mobile blog notes
Happy holidays, soothing summer. Luka and me are here enjoying the brisk wind and breathtaking scenery from the top of Pyynikin näkötorni (the old observation tower on top of Pyynikki ridges). Notice the bag of famous Pyynikki doughnuts (munkki in Finnish)… Link: http://www.munkkikahvila.net/
Today in Helsinki (Radisson SAS Hotel), participating in a workshop of GameSpace research project; this day is dedicated to game experience from the “extended” or holistic perspective, meaning paying attention also to the way one gets information about games, how one is able to access the game, and how game invites repeated gameplay sessions (or not). Interesting presentations from GameSpace team (Janne Paavilainen, Annakaisa Kultima), and Aki Järvinen (Veikkaus), Nokia (Jussi Holopainen, Hannu Korhonen), Olli Sotamaa (Univ. of Tampere, Games as Services project). This is the last workshop in the project, but the project itself will finish (with final reporting) next fall. Fascinating work, both this part, and the entire project.
Today I will be participating in “Seminar on quantitative research in virtual economies” taking place in HIIT, Espoo. Vili Lehdonvirta here is opening the seminar. Link to the program: http://www.virtual-economy.org/blog/seminar_on_quantitative_resear
(Pictured Marja Tiura, and the neck of Jyrki J.J. Kasvi.)
Today I am participating in a seminar organised by the Futures Committee of Finnish Parliament, focusing on the challenges of urbanisation, globalisation and civilization (Sivistys ja metropolit). I want to remind the participants about the need for comprehensive understanding (deep in thinking about the past, as well as the present and the future), also creating intergenerational and interdisciplinary dialogue that facilitates flexibility and innovation in small as well as in larger scale. Fantasy is one measurement: how much imagination we are willing to accept in our everyday? Arts and crafts is another: do we allow ‘everyman’ (everywoman, everychild) to be creative? Questions for our future…
Today I am taking part in the ‘Digiaika talteen’ seminar in the Finnish National Library in Helsinki. At the beginning of this year, a new law came into operation, concerning archiving digital cultural heritage. New kinds of ‘cultural materials’ have existed since the development of first computers, and exponentially when the Internet started connecting people using these digital technologies. We have actually lived sort of ‘digital dark Middle-Ages’ in terms of archiving, since so much of the early history of digital texts, images, games, web pages and other forms of digital expression have already been lost. Now there is at least a law that dictates how everyone, who publishes something in Finnish that is made available to public, is obliged to collaborate with the archivists to provide permanent copies into the National Audiovisual Archive (the old SEA, the movie archive). The job is huge; one estimate is that 50 million pages with c. 2–3 terabytes of data will be gathered in two automatic annual searches.
Today I am speaking in the Levels game seminar in Jyväskylä. Featured here in the picture is Marko Siitonen, who talked about teamplay and leadership, in the context of learning taking place within MMOs. More: http://www.levels08.com/
Lemmenpyssyt
Originally uploaded by FransBadger
Happy vappu 2008, everyone. Here the band, Lemmenpyssyt (“love guns”) performs their Motörhead-style Vappu-opening gig in the University of Tampere outdoors amphitheater; the party sponsored annually by TATTE.
Today, the final meetings of this week — in Jyväskylä this time. Plans for future collaboration in games research among the Alliance universities. Interesting and promising stuff, but now: it is weekend, and time to enjoy some free time, and spring weather
Today I am speaking in ITK (interactive technology in education) conference in Hämeenlinna. An event with nice atmosphere and idyllic location in Aulanko, it is always pleasure to visit. Topic of my speech concerns my new book of game studies (see www.gamestudiesbook.net).
frans goes blog 
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