Category: events

seminars, conferences, other events

Finncon ry established

Finncon ry established
Originally uploaded by FransBadger.

It has been said that Finland is the promised land of associations — there are thousands and thousands of non-profits here, established by individuals on enormous range of serious or more light-hearted subjects. Today yet another association was created, but one could claim that this one has been in actual demand for some time. FinnCon is the major Finnish — and international — science fiction event that has been regularly organised since 1986. This is thus a historical image: the representatives from local science fiction associations signing the founding documents for the national umbrella association, Finncon ry, which will run this line of events from now on. Follow the news in http://www.finncon.org — this is a really great showcase of fandom activities, useful for academics and general audience alike. (Posted from Kaupinojan Sauna.)

New experiences in Helsinki

New experiences in Helsinki
Originally uploaded by FransBadger.

I will be visiting two very different kinds of events in Helsinki today. The first is the FinNet seminar, which is focused on educational games in the context of Finnish language learning. I gave a short talk that tried to discuss the educational and cultural framework for games in rather general terms, and the rest of the seminar has more detailed experiences coming from participants of Minerva project who have been doing SanatOn the language game. Really interesting and much new stuff for me. Later in the evening I’ll participate in Pelit Magazine’s “KyöPelit Gaala”, the semi-official “game oscars” of Finland — first time of this experience for me, too. The day is otherwise exiting but since me and Laura were moving my stuff to wee hours last night, I have to battle keeping awake, which is a shame. (The shot shows how advanced city Helsinki is: they have a skating rink next to the railway station, in the city centre!)

Evening of klezmer

Tonight was one of a rare cultural experience. Tapani Jämsen invited us to the consert of his band, Doina Klezmer, in the Tampere Hall. Not knowing anything about klezmer music in advance, I was surprised by its emotional range and simultaneous rhytmic, dance-like qualities. You can learn more about klezmer from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klezmer and below is link to the band’s home page, where are also mp3 samples available.
See: Doina Klezmer website

Game design research workshop

Game design research workshop
Originally uploaded by FransBadger.

Janne Paavilainen, the GameSpace project manager is here getting ready to close the first of our two game design workshop days. Meeting this time at the new Helsinki headquarters of our partner Sulake (the creators of Habbo Hotel), our theme was ‘multiplayer’. GameSpace is researching the methods for mobile, multiplayer casual game design, and we got particularly strong input this time from Sumea studio of Digital Chocolate. There is much interesting research going in that project — hope we’ll get to publish some of that soon!

Eric Zimmerman's workshop closes, day of ice and trains

Eric Zimmerman’s workshop closes, day of ice and trains
Originally uploaded by FransBadger.

Today I participated as an informal reviewer into the game design
workshop Eric Zimmerman organised in connection of our Games and
Storytelling series. I hope the week was productive for all involved —
the final day presentations at least appeared to involve several
inspired designs that also embodied some design research philosophy.
Special thanks also to Jesper Juul from Copenhagen for filling in
Thursday when Eric needed to be elsewhere. In terms of climate, this
week has been extremely cold, cars and trains stuck and frozen. I am
writing this in an evening train going to Tampere, and it appears to be
c. one hour late at the moment. But it is still moving, so lets not
complain!

Smash Asem and the freedom of speech

The Finnish police has now decided to press charges and accuses 86 persons of various crimes in connection of ‘Smash Asem’ demonstration last fall. Negative anarchism and intention to create harm is one thing, but the right to demonstrate and the freedom of speech are fundamental rights for our society, and when people are jailed before they actually commit any crimes, then we have actually entered a police state. Please check one story of this event, as recorded in Jere Leskinen’s video documentary:
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Today: Helsinki, the future

Today: Helsinki, the future
Originally uploaded by FransBadger.

Today I decided to take the train rather than venture anything air-related. In Helsinki, the morning was spent in an intensive brainstorming session about the next 15 years of digital games and gaming — arranged by Pelit Magazine, which celebrates this year its 15th anniversary (congratulations!) Much visionary and/or realistic stuff by Tony Manninen, Sonja Kangas and myself, to be reported in magazine’s next issue. Now, in Messukeskus, preparing to talk to the leaders of our educational system about games in Forum Dynamo conference. Lets see how this goes…

Savonlinna. The flying frustration

Savonlinna, OKL
Originally uploaded by FransBadger.

Leena Vartiainen’s lic thesis examination in Savonlinna went as nicely as this kind of interrogations can do. Much talk about Grounded Theory, and I was asking after certain game studies points. All well. But then they messed up my connections again, and I was stranded in Savonlinna, missing my flight home. Finally, in Helsinki they put me — in a taxi! Taking an “intercity-cab” twice in one day, this must be some kind of record. I don’t really know what to say.

Flying the Finnish way: take a taxi

Flying the Finnish way: take a taxi
Originally uploaded by FransBadger.

Second time within few days, I am packed into taxi from the Tampere airport, and rather than flying, there will be a mad car ride to Helsinki. Weird, and nerve-wrecking. I wonder what is wrong with Finnair, Aero, Golden Air: all Finnish carriers seem to be struggling with some kind of problems?

wii-moting afternoon

wii-moting afternoon
Originally uploaded by FransBadger.

Tampere Gamelab folks spent this afternoon discussing Japanese culture and games (thanks to Aakoo, who just spent one month in Tokyo) — and then with some hands-on research with our lab’s new Wii console. Fun — and also thought-provoking.