IGDA Helsinki Presents:
September Meetup
feat. Game Designers of Finland
08.09.2026
Update to what was previously communicated: There will be no mandatory security and cloakroom fee after all! Next Games, A Netflix Game Studio stepped in and enabled us to keep the event free and thus more accessible. Big Thank you to Next Games, A Netflix Game Studio! 💛
Brave the first days of Autumn at our next IGDA Helsinki September meetup! We’re collaborating with the amazing Game Designers of Finland and learning all about "friendslop" games. 🎮 Please scroll further below for more information on the talks and our speakers. ⬇️
📣 Note: No pre-registration is required to join our Meetup.
WHAT:
IGDA Helsinki September Meetup with Game Designers of Finland
WHEN:
Tuesday 08.09.
Doors open at 17
Program starts at 17:45
WHERE:
Maxine, Kamppi shopping center, 6th floor (Elevators can be found on the E-floor, between Jungle Juice Bar and Rax). Note that Maxine is a 18+ venue, hence you must be 18+ years of age to attend.
PROGRAM:
Introduction to the Game Designers of Finland by Collin Foss - Game Designers of Finland started in 2020 as a way to bring game designers in Finland together and build a stronger community around the craft. They've grown to close to 900 members and have organized around 20+ events so far. And now they want to hear from YOU!
In Slop We Trust by Tanja Saarentaus & Ali Irdiren - In this talk, Ali and Tanja explore friendslop games: what they are and why they have become so darn popular. They examine what makes the genre so distinctive and how its design, social interaction, and shared chaotic experiences contribute to its appeal and overall fun factor. Are friendslop games really slop, or are they actually far from it?
🕹️ Wanna showcase your game at our Demo Corner and get some valuable feedback? Sign up here: https://forms.gle/GuR9UWjwGc518GTC9
Deadline for signups is September 4th at 23:59. Note, you will need to submit a 10 - 30s gameplay video!
💬 Our Chat Corner will be open and ready for chatting! AMA Session: Begüm Doğan from the IGDA Finland Grant team and the Marketing Witch from Hexen Marketing will be hosting the AMA and weaving marketing magic for indie game developers.
PROGRAM
🎤 Game Designers of Finland Introduction by Collin Foss
Game Designers of Finland started in 2020 as a way to bring game designers in Finland together and build a stronger community around the craft. They've grown to close to 900 members and have organized around 20+ events so far. Over the years GDoF have had a pretty broad mix: industry talks, workshops, mentoring, design discussions and social events, with events hosted together with companies like Remedy and Supercell, sessions with experienced people from the Finnish games industry, and hands-on events like a board game design workshop supported by Game Makers of Finland. Their events are practical and useful, while also just giving designers a good reason to get together and meet each other. Going into 2026, GDoF want to figure out how they can have more of an impact, especially with how much the industry is changing. They're interested in doing more around mentoring, peer support, hands-on design, playtesting and supporting solo or independent creators, but they also really want to hear from YOU about what would actually be useful and where GDoF will head into the future!
🗣️ Collin Foss is a Creative Director at Nitro Games with 15+ years of experience across game design, product, and design leadership. He started his career at Digital Chocolate and later spent five years at Rovio, working across both new and live games. More recently, his focus has expanded from mobile free-to-play into PC and console, including work on PAYDAY 3 with Starbreeze, leading Nitro’s Netflix project, and currently directing the development of a popular PC game for mobile F2P. Originally from the U.S. and based in Finland for the past 16 years, Collin is the founder of Game Designers of Finland. Outside of work, he’s a strategy game fan, occasional solo developer, father to a four-year-old and a now 10 week old puppy.
🎤 In Slop We Trust by Tanja Saarentaus and Ali Irdiren
In this talk, Ali and Tanja explore friendslop games: what they are and why they have become so darn popular. They examine what makes the genre so distinctive and how its design, social interaction, and shared chaotic experiences contribute to its appeal and overall fun factor. Are friendslop games really slop, or are they actually far from it?
🗣️ Tanja Saarentaus is a Development Coordinator in publishing at Remedy Entertainment. She has nearly a decade of experience in marketing, in addition to her work in publishing and production. She has worked on games including Merge Mansion, FBC: Firebreak, and CONTROL Resonant. She is also a long-time volunteer with IGDA Helsinki and Game Designers of Finland.
🗣️ Ali Irdiren is a Game Designer at Rovio Entertainment, where he designs “Beyond F2P” Angry Birds experiences for partner platforms. His indie work spans multiple genres and themes like Isop0dyssey, Crowing Around & Purrbots Unleashed. He’s active in the game jam scene with mehu jam and bad jam. Ali has been volunteering with IGDA, Game Designers of Finland and Finnish Game Jam.
For more information on Game Designers of Finland, check out their website!
TL;DR:
- IGDA Helsinki September Meetup with Game Designers of Finland
- Tuesday 08.09.
- Doors open at 17, program starts at 17:45
- Demo Corner and Chat Corner are Open!
ACCESSIBILITY:
At IGDA Helsinki we strive for making our events accessible for everyone. We kindly ask all attendees to stay away from using strong perfumes or similar fragrances. The Meetups can be crowded at times, meaning that the sound volume can also become rather loud.
Maxine is wheelchair accessible. There's a few steps at the entrance, for that please ask security at the cloakroom for a ramp. Accessible toilet can be found at the back of the space.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding any type of accessibility of our Meetups, then please contact helsinki@igda.fi and we will do our best to assist you. We also have an accessibility contact present at the Meetup until 19:00. They can be found near the entrance and are ready to assist with any accessibility-related matters!
Reminder that IGDA Meetups use the THE FINNISH GAME INDUSTRY Code of Conduct!
