Academic Gamers association 10 Years: A Celebration of Playing, Discussing and Contemplating games, play and playfulness
Come celebrate the 10th anniversary of Academic Gamers (Akateemiset Pelaajat ry) and discover how this unique association of deep nerdness became a meeting place for game culture and both formal and informal academic curiosity. Ten years ago, two nerdbusting streams of energies — those of academic nerds and game geeks — collided, giving rise to an association founded on the cultural appreciation of games, play, and conversation and the need to communicate their relevance in the society in a formal level as well.
New worlds were created when the Academic Gamers assocation was originally formed. Akateemiset Pelaajat ry was born during the creation of the first Finnish exhibition on games, when students and researchers of game studies at the University of Tampere decided to form an association. From the beginning, it was clear that the group should not remain a closed circle—everyone who felt intellectually inclined in one way or another and passionate about games and play as cultural phenomena was welcomed. The association’s motto, "Love For Games, Freedom Of Discussion, License To Overthink," has guided its activities from the start and continues to serve as a creative compass for its ever-expanding work.
In this celebratory lecture and encompassing introduction, we will explore the association’s history and its development into a diverse, influential community. We will present some of its events and activities, for example Game Music Experience, Night Time Radio Show, Game Circle, Game Poem Jam, Game Quest, Playful Parlor and it's collaborators and premises such as The Finnish Museum of Games and Onkiniemi Ateljee. The groups' its “core mechanic”: Stories Games Tell has been running for years remotely and is open to everyone, like all the other activity. This monthly online gathering held on the last Sunday evening of each month, where games serve as conversation starters and platforms for deep thinking.
The association now seeks to expand its activities more widely and warmly welcomes new participants from outside Tampere—from all over Finland and even beyond. This presentation is both a reflection on the journey so far and an invitation to help build new worlds together.
This program is suitable for anyone interested in game culture, academic thinking, community, and what happens when games are not only played—but also deeply contemplated.