The center has been astonishingly popular even before its grand opening: 80% of the office spaces were booked within a week when the centre was announced at the end of July last year. Currently, all the office spaces are fully pre-booked. Remote co-working stations with a monthly charge are still available.
“Remote co-working stations are suitable for long and short-term projects, or even as variation for the home office, and also for the use of larger organisations,” says Tuomas Roininen, Chairman of the Jyväskylä Game Industry Hub Expa.
The companies operating in the Digi & Game Center represent industries such as gaming, programming, graphics, animation, 3D and XR/VR/AR production, robotics, ICT, and music and culture production. The high demand for space is an indication of the centre’s necessity and of the fact that the digital and gaming industry in Jyväskylä and Central Finland is active and growth-seeking both in the domestic and international markets. Companies and partners are coming to the centre both from Finland and abroad.
“A communal workplace provides entirely new dimensions and opportunities from the perspective of developing new business, both for micro-businesses and larger players,” says Roininen.
In addition to business activities, the center will host diverse activities, training and events in the gaming and digital industry.
The center has also sought partners to support the development and operation of the industry in Central Finland. Experts and businesses are developed in the same building, so the community provides opportunities to start new business together or recruit new talents. Midare, a Jyväskylä-based company with a long history in the provision of equipment, operator services and ICT solutions, has already joined the centre.
“Negotiations with a few other companies are already near completion. We still have room for those who want to join us, since we are constantly on the lookout for more partners and sponsors to build new business, jobs, companies and international success,” says Hanna Hauvala, Project Manager at JAMK.
In addition to business operations, JAMK’s Ticorporate Demo & Product Lab and e-sports coaching will also be operating at the center.
“Students will carry out a Ticorporate business simulation as part of their studies, in which they will work in a product development organisation similar to a small ICT business. The purpose of this is to show in concrete terms how a company in the ICT sector operates. After the simulation, the students may start their own business, as the third and fourth-year studies can, if applicable, be integrated into a study module that supports entrepreneurship. In the future, Digi & Game Center’s facilities shared with entrepreneurs in the digital and gaming industry and their network will connect education and working life in a real sense,” says Niko Kiviaho, Lecturer in Business Information Technology at JAMK.
The Digi & Game Center will have an open doors event on Friday, 7 February, from 11 am to 6 pm at Matarankatu 2, 40100 Jyväskylä, Finland. The event is open for all.
Jyväskylä Game Industry Hub – Peliosuuskunta Expa serves as the operator of Digi & Game Center. Facilities and working stations are rented for gaming and digitalisation companies, and the centre will also arrange events in the gaming and digital industry that are open to all. Digi & Game Center has rooms and remote co-working stations available for rent. Additionally, the centre has common areas, virtual and augmented reality (XR, VR and AR) facilities and equipment, an audio studio as well as a sauna available. The facilities are located in a building at Matarankatu 2, in the facilities previously occupied by Buildercom Oy and Jydacom Oy. The principal lessee of the facilities is Jykia Oy, a real estate development company jointly owned by the City of Jyväskylä, Laukaa and Muurame municipality.
Further information and bookings: www.digigamecenter.org
Further information:
Hanna Hauvala, Project Manager
[email protected]
tel. +358 40 576 9174
JAMK University of Applied Sciences
Tuomas Roininen, Chairman of the Jyväskylä Game Industry Hub Expa
[email protected]
tel. +358 50 380 0991
Jyväskylä Game Industry Hub Expa
Niko Kiviaho, senior lecturer
[email protected]
tel. +358 50 386 5681
JAMK University of Applied Sciences
The Digi & Game Center was launched as part of the Sustainable Digi & Game Ecosystem project. The project is funded by Regional Council of Central Finland from European Regional Development Fund, BusinessJyväskylä and Fingersoft: www.jamk.fi/fi/Tutkimus-ja-kehitys/projektit/sustainable-digigame-ecosystem/
Expa Game Business Co-operative - Jyväskylä Game Industry Hub is an open regional community for game makers, researchers, students, teachers, events or other people and organizations in Jyväskylä and Central Finland. Expa is dedicated to the success of the gaming industry in the Jyväskylä region and is official IGDA Finland Jyväskylä Hub in Central Finland. www.expa.fi
