Tuesday. 3.11
Registration 8.45–9.15
Opening words 9.15–9.30
Keynote 9.30–10.30
Ulla Richardson (University of Jyväskylä) – Bubbling up: The making of evidence-based learning game Lukukupla to support reading skill development
Session 1 (Gambling) 10.30–11.30
Varismaa – Oh how we love to gamble: Addictive gacha mechanics in Pokémon TCG, consumerism, and life in a dopamine-deprived world
Caus – Are gacha games real games? A case study of The Game Awards and nominated games
Rautoja – Product and interface design features in online gambling: A scoping review
Kinnunen – How to prevent gambling and gaming harm in changing gam(bl)ing landscape?
Session 2 (Young people, community, and institutions) 11.30–12.30
Taino – Neurodiversity inclusion in digital game activities
Ståhl & Rusk – Situated learning and identity among youth playing CS:GO – An example of interdisciplinary game research in Finland
Pelkonen – Making Roblox analyzable in school: Transcontextual meaning-making in collaborative game analysis
Rantanen & Ruotsalainen – Full gallop ahead: Sportification of hobbyhorsing and bodies at play
Lunch 12.30–13.30
The winners of the Game studies thesis competition 2026 13.30–14.15
Varismaa – Why to play? – What motivates players to participate in orthogamic trading card game play
Berger – Ambiguity and Aastraction as tools to foster interpretation of video game narratives
Korpela – Harmless and useful, disastrous and unnecessary: Public discussion on the legalization of gambling in 1920s Finland
Session 3 (Situated gaming) 14.15–15.15
Meriläinen – Changing for the better? Men in gaming through the lens of critical hope
Friman, Kalmanlehto, Maletska & Taino – Game cultural participation, inclusion, and exclusion in Finland
Maletska – Embodiment, genders and cultures in video game interactions: highlights of the dissertation study on TGD players’experiences
Mohammed – Understanding esports diffusion and ecosystem formation in MENA
Coffee 15.15–15.45
Session 4 (History) 15.45–16.30
Lahti – Spelledare or Dungeon Master? English expressions in Swedish texts about role-playing games in Finnish publications
Suominen, Reunanen & Nylund – Games as difficult heritage: Issues, examples and possible solutions
Välisalo – Gambling in 19th century Finland
Session 5 (Worlds beyond) 16.30–17.15
Hoang – The flexibility of affordance in puzzle games and how it enables us to understand dreams
Piispanen – Quantum games as an extreme case of interdisciplinary game development
Viitasalo – The ethics of single-player video games: ethically significant contexts and morally relevant entities
Dinner 19.00 at Taproom Hiisi
Wednesday 4.11
Keynote 9.30–10.30
Annakaisa Kultima (Aalto University) – Praxiological criticality in game studies
Session 1 (Methodology) 10.30–11.30
Davidsson – Modding a method: Introducing adaptational mythocritique in video game research
Mansikka – The study of religion and videogames so far
Özkan & Bas – Cheating in context: A scenario-based analysis of avid players’ motivations in digital games
Session 2 (Game feels) 11.30–12.30
DSouza, Galeote, Nikoletta-Zampeta & Hamari – Potential model for juiciness
Kauraoja – The player appeal of randomness in games and gambling: A review and conceptual analysis
Heikkilä, Tuuri & Vahlo – First impressions: A mixed-methods analysis of affective music in video game opening scenes
Salmirinne – Extracting audiovisual rhythm features to study suspense in sports and esports livestreams
Lunch 12.30–13.30
Reminiscing Play Workshop 13.30–14.30
Session 3 (Game Industry) 14.30–15.15
Valja – Skills competitions in art and design of games
Poikela – Praxis of game writing and narrative design
Koskinen, Ruotsalainen & Tuuri – Designing fun—Understandings of fun across game and educational industries
Coffee 15.15–15.45
Session 4 (State of game research in Finland) 15.45–16.15
Kolehmainen – Critical approaches in Finnish Game Studies – A scoping review
Korkeila – Findings from the “The meta of game and play research in Finland: A registered report” phase 2
Sotamaa – The changing roles of national-level disciplinary associations
Closing words 16.15–16.30