IGDA Foundation Scholarships for GDC are Open

The IGDA Foundation is accepting applications for its IGDA Scholar, Velocity, and Next Gen Leader programs at GDC 2020 through November 29, 2019.

The IGDA Foundation focuses on improving the lives of game developers by making game development a more diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity of all kinds in game development leads to better and more successful products and companies, and happier and more successful game developers.

One of the best ways we work to achieve that is through our scholarship programs where we select participants both for their excellence as individuals and for the promotion of a more inclusive industry.

Each GDC 2020 program includes a Conference + Summits GDC pass (thanks to the generosity of UBM Tech Media), as well as a travel stipend and a variety of program specific experiences.

For more information about these programs visit the IGDA Foundation.

Save 15% on Tickets to DevGamm Minsk

DevGAMM Minsk will take place from November 21-22 and features 80 sessions from top speakers, 100 games and 2000 industry professionals.

The speakers' line-up includes Jay Britton, who voiced Frostpunk, Elite Dangerous, Divinity: Original Sin 2; Adrian Vershinin, the scriptwriter of Battlefield, Star Wars: Battlefront, Crysis 3; Cvetan Rusimov, the creator of Imperia Online, among others!

Also, expect the sessions from the representatives of Google, 1C Entertainment, Voodoo, Playgendary, tinyBuild, Wargaming, Sperasoft, Unity, Gameloft, Plarium, MRGV, and other companies.

Tickets are on sale now: https://devgamm.com/minsk2019/buy-tickets/

IGDA Finland members get 15% off the ticket price using promo code IGDA_Finland15 when ordering.

Belarus has a 30-day visa free travel program for citizens of many countries, but only when arriving by plane to Minsk National Airport (MSQ). Participants will need to provide proof of health insurance at passport control. For more information visit: https://www.belarus.by/en/travel/travel-visas/visa-free-travel-program-belarus

IGDA Finland & Press Start!

Press Start is the official kickoff to the Slush Week for game developers on Nov 19th - 1,000 developers, studio founders and investors gather at the Helsinki Cable Factory to compare notes and celebrate games. No service providers, no middleware - just games. The event is free with or without a Slush Pass and attendance is by application only.

Joining us on stage and in mentoring sessions are names like Supercell Game Designer Camilla Avellar, Small Giant Games Co-founder & CTO Markus Halttunen, former Epic Games UX Director Celia Hodent, Jam City VP of Consumer Insights Lisa Spano, and Riot Games Senior Producer Maxwell Zierath.

The Slush Matchmaking Tool is in use for scheduling meetings and investor matchmaking. Studios will also have a chance to apply for our hour-long demo showcase with their unreleased projects. The evening itself concludes with an afterparty!

Apply at slush.org/press-start

Last Call for Pocket Gamer Connects

Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki, Finland’s biggest B2B event for the games industry, returns to the mobile gaming motherland for its sixth iteration NEXT WEEK on October 1st and 2nd.

Over the course of the two days, more than 1,500 industry professionals from all around the world will gather at our new and larger venue, The Cable Factory to hear from 200 of the world’s leading authorities from the games industry from companies such as Rovio, Remedy Entertainment, Small Giant Games, Epic Games, Zeptolab, Square Enix Montreal and many more. The full schedule for Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2019 is now live!

A-Z List of Companies Attending

You can expect to meet the biggest developers, investors, publishers and global megabrands all the way to lone developers, students and press representing 650 companies. You can see the list of confirmed attendees here. This list has been updated as of Thursday, September 26th. Make sure you check out all the new companies attending!

Fringe Events

There will also be fringe events in and around the conference enabling you to network with the entire games industry.

● Free online meeting scheduler

● Big Indie Zone

● The Very Big Indie Pitch

● PC Indie Pitch

● Publisher SpeedMatch

● Investor Connector

● Pechakucha

● Global Connects Party

Every one of these amazing fringe events are free to all attendees.

IGDA Discount

IGDA members are entitled to 20% off any ticket, using code IGDAPARTNER20 or by signing up using this direct link.

For more information visit: https://www.pgconnects.com/helsinki/

Helsinki Hub: September Gathering with Aalto ENT and Game Makers of Finland

By Giorgos Riskas

The September IGDA gathering at the Helsinki Hub was sponsored by the Aalto University Developing Entrepreneurship (Aalto ENT), a service that helps companies grow into successful business and Game Makers of Finland, the first union in the world for game industry workers.

Aalto ENT offers a collection of services that aim to offer agile and practical solutions to startup companies at the beginning of their journey as much as in later stages. Interested entrepreneurs are able to join many different educational programs and Online Courses while becoming at the same time part of the entrepreneurship ecosystem of Aalto University.

The main goal of Game Makers of Finland is to ensure that workers and students alike get the required tools and training to prepare them to face the challenges of working in the games industry today.

Apprien and Pocket Gamer joined the event as partners offering 200 goodie bags and a 20% discount for the participants of Pocket Gamer Helsinki respectively.

Left to right: Panelists Arja Martikainen, Taina Myöhänen, Natasha Skult, Veli-Pekka Piirainen, with moderators Milla Pennanen and Sami Vuolanne. Photo by Jesse Eloranta.

Milla Pennanen and Sami Vuolanne, Coordinator and Vice President of Game Makers of Finland respectively, organized an in-depth panel discussion about Education and Training in the Finnish game industry and tried to answer all the questions that were planned for the seminar, as well as the questions asked by the audience. During this process, the audience was able to participate by answering survey questions via an online platform.

The topics of education, benefits of training and diversity were discussed by a diverse panel of professionals- that included Arja Martikainen, Business Owner at Northstar, Natasha Skult, CEO at MiTale, Veli-Pekka Piirainen, founder and Chairman of the Board at Critical Force and Taina Myöhänen, President of Women in Games Finland.

The conversation started with a question about the importance of industry-related education. The speakers acknowledged how good education can always be helpful but they did not stay on that. They shared some cases where professionals coming from different backgrounds found their way in the industry and had successful careers as proof that one’s passion for what they like can cover for the lack of education and lead them forward.

Spiritual father of the Kajaani game development scene, Veli-Pekka Piirainen of Critical Force, chatting with the audience following the panel discussion. Photo by Casimir Kuusela.

When asked if the education in the industry has changed, the speakers unanimously agreed that the field looks very different if compared to 15 or even 10 years ago. There used to be considerably fewer options while most of the games specific studies were not even existent. Of course, having more education options available eventually creates more competition and thus game industry workers should be more flexible and adaptable.

Different learning methods require different disciplines but what they all have in common is that they work more efficiently if the learner is genuinely interested in the subject. Studying theory helps to avoid the mistakes that others did before and learning by doing is a very common hands-on approach that is followed often in the industry, but at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference on which method is the best.

When asked if there is a shortage of experts in the industry, the speakers agreed that it is indeed an issue, especially further away from Helsinki that seems to have most of the jobs and attracts most of the talent. It is the industry’s responsibility to bring in new blood and keep a diverse and healthy mix of different talents, ideas, and backgrounds among the employees.

The foreigners that come to Finland to fill some of the mentioned positions, usually find their working life calm and not very stressful, but many of them have reportedly suffered from loneliness in their personal lives. To deal with the issue a program has been created to welcome foreigners to Finland and make them part of the community that has its door open to everyone.

The conversation concluded on a positive note, talking about the benefits of education in Finland. The speakers and audience agreed that educational institutions offer good support to their students regarding the study material they offer, the opportunity to study for free, the team projects they get to work on, the competitions and game jams they get to participate and the opportunities to start networking in the industry.

Expert advice from mentors and coaches in the Networking Demo Corner. Photo by Casimir Kuusela.

After the seminar ended, the attendees had the chance to get some free advice from experienced mentors and coaches at the Networking Demo Corner about how to improve their networking skills and portfolio.