PELIKAN – Developing International Game Development Education
Korhonen, Tanja; Aihkisalo, Kiia; Helin, Tommi; Kinnunen, Niko; Muhonen, Joonas; Sievers, Kirsi; Taipaleenmäki, Juho (2025)
Kajaani University of Applied Sciences
2025
All rights reserved. This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-7522-65-3
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-7522-65-3
Tiivistelmä
Kajaani University of Applied Sciences (KAMK) has been educating game industry professionals for almost 20 years. Education began in 2006 with game programming, and in 2009 it expanded to include game graphics, production, and design. KAMK was among the first institutions in Finland to offer such education and remains a pioneer in the field. Thanks to this education, several game companies have been established in Kajaani, bringing jobs and tax revenue to the region. In recent years, some of these companies have ranked among the largest taxpayers – proof that investing in education has paid off.
The PELIKAN project was launched to make KAMK’s game industry education more international. It was partially funded by the European Union and game industry companies. The need for development arose in 2021–2022, when, after the COVID-19 pandemic, the availability of skilled professionals was one of the game industry’s biggest challenges. Forecasts at the time indicated that Finland would require between 1,000 and 4,000 new employees within 1,5 years. Kajaani’s challenge was attracting and retaining top international talent. To address this, new bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes in game development studies were designed to be taught in English.
The PELIKAN project was launched to make KAMK’s game industry education more international. It was partially funded by the European Union and game industry companies. The need for development arose in 2021–2022, when, after the COVID-19 pandemic, the availability of skilled professionals was one of the game industry’s biggest challenges. Forecasts at the time indicated that Finland would require between 1,000 and 4,000 new employees within 1,5 years. Kajaani’s challenge was attracting and retaining top international talent. To address this, new bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes in game development studies were designed to be taught in English.