What is Better Games Together?

A collective of Finnish game studios with the shared goal of making the game industry safer and more accepting of LGBTQIA+ people and their identities. The collective currently consists of Metacore, Next Games, Rovio, Supercell, and the NGO We in Games Finland.

Why?

We know that diverse teams make better games, and we know through research conducted by We in Games that there is a portion of the Finnish game industry that identifies as LGBTQIA+. With these facts in mind, it is essential for the quality and success of our studios and products that everyone feels safe and accepted in the workplace. We’ve come together because we believe change for better inclusivity and diversity for LGBTQIA+ people needs to happen across the industry, not just in some companies. By working together, we can learn together, share learnings, create a bigger impact, and help LGBTQIA+ employees connect throughout the Finnish games industry.

How we plan to achieve this

  • Educating ourselves and our colleagues through training events and educational opportunities
  • Focusing on the things we can change within our studios
  • Creating a network of LGBTQIA+ people within the game industry through events and parties
  • Investing in the future by organizing events for LGBTQIA+ youth to learn about working in games
  • Working with organizations in the Finnish game industry, like Neogames and We in Games

We recognize that no studio is perfect and that we are all at different stages regarding diversity and inclusion within our cultures. We are not looking for “perfect” studios to join us but rather studios who share our passion and dreams.

What does it mean to join Better Games Together?

  • You commit to the same aforementioned goals
  • You will take part in planning and steering meetings, helping to build the future of Better Games Together
  • Your studio is able to organize events for the BGT community, and your colleagues are able to join other BGT events and trainings

Sponsoring Pride

The most visible time of the year for Better Games Together has been Helsinki Pride Month. We’ve sponsored Pride as an official partner two years in a row from the wishes of our companies’ LGBTQIA+ employees and allies to celebrate diversity within our industry, show support for LGBTQIA+ people inside and outside the industry, and to set an example for other (games) companies to follow. 

When we sponsor Helsinki Pride, we don’t put our own individual studio logos there, but rather the Better Games Together logo. For our studios, this isn’t about marketing or PR, but rather our message – we believe that we can achieve better results in inclusivity together. Because of this, we sponsor and celebrate Helsinki Pride together as one.

Helsinki Pride has been one initiative, amongst others, and it requires a monetary commitment from all the BGT companies who want to be part of the Pride partnership.

What does it mean to join Better Games Together x Helsinki Pride collaboration?

  • As a BGT member, you can choose to join our shared Helsinki Pride collaboration
    • The partnership has a price tag, so all the BGT companies involved will have a monetary commitment
  • You will become an official partner of Helsinki Pride, which will grant you access to everything that is included in the partnership, for example
    • BGT walking block and truck at Helsinki Pride
    • A representative from your studio can join Helsinki Pride-related events and trainings
    • Organize official BGT x Pride events during the Pride Month/Week

How can we join Better Games Together?

  1. Your studio is taking meaningful action to support LGBTQIA+ colleagues
  2. Make sure that:
    • You share our goals
    • You are able to commit some level of time and money to the project
    • You are based in Finland
      • Not based in Finland? Feel free to steal this concept!
  3. Go through the checklist below and answer these questions, either as a group within your organization or as a self-reflection
  4. Make a list of the concrete things that are happening in your studio, and send it to joinus@bettergamestogether.fi
    • We are interested in the concrete things that are happening and care more about the content of your message than how it looks or how poetically it is written, so don’t stress about the presentation! 
  5. A BGT steering group consisting of representatives of the existing BGT companies will review the list/application and get back to you!

Checklist for joining BGT

  • What is the state of Diversity and Inclusion within your company regarding LGBTQIA+ colleagues, and how do you track it?
    • Are you running surveys?

Anonymous surveys are a great way to gather information about how your colleagues feel about these topics. Creating a short, anonymous Google form with just a handful of questions can be a huge help.

  • Who is involved in your DEI work?
    • How committed is studio leadership?

While Studio Leadership doesn’t need to be aware of every meeting or discussion, it is important that they believe in the broader cause and understand why these things are important. Consider having a discussion with them!

  • Are the initiatives employee-driven, top-down, HR-driven, or something else?
  • Are your LGBTQIA+ employees on board with the actions you are taking?

Why We Ask: BGT exists to support our colleagues, and we take any accusations of “rainbow-washing” very seriously. We want to avoid a situation where a company would join us and our messaging, only to hear that the studio was doing this without the consent and support of their LGBTQIA+ employees. 

  • Do you have any Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) related to LGBTQIA+ people?
    • What kinds of things do they do?

Starting an ERG is easy. Simply make a Slack post and see who is interested! Find out more here.

  • If you don’t have an ERG, how about a general D&I steering group?
  • What are the concrete actions you’ve taken to create a more inclusive workplace?
    • Is company language inclusive? Do you have gender-neutral bathrooms? Are you using pronouns on Slack?

While these things might seem small, they make a big difference. 

BEtter games together representatives for each company

  • Anni Mäkitalo – Metacore
  • Felicia Prehn – Next Games / Netflix Finland
  • Yumi Oishi – Rovio
  • Viivi Ali-Löytty – Supercell
  • Essi Jukkala – We in Games Finland