IGDA Helsinki Presents:
March Meetup with Laavu Performance and Small Giant Games
11.03.2025
IGDA Helsinki March Meetup – Next Week!
At our March Meetup, we’ll explore what mental resilience means in our industry. How do we stay strong under creative pressure? How can leaders actively support their team's well-being?
Join us for a panel discussion with Tuire Korvuo (Laavu Performance), Salla Ibrahim (Laavu Performance) and Ari Kuokka (Small Giant Games), where they’ll share real experiences, expert insights, and practical strategies for building resilience that lasts. See you there!
WHAT:
IGDA Helsinki March Meetup with Laavu Performance and Small Giant Games
WHEN:
Tuesday 11.03.
Doors open at 17:00
Program starts at 17:30
WHERE:
Maxine, Kamppi shopping center, 6th floor (Elevators can be found on the E-floor, between Jungle Juice Bar and Rax). Note that Maxine is a 18+ venue, hence you must be 18+ years of age to attend.
PROGRAM:
Panel: Leading Mental Resilience in The Gaming Industry - faciliated by Tuire Korvuo, panelists Salla Ibrahim and Ari Kuokka
Our March Demo Corner is already full. Come check out some cool demos and give feedback!
At the Chat Corner, we’re excited to host an AMA session with Aki Kanerva from 19:30 to 20:30.
It's time for the IGDA Finland Grant 2025! We had our first ever Grant last year (with the chosen game coming out this summer) and this year we’re continuing our program to support people starting their career in the industry with their first(ish) game! More details at the Meetup.
Panel: Leading Mental Resilience in The Gaming Industry
The world of gaming presents unique challenges to mental resilience. This panel explores what mental resilience means—both from a psychological perspective and through personal experiences. The panel will be facilitated by Tuire Korvuo, a psychologist at Laavu Performance with extensive experience supporting professionals in the gaming industry. Our panelists, Salla Ibrahim, the co-founder and co-CEO of Laavu Performance and Ari Kuokka, a design lead at Small Giant Games will discuss the biggest resilience challenges in the industry, how to break down stigma, and why mental well-being should be actively led, not just encouraged.
How can leaders foster resilience in their teams? What practical steps can individuals take to take care of their own mental resilience and maintain long-term well-being? Join us for an insightful conversation on balancing creativity, performance, and mental health in gaming.
Panelists
The panel will be facilitated by Tuire Korvuo, a psychologist at Laavu with extensive experience supporting professionals in the gaming industry. Tuire is passionate about helping individuals and teams balance ambition with psychological sustainability—one of the key challenges in the fast-paced world of gaming.
Salla Ibrahim is a psychologist and the co-founder of Laavu Performance. Specializing in psychological coaching, Salla and her team at Laavu are dedicated to helping individuals and teams enhance both their performance and well-being. With her previous experience in gaming at Ubisoft RedLynx and her current role supporting business leaders from top-tier startups and gaming companies in Finland, Salla offers a unique perspective on developing mental resilience at both individual and team levels within the gaming industry.
Ari Kuokka is a game industry veteran with 10+ years of experience developing mobile games and leading various teams. Currently working as a lead designer at Small Giant Games. Ari experienced a personal burnout 2016 which made him re-think his own working habits but also gave a new perspective into mental resilience.
The Chat Corner will be open and ready for chatting. We’re excited to host an AMA session with Aki Kanerva from 19:30 to 20:30. Aki (he/they) is a veteran indie developer, expert generalist, wearer of all the hats, and game startup mentor in LGIN and other incubators. He founded Virtual Air Guitar Company in 2006 and is currently CTO at Psyon Games. He speaks and translates people, processes, code, business, and marketing.
AMA topics to ask about from Aki: entrepreneurship, game design, Unity, production, company processes, leadership, motion games, applied (health) games, mentorship and support resources, DevOps.
ACCESSIBILITY:
At IGDA Helsinki we strive for making our events accessible for everyone. We kindly ask all attendees to stay away from using strong perfumes or similar fragrances. The Meetups can be crowded at times, meaning that the sound volume can also become rather loud.
Maxine is wheelchair accessible. There's a few steps at the entrance, for that please ask security at the cloakroom for a ramp. Accessible toilet can be found at the back of the space.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding any type of accessibility of our Meetups, then please contact helsinki@igda.fi and we will do our best to assist you.
