Finland
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[edit] Overview of Finland
Finland is a Scandinavian country located next to Sweden, Estonia, Russia and Norway in the Northern Europe. Climate of Finland is temperate/subarctic, with average annual temperature of 5,5˚C in South-Eastern Finland, whereas the average temperature in Lapland can remain below zero degrees centigrade annually. The colds in winters can reach as low as -20–30˚C (all time low is -51,5˚C), and in summer heats may go over +30˚C. Finland has population of c. 5,3 million (September 2007 figure) and has two official languages, Finnish and Swedish. In addition, there are significant minorities speaking Sami language and Russian. As immigration has increased into Finland, also many other ethnic and language groups are currently represented. Majority of Finnish population are members of Finnish Lutheran Protestant church. Finland is scarcely populated in relation to its size, and the average population density is c. 15 persons per square kilometre. Since 1960s there has been transfer of people moving from countryside to cities, and the largest single congregation of population lives in the metropolitan area surrounding the capital Helsinki (c. 1,5 million people). (More of Finland; see the Wikipedia article <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland>; Finnish key facts in Statistics Finland <http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tup/suoluk/index_en.html >.)
[edit] History of digital play in Finland
(Note: this historical overview is mostly based on anecdotal evidence and is subject of revision as new research comes available. The Main sources used in this section are: Suominen 2003; Saarikoski 2004.)
The earliest computer in Finland was IBM 650 (“Ensi”) acquired by Postipankki (a state-owned bank, Post-savings bank of Finland). Ensi, like other early computers in Finland was used also sometimes for organizing sessions for management simulation games.
There had also existed a domestic effort to produce a native, Finnish computer since 1954, called ESKO, but imported information technology had major role in early development of Finnish computerisation. Probably earliest electronic game in Finland was (like quite many other countries) version of NIM-game, produced by constructors of ESKO (Paju 2003, [1]).
From 1950s to 1970s the computerisation developed little by little, still only some few hundred computers existed in the beginning of 1970s. But the increase rate was rapid compared to the rather small size of urban Finland in that period. (Suominen 2003; Saarikoski 2004, 35-41)
There has been no similarly successful arcade game manufacturers in Finland like Atari in the USA or Namco, Taito and Nintendo in Japan. Nevertheless arcade gaming systems have been imported in Finland, but digital gaming arcades have remained only moderately popular. In a small Finnish town or village it has been more typical to find a mechanical or electronic slot machine (e.g. “pajatso”, Finnish version of Bajazzo style coin games) than a video gaming device. Small “electronic games” such as Nintendo’s Game & Watch series also entered into Finnish homes during the 1980s. (Saarikoski 2004, 218-220, 233-234)
Unlike video gaming arcades, home computers became rather popular in Finland. Programming of microcomputer games started by computer hobbyists already in late 1970s. There had also been an increase of “television games” (first and second generation video game systems) marketed in Finland during the late 1970s, and during the 1980s several programmable home computers became available in Finland. Notable among them were ZX Spectrum, VIC-20, Commodore 64 (C64) and various versions of Amiga home computers. Particularly Commodore 64 gathered many young computer hobbyists around it in Finland, as in several other countries. The importer of C64 advertised the device visibly as “Tasavallan tietokone”. (The Computer of Republic).(Saarikoski 2004, 104)
Early computer hobbyists in Finland were mostly men, and in some cases they had started by building their own computers from computer construction kits. Learning the engineering of computer as well as the fundamentals of computer programming languages were important elements in the pioneering phase of late 1970s and early 1980s. The entertainment use of computers was nevertheless also an integral part of the hobby early on. Programming simple games was perceived as a rewarding way to learn computers as well as to have fun at the same time. As home computers and availability of commercial game software increased, the character of computer gaming started to change. A vibrant grassroots movement was born around pirated games. Particularly as C64 games could be copied from compact audio cassette to another using regular tape recorders, it became possible to have extensive collections of games without major investments of money. As game producers included various styles of copy protection into their games, it became an important part of this computer subculture to show skill in cracking the copy, and then to program a self-made “intro” to be distributed along with the cracked version of game. Intros then were developed into entire procedurally generated artworks (“demos”). It has sometimes been claimed that significant part of future Finnish computer and games professionals gained their basic skills within this subculture, which became later known as “demo scene”. (Saarikoski 2004, chapter 4.5)
[edit] Main contemporary characteristics
Both computer, console and mobile games are rather popular currently in Finland, and all important gaming systems are widely available and sometimes featured also by more mainstream media. The public perception of gaming in Finland is somewhat ambiguous. At the same time it is possible to see the success of Finnish game companies (like Remedy Entertainment or Bugbear Entertainment) to be heralded as positive signs of Finnish continuing excellence in high-tech, but on the other hand also public concern about the notable role Internet and games have gained in the lives of younger generations.
Here are some of the findings derived from a study by University of Tampere (see Pilot Study of the Role of Digital Play in Finnish Society).
According to a survey (n=805), a typical Finnish digital game player is c. 37 years old man or woman who plays less than two hours per week, and the most typical came is computer Solitaire. Taking multiple factors into account, it is possible to define roughly half of the Finnish people as digital gamers (53 % - for the full criteria see the InGa Survey 2007, p. 39-40). The more intensive forms of digital games cultures appear to be focused on younger generations. When asked whether they were “games hobbyists”, 8 % of the respondents were willing to accept being “gamer” in this way as part of their identity. Most of these very active gamers were young men, below 34 years of age.
The play of digital games appears to have already spread in all demographic groups in the Finnish society, and there are no clear division lines in terms of education, employment situation or other life situation whether a person is more likely to be gamer or not. Age and gender remain as the main division lines, where males and young people are more likely to be intensely interested in playing computer and video games, whereas older people and women are more likely to be not interested. However, the largest single group of Solitaire players was the middle-aged women.
More popular and more evenly distributed into Finnish society are traditional games and money games. These include such classic game types as card and board games, various puzzle style games, sports and outdoor games, as well as lottery, slot machine gaming, betting and scratch cards. Taken the prevalence of these game forms in different age and gender groups, Finland can be characterised as a traditional games and betting game nation.
For more information, see Pilot Study of the Role of Digital Play in Finnish Society.
[edit] Subcultures of gaming in Finland
(This sub-entry is under construction; please add observations about some notable Finnish gamer / game player groups, popularity of different game genres etc.)
[edit] Games and media in Finland
Digital games and play have been featured in various ways in Finnish media. In context of major events like recent Jokela school shooting in Tuusula, media often jumps to make the connection between violent games and possible media influences. However, there are also regularly more positive and constructive news about games and play, and some major newspapers have special editors and pages reserved for writing about gaming and games industry news. Mostly this will involve reviews of recent notable game releases, but also more comprehensive and analytical stories are sometimes published. This is also true for dedicated games media, like gaming magazines (Pelit and Pelaaja as two major examples). Pelit magazine is claimed to be the oldest and biggest game magazine in Finland, and one of the major ones even in European scale. Dedicated television shows have also featured regular game reviews and news pieces, like Tilt.tv (MTV3) and Play (Nelonen), both on nationally distributed commercial television channels. However, there are no television channels that would be entirely dedicated to digital gaming in Finland.
[edit] Featured studies
- Saarikoski, Petri. Koneen lumo: mikrotietokoneharrastus Suomessa 1970-luvulta 1990-luvun puoliväliin. Jyväskylä: Jyväskylän yliopisto, 2004.
- Suominen, Jaakko. Koneen kokemus: tietoteknistyvä kulttuuri modernisoituvassa Suomessa 1920-luvulta 1970-luvulle. Tampere: Vastapaino, 2003.
- Ermi, Laura, Satu Heliö & Frans Mäyrä. Pelien voima ja pelaamisen hallinta: lapset ja nuoret pelikulttuurien toimijoina. Tampere: University of Tampere, 2004. Hypermedia Laboratory Net Series, 6. Online: http://tampub.uta.fi/haekokoversio.php?id=53
- Kallio, Kirsi Pauliina, Kirsikka Kaipainen & Frans Mäyrä. Gaming Nation? Piloting the International Study of Games Cultures in Finland. Hypermedia Laboratory Net Series, 14. Tampere: University of Tampere, 2007. Online: http://tampub.uta.fi/haekokoversio.php?id=202
