a lot of know-how on working with youth.

IGDA Future is a pilot project that is the first of its kind in the world. The inaugural event will take place on October 25th at the Tikkurila Library at 17:00.

Get 15% off DevGAMM Minsk

DevGAMM returns to Minsk for Belarus’ premier game industry conference on November 15-16. Information regarding the speaker line up, submitting games to the DevGAMM Showcase, speed dating with publishers, DevGAMM Roundtables, the Girls & Games Industry Lunch for women in games, and much more is available on the conference website: https://devgamm.com/

IGDA members get a 15% discount using promo code: IGDA&DevGAMM15

Note: Belarus no longer requires visas for citizens of the EU when arriving by plane, however you need to provide proof of health insurance.