Events

Upcoming events

Recurring events

GameCult Talks: Discussing games in culture and society

GameCult Talks is an event series aiming to create and strengthen dialogue between researchers and other societal actors on current game cultural topics in our culture and society. The events are organised by the Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies with various partners. They bring together game studies researchers, industry experts, cultural institutions, community representatives, activists, and policy makers to develop and highlight new initiatives into building sustainable game culture for our future.

GameCult Talks events:

Meaning of Games Talks

The Meaning of Games series of talks are organised by the University of Jyväskylä CoE group and focus on research Theme 1, Meaning and Form of Games. Each month, we invite researchers to share their latest scholarship on aesthetics, philosophy, and culture of games with the CoE GameCult. Feel like you have something to share or want to know what the CoE researchers think about your research? Contact the JYU coordinator.

Meaning of Games Talks events:

  • 5 October 2020, Daniel Vella: Virtual Existentialism: Meaning and Subjectivity in Virtual Worlds
  • 2 November 2020, Johnathan Harrington: Workshops of Our Own: Analysing Constraint Play in Digital Games
  • 7 December 2020, Torill Mortensen & Kristine Jørgensen: The Paradox of Transgression in Games
  • 8 February 2021, Larissa Hjorth & Ingrid Richardson: Ambient Play
  • 12 April 2021, Olli Tapio Leino: Existential Hermeneutics and the Tragedy of the Art Game
  • 14 June 2021, Sebastian Möring: Caring for the environment in and of games
  • 4 October 2021, Laura op de Beke: Anthropocene temporalities
  • 15 March 2022, Aleena Chia: Automating Creativity in Digital Game Production
  • 6 June 2022, Yaewon Jin: On technicity of esports (LCK): A way of understanding the becoming of technoculture
  • 16 September 2022, Astrid Ennslin: Videogames, Digital Fiction and the Unnatural

OASIS Talks

Tampere University Game Research Lab’s OASIS hosts various talks on academic and non-academic topics. These talks are always free and open to everyone. The current talk series is called OASIS Lunchtime Talks and you can find the schedule and information about the talks on the OASIS website: https://oasis.uta.fi/oasis-talks

The talks are live streamed whenever possible, and you can find them on the OASIS Facebook-page and Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies YouTube channel.

Collaborative Game Histories events

The aim of the Collaborative Game Histories events is to provide a forum for a focused discussion on issues related to game history research and preservation.

Read more from the event website: https://sites.utu.fi/pelimuseoseminar

Jyväskylä game studies conference series

The University of Jyväskylä games research group has organised several conferences related to games and play over the years.

Past conferences and seminars in the series:

Tampere Game Research Lab Spring Seminar

The longest running game studies seminar, Tampere University Game Research Lab Spring Seminar, has been organised since 2003, and in collaboration with the Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies since 2018. Each year, there is a different theme and different expert commentators offering feedback on the seminar papers.

The seminar emphasises work-in-progress submissions and strongly encourages submitting late breaking results, working papers, and submissions from graduate and PhD students. The purpose of the seminar is to have peer-to-peer discussions and thereby provide support in refining and improving research work in this area.

Read more from the seminar website: https://springseminar.org

Museum exhibitions

The Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies researchers have been involved in organising several museum exhibitions and events:

Other past events

Festival of Game Culture 29.-31.5.2025 Tampere, Finland

This is a three-day celebration of games, play and scholarship hosted by the Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies, taking place in Tampere in 29.-31. of May 2025. This witty, playful, thought-provoking and fun event both summarizes some of the work conducted in the CoE GameCult in 2018-25 and explores the future prospectives for game culture. 

Program 

Thursday 29 May 2025   

13.30 Registration (Paidia, Nokia Arena) (address: Suvantokatu 7, 33100 Tampere)

14.00 – 16.00 Welcoming session (Paidia) 

Welcoming words 

Introduction to CoE 

Pecha Kucha presentations (Aasa Timonen, Jasmine Poikela, Joe Macey) 

Quote quiz  

17.00 Superheroes exhibition opening (Vapriikki Museum) (address: Alaverstaanraitti 5, 33101 Tampere)

17.30 – 18.30 Superheroes panel (Jaakko Stenros, Elisa Wiik, Manu Pärssinen, Michal Mochocki) (Vapriikki Museum)  

19.00 – 20.30 Reception by the City of Tampere (Vapriikki Museum)  

20.30 Dinner / Drinks (restaurant Plevna) (address: Itäinenkatu 8, 33210 Tampere)

Friday 30 May 2025  

9.00 Registration (Paidia, Nokia Arena) 

9.30 – 10.00 Frans Mäyrä: Future, Past: Re-Visiting the Original Plan and Vision for CoE-GameCult 

10.00 – 11.00 Future of Game Culture Studies Panel (Frans Mäyrä, Aphra Kerr, Gundolf S. Freyermuth, Velvet Spors, Kishonna Gray) 

11.15 – 12.00 CoE Speedrun part I 

13.30 – 14.15 CoE Speedrun part II 

14.30 – 17.00 Game History Olympics 

18.00 Dinner & drinks & evening program (restaurant Telakka, upstairs) (address: Tullikamarin aukio 3, 33100 Tampere)

Saturday 31 May 2025  

Excursions to game attractions and playful activities: 

12.00-14.00 Film club: Borderlands (Eli Roth, 2024) (free) (Host: Jaakko Stenros) (Oasis, Pinni B, Tampere University (address: Kanslerinrinne 1, 33100 Tampere))

A session of films based on movies. Feel free to dip in for a bit or stay for the whole day! We kick things off with the universally hated, yet star filled Borderlands, based on the hit space western digital game. Next, we move on to Tetris, which documents the twists and turns of a typical game development process as an action film. Finally, we end with the classic comedic adaptation of a board game, Clue. There will probably be some snacks, but since we will not break for lunch, bringing your own is advised. Films may change, pending availability, check the program closer to the day. During the breaks prepare for impromptu panel discussions on the material we just watched. 

13.00-15.00 Tampere University art & architecture tour & quiz (free) (Host: Olli Sotamaa) 

13.00-16.00 Bar & Cafe Lategame (Host: Essi Taino) (address: Kuninkaankatu 19, 33210 Tampere)

Lategame is a gaming café and esports bar located in the center of Tampere. Board games and console games are free. Reserving a gaming PC: 1€/h for students, and the rest of the prices are here (in Finnish): https://www.lategame.fi/pelihinnasto-3/  (3 hours – €8 (PC). PC gaming requires you to log into your own Steam/Battlenet/etc. account and own the games. Installed games are popular multiplayers (Apex Legends, CS2, Overwatch 2, Valorant, League of Legends, etc. – full list on their website). Program host Essi would love to get a group for Apex or Overwatch, but other multiplayers are great too!  

14.00-17.00 Role play (free, max. 6 people) (Host: Jonne Arjoranta) (CANCELLED)

CoE funding is ending, but that is opening possibilities for other approaches. When a new professor at University of Jyväskylä gets funding for an innovative project that combines game studies, research on historical magic and nuclear physics (all specialties at JYU), it opens all kinds of new research areas. The research project is starting with a conference, and a rumor says that they’re also trying to find suitable people to hire for the project, so of course you’re going! A Lovecraftian mystery scenario for up to 6 people for roughly 3 hours. Suitable for new players.  

14.00-16.00 Film club: Tetris (Jon S. Baird, 2023) (free) (Host: Jaakko Stenros) (Oasis, Pinni B, Tampere University (address: Kanslerinrinne 1, 33100 Tampere))

14.00-16.00 Escape Room (25-40€, depending on the number of people and available rooms) (Host: Elina Koskinen) (CANCELLED)

15.00-18.00 Taverna board game café (play fee €4) (Host: Mark Maletska) (address: Rautatienkatu 10, 33100 Tampere)

Taverna is a cozy board game café with dozens of games to play! Depending on the number of people joining in, you can take a game or even several games to play while enjoying drinks and snacks. Hanging out without playing is also much welcome! The café offers vegan food options. 

16.00-18.00 Film club: Clue (Jonathan Lynn, 1985) (free) (Host: Jaakko Stenros) (Oasis, Pinni B, Tampere University (address: Kanslerinrinne 1, 33100 Tampere))

18.00 onwards Dinner & drinks (Saunaravintola Kuuma) (self-paid) (address: Laukontori 21, 33200 Tampere)

18.30-20.00 Sauna (Saunaravintola Kuuma)  (paid by CoE) (address: Laukontori 21, 33200 Tampere)