Get employed by gaming!

Get employed by
gaming - project was funded by European Social Fund and implemented by Jamk
(2021-2023). The starting point for the project was the fact that active and
goal-oriented digital gaming is hardly used as a working method at all.
However, it has potential as a means of supporting inclusion and well-being, as
a means of motivation and as a pathway to, for example, rehabilitation or
self-employment in the eSports ecosystem.

The purpose of the
Get employed by gaming! -project was to promote the rehabilitation of young
people and young adults who are neither in employment nor in education or
training by strengthening their well-being, social inclusion and working life
skills by using digital and competitive gaming as a tool. In addition, it aimed
to increase understanding of the role of digital gaming in supporting the
well-being, social inclusion, and employability of the target group, and to
create new networks of eSports ecosystems.

The objectives of
the project were: 1) to develop new types of digital gaming models to
strengthen the well-being, inclusion and work and functional capacity of young
people and young adults who are neither in employment nor in education or
training, 2) to strengthen their collaboration, feeling of community and social
inclusion, 3) to promote interaction and cooperation between actors in the
provincial electronic sports ecosystem and target group by creating
opportunities for encounters, and 4) strengthen the knowledge of professionals
by introducing new ways to use digital and competitive gaming as working
method.

The project started
with brainstorming sessions to gather information for the project's activities.
The brainstorming sessions took the form of questionnaires asking for
descriptions of everyday life, gaming habits and aspirations for the community
of gaming, among other things. The surveys were addressed to young people and
young adults and professionals working with young people in different contexts.
The results of the surveys were used to design of the project content and to
publish an infographic and an article manuscript.

During the project,
two coaching group models were developed, implemented, and modelled: the
'Get employed by gaming!' - work-life coaching group and the
'Get employed by gaming!' - wellbeing coaching group. The focus of
the coaching groups was on collaborative gaming, which was combined with
various coaching themes. The work-life coaching group sessions focused on
working life and teamwork skills and recognizing one's own competences. In the
wellbeing coaching group sessions, participants worked goal-oriented on
developing relaxation skills, everyday life management and physical activity.
The coaching group models are described in the article manuscripts. A guide for
the implementation of the community-based game coaching was produced from the
practical implementation of the coaching sessions.

The coaching groups
sessions paid particular attention to inclusion and positive talk about digital
gaming. All participants were asked for feedback on the coaching sessions.
Around one third of the project participants (n=44) were interviewed in groups about
their experiences of inclusion in the coaching sessions and in different gaming
communities.

Digital gaming was
seen as a very meaningful part of life for most of the participants in the
coaching sessions. They stressed that they would not have participated in the
coaching group activities without gaming together and the associated game
coaching. The different gaming communities (both in and outside of games)
provided important experiences of community and inclusion for the participants.
However, the interviews revealed that digital gaming is not always seen as an
encouraged activity in services or in close networks. The experiences of
inclusion in gaming that emerged from the interviews were used in the trainings
and publications organized by the project, and especially in the production of
the content of the 'Towards positive talk about digital gaming'-
guide.

The project
organized 'GameStory' -sessions to bring together game and e-sports
stakeholders in the Central Finland region and the target group of the project.
They served as meeting places and were organized in different ways. In
addition, several training sessions were organized during the project for the
social- and health care professionals, rehabilitation units and employment
services. The project also participated in various events and conferences where
the project activities and results were presented in both national and
international fora. The project's activities and results have been
comprehensively described in various publications and on the project's website:
www.jamk.fi/pelatenduuniin.

More information:
project manager Katja Kokkinen ([email protected], 0400 976767)