Another Guest Lecture coming up! Annakaisa Kultima & Solip Park from Aalto University will explore the dynamic industry landscape of game development in Finland in their hybrid guest lecture on November 14.
Title: Moi! Finnish game industry and ecosystem
Abstract: Finland boasts a rich legacy in game development and is known for international successes like Supercell’s Clash of Clans and Hay Day, Rovio’s Angry Birds, Housemarque’s Returnal, Remedy’s Max Payne and Alan Wake, Hempuli’s Baba is You, and Nolla Games’ Noita. Dr. Annakaisa Kultima and Solip Park (both from Aalto Universit, Finland), will explore the dynamic industry landscape of game development in Finland in their hybrid guest lecture.
Their presentation will span the fascinating historical facets of Finnish game development, extending back to the 1800s, as well as the vibrant game jam scene of the 2010s. Moreover, the speakers will cover the burgeoning multiculturalism in the Finnish game industry, which now embraces a more diverse array of talents than ever before. Notably, approximately 30% of game developers in Finland hail from migrant backgrounds, and English has emerged as the lingua franca within game development environments.
This lecture will address pivotal questions: What unique offerings does the Finnish game industry and ecosystem extend to international developers? What challenges persist, and what strategies are being employed to enhance the landscape? The overarching goal of this lecture is to equip students with valuable insights for crafting an international career within the game industry.
About the Speaker:
Annakaisa Kultima is a game scholar at Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture in Finland and has been leading Games Now! learning community since 2017. She has been teaching and studying game design and development since 2006 in several universities in Finland and Sweden as well as toured as a visiting lecturer around the world including universities in US, China, Denmark, South Korea and Japan. Her research is concentrating on game development cultures, creativity, game industry trends, and game jams. Kultima’s PhD dissertation “Game Design Praxiology” examined the multitude of issues of understanding ‘games as created’. Kultima is also an active member of the game ecosystem in Finland and internationally: she is working as a judge in several game competitions, running and participating game jams as well as curating exhibitions on games. She has been leading Global Game Jam theme committee and been the regional organizer and site organizer for Global Game Jam for many years. She is also a member of the founding team of The Finnish Museum of Games and the head of non-profit organization Finnish Game Jam since 2013 advocating the game making hobby and indie cultures in Finland.
Solip Park is a doctoral researcher at Aalto University School of Arts, Design, and Architecture in Finland and the co-host of Games Now! open lecture series. Solip’s current research interest is focused on game production culture and immigrants/expats in the game industry. Solip have two master degrees: one from Carnegie Mellon University in the USA (Master of Entertainment Technology), and Aalto University in Finland (Master of Arts) where she was announced as the winner of Game Thesis Competition 2020 by Finnish Game Research Society. Solip is the author and artist of “Game Expats Story” comic series (https://www.instagram.com/solip.comic/), while acting as a member of the board at Finnish Game Jam Ry since 2021 contributing to game jam culture in the region. She also collaborated with the Embassy of Republic of Korea (South) in Finland connecting gamers and devs in Finland and South Korea. Prior to coming to Finland, Solip was one of the founding members of Nexon Computer Museum in South Korea, the first permanent museum in East Asia dedicated to the history of computer and video games.
Solip Park will be on site, and Annakaisa Kultima will join via Zoom to speak as well. After the lecture, you are very welcome to stay around for a drink and have a chat with the speaker, professors and students.
Zoom Meeting
https://aalto.zoom.us/j/61985691423
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Upcoming Guest Lectures
November 3 | 5.30 pm
Pawel Sasko (CD Project Red)
Title Designing Quests for AAA RPGs (-> Link)
Hybrid Event: CGL | 2nd floor | Aquarium & online
November 28 | 5.30 pm
Carmen Schneidereit (Activision Blizzard)
Lighting in Games
Hybrid Event: CGL | 2nd floor | Aquarium & online