Patty Toledo

Project Manager / Lab Master

OULU GAME LABGame Education through

the LA`B Model

- Pre-incubator-style, multidisciplinary

game education program to create

new talent

- Follows Studio+ model

- 30 + 30 ECTS for a year study

- Purpose:

- New Employment

- New Game Companies

- More Experienced

Professionals

OULU GAME LAB

- Course based

- Often non-multidisciplinary

- Theoretical

- Prepares for existing jobs

- Studio model:

- Multidisciplinary

- Learn by doing

- Helps understand other

professions

TRADITIONAL EDUCATION

- Strongly

multidisciplinary

- Business & innovation

oriented

- Closest to the working

life

- Startup minded

- Prepares people to

create new jobs

LAB –MODEL =

STARTUP DNA

Programmers,

Testers

AI designers

WHO PARTICIPATES IN OGL?

Graphical artists

Audio designers,

Scriptwriters

3D modelers

Producers, Marketers,

Entrepreneurs, Managers

Game designers,

Level designers

Oulu Game Lab

30+30 ECTS

WHERE DO THE PARTICIPANTS COME FROM?

Oulu University of Applied

Sciences

45% of Students

Culture – Business - Technical

Open University

45% of Students

International

Exchange

Students

10% of Students

Oulu

University Oulu

Vocational

College

Unemployed

professionals

Anyone with

proper

starting

skills

Experience

Professions

SECRET SAUCE OF OULU GAME LAB

Love for

games

OGL THE BIG PICTURE

DEMO

DEMO

DEMO

DEMO

DEMO

GAME + Startup(?)

GAME + Startup(?)

GAME + Startup(?)

Co

nce

pt

De

sig

n

Gate

1

Gate

2

Gate

3

WHAT WE HAVE DONE

3 years

9+2 Start-Ups

26 Game Demos

100 Game Concepts

180 New Game Professionals

6500+ ECTS

Over a dozen business competition wins

Selections as one the 100 Most Promising European Game Startups

At best over 20 million downloads for a single game

2½ bigger budget, twice the staff

4 new LABs starting

AND WE’RE EXPANDING!

Oulu Soho 2012-2013 Oulu Covent Garden 2013->

200 square meters 270 square meters (+130 sqm)

~30 students ~45 students (+30 students)

- Solve the biggest problem:

- New team with no track-record

= no funding

- Be the umbrella to provide for a

year:

- Skills through education

- Coaching

- Office space

- Licenses

- Networking possibilities

- Equipment

PRE-INCUBATOR

- Cooperation with Kouvola

- Game Starter

- Cooperation with Jyväskylä

- Jyväskylä Game Lab

- Cooperation with Ylivieska

- Game education since Q4/2008

-> Centria Game Lab

- Cooperation Joensuu Science Park

- Expansion in OUAS

- 4 new Labs starting in 2015

LAB MODEL EXPANSION IN FINLAND

- Cooperation with Sendai, Japan

- Global Lab Sendai

- Cooperation with Lithuania

- Vilnius Game Lab

- Cooperation with Romania

- Timisoara Game Lab

- Cooperation with Netherlands

- Hanze Game Lab

- Negotiations with 6 other countries

ongoing

- Internationalization as goal for business

growth

EDUCATION EXPORT

WE’RE THE ONLY GAME EDUCATION

MODEL IN FINLAND DOING EXPORT!

WE’RE THE LEADING GAME PRE-

INCUBATOR IN THE WORLD!

WE’RE THE #1 PLACE TO START GAME

COMPANIES IN FINLAND (AND

EUROPE)

- OGL makes sure startups have the right structure,

sustainable business model & first product

- The students become more experienced professionals

from the start and deal better with risk management

- Business Oulu starts helping after teams “graduate”

from OGL

- In Autumn 2015, a new, national Game Accelerator will

start operation in Oulu

OULU GAME LAB AS PART OF AN

ECOSYSTEM

- For companies that are sustainable,

but potentially ready to grow

- Support for growth for 6-9 months

- Prepare teams for A Round

- Professional board of advisors

- Analytics, publishing, investing

etc. know-how

- First foreign teams to join in January

2016

- Fund to join later

GAME ACCELERATOR

ALREADY WORKING ON THE NEXT STEP

Oulu

Game

Lab

Incubator

WIP

GameAccelerator

Global

Lab

Sendai

Vilnius

Game

Lab

1st year 2nd year 3rd year

WinnerCompanies!=

- OGL makes sure startups have the right structure,

sustainable business model & first product with income

= decrease of initial risks / better management skills

- Business Oulu starts helping after teams “graduate”

from OGL = Assistance on acquiring funding / legal

matters / support with contracts

- In Autumn 2015 a new, national Game Accelerator will

start operation in Oulu = Seed funding for the best start-

ups / support for innovation

LAB MODEL CREATING BETTER BUSINESS

Patty Toledo

Patty.toledo@oamk.fi

OULU IS THE SILICON VALLEY OF

GAMES IN 2017!

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING