– As games and gaming are, in one way or another, part of everyone’s life in Finland, it is important that this significant cultural phenomenon has its own museum in Finland. Having operated under the umbrella of the Museum Centre Vapriikki for ten years, the Finnish Museum of Games has earned a special place in the hearts of its visitors. The renovation was undertaken in consultation with visitors and stakeholders, so that the update could revitalise the exhibition without losing the Museum’s unique character, says Heidi Gottskalk, Director of Museum Services.
– The Finnish Museum of Games would not be on display on its current scale without its supporters. Dozens of companies from the games and technology sectors, as well as over a thousand private individuals, have taken part in the museum’s fundraising campaigns in 2015 and again in 2026. On both occasions, the funding has been used to make the museum’s exhibition even more interactive, in line with visitors’ wishes, explains Heidi Gottskalk.
The exhibition’s 110 Finnish games comprise not only digital games but also role-playing games, board and card games, and LARPs. Driving simulators and miniature games are also featured in the exhibition. Chronologically, the exhibition begins with 19th-century board games and spans over a century of gaming history right up to this year’s releases.
– Several people were involved in selecting the games for the museum. The aim is to highlight a variety of games that represent some aspect of Finnish gaming culture: for example, ‘Unemployment Simulator 2018’, a new addition to the Finnish Museum of Games, represents simulation games, of which there have been many produced in Finland. Adding new games to the exhibition means that some older ones will have to be left out, but their significance will not be lost. Interviews about these games will be available in the Museum’s new video room, says researcher Asla Heikkari.
The Finnish Museum of Games showcases, researches and archives phenomena relating to gaming culture, the history of the games industry and materials of significance to gamers within the collections of the Tampere Museums. A defining feature of the Museum’s work is that it is carried out in collaboration with various communities.
One of the Museum’s longest-standing partners is Pelikonepeijoonit, a group of three enthusiasts who have been documenting Finnish gaming history since 1999. Pelikonepeijoonit has donated its collection, comprising hundreds of devices and thousands of games, for use in the Museum’s exhibitions.
The Finnish Museum of Games has dedicated space for rotating mini-exhibitions that broadly explore topics related to gaming. The new mini-exhibition ‘Pelaaja – Challenger’ delves into the world of Finnish games journalism through a significant games publication. Interviews with the magazine’s contributors and loaned artefacts offer a fascinating insight into the development of Finnish games journalism in the 2000s. The exhibition has been curated by veteran games journalist Jukka O. Kauppinen.
