GAME EDUCATION & INDUSTRY

Gamification of learning

Gaming industry is booming in Finland

Gamification is an educational approach to motivate students to learn by the use of game elements. Learning is most effective when enjoyment is engaged in the learning process. The region of North Karelia is home to 10% of the total number of game companies in Finland. The local industry focuses on the development of games for mobile devices, PCs, online use, serious games, and games for health.

We invite you to learn with us, our doors are open for visits.

Gaming in education

• All of our higher educational institutes offer studies related to the field of gaming in education.
• All the institutions co-operate and also arrange shared courses.
• Discover the best know-how from all of them combined.

Game development & 3D production—unique study programmes

Become a professional educational game producer

• Riveria offers a degree programme to qualify as a media service provider
• The game studies programme, offered at Outokumpu, is the longest-standing professional training programme aimed specifically at the game industry in Finland.
• The study programmes are unique in the field of gaming in education, especially at the upper secondary level. The number of applicants exceeds that of available study places every year.
• The programme students are known to be brilliant, especially in the visual production of games. The emphasis is placed on graphics and game design, while other courses focus on photography, video recording, image processing and entrepreneurship.
• Getting qualified in this field prepares the student for work as a 3D graphics artist, level designer or animator.
• The college has excellent connections to business life. Students have the possibility to get training placements at successful game companies around the country.
• The college also has active international connections.
• International students can participate in the study programme, as the instructions can be offered in English.
• Students who have graduated from this programme have gone on to secure positions at top Finnish game companies, such as Remedy Entertainment, Rovio, Housemarque and Frozenbyte.

The Degree Programme in Business Information Technology

The rapidly developing technology field requires very good professional competencies.

• Business Information Technology is a growing field with an increasing demand for applications and services.
• The constant development of the field creates endless possibilities for developing new business models.
• The development also challenges experts to continually update and renew their skills and competencies.
• The Degree Programme in Business Information Technology at Karelia University of Applied Sciences offers an up-to-date and diverse basis for work tasks in the ICT field as well as for developing skills and competencies.
• The programme offers game programming studies, with a focus on the programming aspect of game development.
• Other aspects of game development, such as game design and game art, are addressed through joint projects carried out by Karelia’s own media degree programme as well as Riveria and UEF students. The BIT degree programme has produced several Bachelor theses covering different areas of game programming.
• The studies relate to actual professional projects using modern learning environments. Student in Business IT have the opportunity to build networks with ICT companies and other experts in the field.

The School of Computing

Versatile high-quality education in a highly multicultural learning environment

• The School of Computing is one of the biggest departments within the University of Eastern Finland.
• The School of Computing provides top-class education in the areas of computer science, information technology and statistics.
• The learning environment is highly multicultural with lots of exchange possibilities.
• The research of the School focusses on intelligent media computing, technologies for education, and the development and statistics applications of demography, economics and forest sciences.
• The research groups have good connections to companies and research institutions. Participating in the research groups during one’s studies can significantly benefit a future career.
• Examples of occupational titles of some graduates of the School of Computing include: senior software engineer, quality assurance manager, senior specialist, senior software consultant, business analyst, senior designer, chief technical officer and IT developer.
• The School actively co-operates in the development of digital games in the region. In 2006, the first doctoral studies with a focus on game design—particularly, contextual games—were launched, and today the School of Computing holds game design lectures, carries out IT projects and produces numerous theses and publications related to digital games.

All the study plans of these programmes include guidance in entrepreneurship. A number of game education students have established their own enterprises and started to build up businesses.

Would you like to know more about study programmes in gaming education? You can visit our learning premises and get the best tips for the field. Please, check the visitor programs.