8.2.2023

Making games is all about community

Last weekend was something lots of people have been waiting for since last year, Finnish Game Jam 2023. It has played a crucial role in the gaming industry for a long time.

Global Game Jam is an event where like-minded people gather around at the same place for a limited amount of time. Usually, the Global Game Jam lasts for a whole week, but national chapters can be shorter. The purpose is to create a game (video game, board game, etc.) of which theme is revealed during that period. Annually, Global Game Jam has tens of thousands of participants globally.

Finnish Game Jam is the Finnish chapter of the Global Game Jam. The event lasted 48 hours. (3.2.2023, 17:00 – 5.2.2023, 17:00). We here at Game Business Co-operative Expa have been organizing Jams in Jyväskylä for a decade. This year’s Jam was the 10th time. It means that we have lots of experience organizing online, offline, and hybrid Jams. This year the Jam was a hybrid model so people could participate online via Discord and offline at the Digi & Game Center.

The weekend flew by in a heartbeat. This year we had plenty of first-timers participating in the Jam. After discussing with the participants, it became clear why people participate in Jams year and year again. It is all about the community. The Jams are social events. People come with their friends and spend some quality time together. It is also easy to find new friends at these events, as everyone shares mutual interests in creating games. Therefore it is also common to come alone. The organizers always ensure that everyone who wants finds a team to join. It is also possible to create a game alone if it’s what the participant wants.

Many participants enjoy the challenge of coming up with a game in 48 hours. Usually, the game development process takes months or even years. The tight schedule challenges teams and individuals to work more efficiently.

The participants’ backgrounds vary a lot when it comes to prior experience level. Some have been participating annually since the first local Jam in 2013, while some came for the first time this year. Some participants are working in big local gaming companies. Some are upcoming professionals, students, etc., or working in a different field.

When people from such various backgrounds come together, it is no surprise that the Jams are also networking events. Many of the more experienced Jammers told that participating in these events has helped them find a job in the field. Employers in the game development field value the Jams significantly.

The Game Jams also play a crucial role in building the local ecosystem. These events make it possible for like-minded people to connect. It can lead to new companies in the field, which help build the ecosystem and provide tax income for the local municipalities and the country.

You do not have to be an expert in coding, game design, or any other field to partake in these events. We encourage everyone interested in making games to participate in the Game Jams. Who knows, what kind of possibilities may occur because of it?

Huge thanks to YAHAHA Studios for partnering up with us for this event.

Global Game Jam (GGJ)

An event that focuses on creating original games
Has been arranged since 2009
Has tens of thousands of participants from all over the world

Finnish Game Jam (FGJ)

Part of the Global Game Jam
Has been organized since 2010
Has local Game Jam hubs in various cities.

Interested in the Game Jams?

Check out all the games created in Jyväskylä’s Jam hub this year.

Read here, how your body may react to the fun but demanding 48-hour-long event.

Learn more about YAHAHA Studios:

https://yahaha.com/

Learn all about Game Co-operative Expa:

https://expa.fi/

25.1.2023

A Thrilling Partnership Announcement: Digi & Game Center and YAHAHA Studios

Digi & Game Center is thrilled to announce a new exciting partnership with YAHAHA Studios

YAHAHA is a UGC all-in-one game development platform that makes creating 3D multiplayer games easy without a need to know how to code. Yahaha takes a high-level approach offering an intuitive editor for game development with drag-and-drop-ready components and logic. Headquartered in Helsinki and founded by a team of Unity veterans in 2020, the platform launched an early alpha version this year in April and went on to amass over 100,000 creators on both PC and Mac.

“Digi & Game Center has built an incredible game ecosystem in central Finland. We look forward to this partnership to help support more people to step into the game industry and support indie developers and studios in bringing their ideas to life,” says Pengfei Zhang, Co-Founder and COO at Yahaha Studios.

We at Digi & Game Center believe that this partnership is highly beneficial for both parties. DGC works closely with students and future professionals, so we can promote YAHAHA easily to them. Since the user doesn’t need prior coding experience, the platform is great when you’re starting. This makes it easily accessible for people who want to try game development.

This partnership with YAHAHA Studios is significant for us as it allows us to build the ecosystem further. We believe it will open up new opportunities in the Central Finland area.

Learn more about YAHAHA Studios:

https://yahaha.com/

Learn more about Digi & Game Center partnerships:

Co-working with amazing people and network!

https://www.digigamecenter.org/for-investors/

23.1.2023

Exciting Partnership Announcement: Digi & Game Center and K-S Konttoripiste Oy

Digi & Game Center is thrilled to announce a new exciting partnership with K-S Konttoripiste Oy

K-S Konttoripiste Oy is a Finnish expert company selling office equipment. The product range includes
computers and mobile devices, multifunctional devices and printing solutions, info- and interactive screens,
coffee machines and office furniture. K-S Konttoripiste also offers comprehensive ICT services for
companies and associations.

“We operate on a turnkey basis and we also take care for the maintenance of the devices we sell,” says
Account Manager Mikko Nirkkonen, K-S Konttoripiste Oy.

Digi & Game Center offers its customers and partners a great framework and the opportunity to succeed.
At K-S Konttoripiste, we want to do our part to support, but also to develop as part of Digi & Game Center’s
network of experts.

We at Digi & Game Center got a big professional information screen with software in the shared spaces. It allows us to show relevant information with it to our visitors. Also, the companies which reside in DGC gain partner pricing from K-S Konttoripiste.

Learn more about K-S Konttoripiste Oy:

https://kskp.fi/

Learn more about Digi & Game Center partnerships:

Co-working with amazing people and network!

https://www.digigamecenter.org/for-investors/

3.10.2022

Welcome to learn about Digi & Game Center’s activities! 💜

Welcome to learn about Digi & Game Center’s activities!

Welcome to learn about Digi & Game Center’s activities! Digi & Game Center is an ecosystem for the development of the digital and game industry, around which a large group of entrepreneurs, students and other actors interested in the digital world have gathered! GamePit Matara and our stage and studio space are located within the red brick walls of DGC in Tourula, and we invite those interested in our activities to visit us every other Tuesday! During the open doors, it is possible to get to know the GamePit gaming space and our e-sports activities, marvel at the studio equipment with recording and streaming possibilities, test VR gaming equipment and get answers to mind-boggling questions from our experts.

► WHAT? Digi & Game Center open doors
► WHERE? Matarankatu 2, second floor
► WHEN? Every second Tuesday from 13:00 to 16:00 – starting from 4th of Oct 2022

How to get to the Digi & Game Center?
https://youtu.be/zG9dPwpSa6o

Hope to see you at DGC!

Learn more about Peliosuuskunta Expa:

at website: https://expa.fi/

Learn more about JAMK :

Study Game Production and become a BBA in our degree programme in business information technology

more details at website: https://www.jamk.fi/en/Apply-to-Jamk/bachelors-degree/study-game-production-and-become-a-bba-in-our-degree-programme-in-business-information-technology

Learn more about Digi & Game Center parnerhips:

Co working with amazing people and network!

https://www.digigamecenter.org/for-investors/

16.5.2022

The work to produce a Jyväskylä region game industry report has been started!

We Need Your Help. WE NEED DATA

We want Central Finland to be the powerhouse ecosystem of the games industry in Finland. No matter if it is about developing games or products, doing e-sport activities, doing research studies of it or using the game technology in other industries. The Game Industry is an international and usually scalable business and that is what this region needs to help to grow.

Now is our time to shine.

To that end, the city of Jyväskylä has asked Peliosuuskunta Expa to produce a game industry report in the Central Finland region. The data will include how many businesses operate, their products, turnover, employment, forecasts, education, wellbeing and also how many use the services and networks of the Peliosuuskunta Expa, IGDA Finland Jyväskylä Hub and Dig & Game Center. So please be active and let others know too if they have not been in contact with us yet.

Why is there a need for a Game Industry report from Central Finland?

All the open knowledge and the data from this report will be used for the benefit of the Industry in the region. There have been smaller size surveys about this subject back in the past, but now we have a great opportunity to do this properly and what is most important is that we can do this annually.

The Chairman of Peliosuuskunta Expa, Valtteri Lahti says that “For the past 10 years Expa has been an active grassroots operation with a simple goal: getting things done to boost the local game and digi scene. We’ve helped companies get started, we’ve been involved in numerous successful projects and we’ve maintained and developed the local digi and game community continuously. We have acquired and accumulated huge amounts of information about the state of the industry, the opportunities and challenges that companies face, connections to other industries, and national and international networks. It’s magnificent to be finally able to structure all this valuable information into a single clear document that will be updated every year henceforth.”

Once complete, this report will be available for everyone who has an interest in the sector both public and private.

“The industry report gives us an overview of the development of the game industry and the opportunity to be on the pulse of one of the fastest growing and changing industries.” Says Anne Sandelin, Director of Business Development and Employment, City of Jyväskylä

Then, together we can make a development strategy to push us all up, over and beyond!

So we need your help to gather data and let us know about any small scale developers in the games industry that are outside our radar. No matter what size and stage of development, we are all important.

Below is a quick and easy form to help us in this process.

Link to the questionnaire https://forms.gle/yeq4Qbt4E3PvWUGN8

No trade secrets or sensitive data will be required.

Learn more about Peliosuuskunta Expa:

Peliosuuskunta Expa at their website: https://expa.fi/

Learn more about Digi & Game Center parnerhips:

Co working with amazing people and network!

https://www.digigamecenter.org/for-investors/

1.1.2022

Cool Partnership Announcement: Digi & Game Center and Seltimil Oy

Digi & Game Center is super excited to announce new cool partnership with Seltimil Oy

Seltimil Oy (Limited Liability Company) is Finnish private owned telecommunications company. Founded in 2006.

The company is dedicated to provide next generation broadband connections in central Finland region, operator network services and FTTx infrastructure consultancy. Seltimil Oy provides Data Center services from a Data Center located in Jyväskylä.

”Cooperation is mutually very benefical and we can help creating new business together” says Pertti Salmijärvi, CEO, Seltimil Oy

We at Digi & Game Center are very excited with this partnership with local provider Seltimil Oy to take services and internet in the DGC premises to the next level and make success stories together and we highly recommend their services to our customers and partners.

Learn more about Sseltimil Oy:

Seltimil at their website:
https://seltimil.fi/

Learn more about Digi & Game Center parnerhips:

Co working with amazing people and network!

https://www.digigamecenter.org/for-investors/

22.10.2021

The Peliosuuskunta Expa and Digi & Game Center are now also members of the National Digital Support Network.

The Peliosuuskunta Expa (Expa Game Business Co-operative) and Digi & Game Center are now also members of the National Digital Support Network. This mark indicates that the organization provides or develops digital support and is committed to adhering to the ethical guidelines for digital support.

Link to Digi & Game Center
www.digigamecenter.org

Link to network
https://lnkd.in/dcfzWz-p

1.9.2021

OP Central Finland The Let’s Do Good Together donations gives help and opportunities for many – Digi & Game Center was selected to receive a significant donation

The Digi & Game Center issued 10 000 euro

The 2021 The Let’s Do Good Together donation pot of EUR 25,000 was widely distributed to actors reaching different target groups. A total of 27 donation applications were received, of which six applicants received donations. The donations were decided by the bank’s board at its August meeting. The Let’s Do Good Together donation campaign is part of OP Central Finland’s responsibility work, which is guided by the bank’s own and OP Financial Group’s responsibility program. The Let’s Do Good Together donation received 27 applications from clubs, associations and other third sector entities operating in the bank’s area of operation. Eighty-five per cent of the applications came from the Jyväskylä region and 15 per cent from elsewhere. Five of the donors are from the Jyväskylä region and one from elsewhere. The need for help is still great and without volunteering, the activities of the associations would not work. The selection of recipients of donations has focused on diversity, different target groups and timeliness. The selection criteria have been activities in line with the bank’s values, i.e. closeness to people, responsibility and success together, regional and target group size effectiveness, and the widest possible consideration of different target and age groups.

Digi & Game Center is a Central Finnish brand founded in 1/2020, an ecosystem operated by Peliosuuskunta Expa. The aim of the activity is to create synergies between companies in the digital and gaming sectors and in other sectors and thus help to create cooperation projects, companies and jobs between companies and educational institutions. The donation supports e.g. space use costs and benefit young entrepreneurs, students, cultural operators and actors in various fields who need help, e.g. digitization or gaming technologies. The activities are international and the aim is also to engage international students and actors in Central Finland. The work is currently done on a voluntary basis. In 2020, the operations helped the creation of 12 companies.

With Peliosuuskunta Expa and Digi & Game Center, we are extremely taken and grateful for this accolade.

Source:
https://www.op.fi/fi/web/op-keski-suomi/-/teemme-yhdessa-hyvaa-2021?icmp=yl-atiili-1

Additional information:
Pia Saikkonen, communications manager , pi***********@op.fi, p. 010 256 5610.
Tuomas Roininen, Vice Chairman, tu*************@ex**.fi p. 050 38 00991

9.6.2021

The Digitalisation Act of the year 2020 -award goes to Digi & Game Center

Central Finland’s Chamber of Commerce’s Digitalisation and New Business -committee grants The Digitalisation Act of the year -award annually. This year the award was given to Digi & Game Center which helped to give birth to 12 new businesses and helped companies in the region in the use of game technologies.

With the award Chamber of Commerce of Central Finland wants to highlight Central Finland’s companies that have successfully taken over digitalisation.

“Digitalisation has become part of just about every industry. Such actors and co-operation as Digi & Game Center are needed to bring the growth potential made possible by digitalization to the benefit of companies” says Ari Hiltunen, CEO of the Central Finland Chamber of Commerce.

The jury of committee members justified the choice on the grounds that the Digi & Game Center has successfully helped entrepreneurs in the area to take advantage of game technologies. It has been used in industry, the arts and culture, among other places.

“The operations of Digi & Game Center are worthwhile both in building a new kind of digitalisation center in the Jyväskylä region and in disseminating game technologies outside the game industry itself. Increasing the added value of digitalisation just needs such cross-pollination” says Anssi Kuoppala, Chairman of the Digitalisation and New Business Committee.

The goal of the Digi & Game Center is to create synergies between companies in the digital and gaming industries and other industries, and thus help to create co-operation projects, companies and jobs between companies and educational institutions. Last year, the Digi & Game Center helped creating 12 companies, 8 of which were born during COVID-19.

“We are grateful that we were nominated for the award and were elected. The honour belongs to everyone in our network. We would not exist if we did not have these companies, educational institutions and entrepreneurs involved in the network” says Tuomas Roininen, Chairman of the Peliosuuskunta Expa, Operator of Digi & Game Center.

The ecosystem has been built for nine years. There are now 16 digital and gaming companies involved. At the beginning of last year, more than 400 people attended the opening of the Digi & Game Center alone.

Digi & Game Center is a unique concept

Digi & Game Center is not a company but a Central Finnish brand and concept that is operated by Peliosuuskunta Expa together with others in the ecosystem. The Digi & Game Center co-operates with the city, educational institutes and different businesses like Fingersoft and Amazon.

According to Roininen many regions are reducing their activities related to game-related studies which Central Finland has now begun to increase. The Digi & Game Center’s ecosystems goal is to bring companies and partners together and to get them to know each other.

“We strive to be another living room where a company or cultural representative can come on a low threshold to find a solution that suits their needs. Our desire is to develop the digitalisation of Central Finnish companies and to be the operator who introduces new digital functions at a low threshold” Roininen describes.

Roininen says that sometimes it is difficult for people to understand what game technologies and gamifications really are.

“It doesn’t mean making a game. For example, simulations such as airplane simulators, 3D models, or visual worlds of movies have been implemented with modern gaming technologies. It is good to understand that the same technologies are used in traditional industries. Experts will not be found on the traditional side, but it will have to utilize the multi-experts in the gaming industry, who are currently trained by JAMK and JYU in Central Finland” Roininen elaborates.

The concept has also been quoted abroad. The aim is to export operations abroad in the future as a licensing concept.

Learn more about Digi & Game Center parnerhips:

Co working with amazing people and network!

https://www.digigamecenter.org/for-investors/

6.5.2021

Peliosuuskunta Expa hallitushaku 2021

Come & Boost the JKL Game Industry scene!

Hae Peliosuuskunta Expan hallitukseen!

Peliosuuskunta Expan uusi hallitus muodostetaan tulevassa osuuskuntakokousessa kesäkuun aikana ja nyt SINULLA on mahdollisuus hakeutua hallitukseen!

Hallituskausi on 2 vuotta (elämäntilanteet huomioidaan, mikäli on tarvetta irtaantua aikaisemmin pois), mahdollisuus tärkeään roolini olla vaikuttamassa Keski-Suomen peli – ja digialan kehitykseen.

Mielenkiintoisia mahdollisuuksia ja vaikutusta suoraan näköalapaikalta. Aivan poikkeuksellisen hieno tilaisuus saada omaan cv:hen erikoismerkintä ja kokemusta hallitustyöskentelystä yrityksessä. Vanha hallitus toimii uuden hallituksen advisorina.

Tehtäviä tarjolla mm :

Puheenjohtaja / Chairman
Varapuheenjohtaja / Vice Chairman
Rahastonhoitaja ja sihteeri / Treasurer and Secretary
Markkinointi- ja viestintä vastaava / Marketing and Communications representative
Tapahtumavastaava / Event representative
Rahoitus- ja hankevastaava / Project funding representative
Jäsen ja sidosryhmävastaava / Member and Stakeholder representative
Tekninenvastaava / Techincal representative