CoEsports’ year 2024 in a nutshell
The year 2024 has been a significant year for CoEsports network! Through the collaboration of Jamk University of Applied Sciences, the University of Jyväskylä, Finnish Institute of High Performance Sport KIHU, and Gradia, numerous initiatives have been launched in Central Finland to strengthen its appeal as a leading esports region.
Local stakeholders have engaged with our project activities – the business potential of esports has been explored and presented throughout the year in several municipalities and companies in Central Finland. Bold experiments were also undertaken: for example, hosting a Counter-Strike Major tournament watch party at Kankaan Sauna, in collaboration with a sauna entrepreneur interested in the field and students from Tiimiakatemia, was one of the year’s most successful highlights. Through our network activities, professionals have been connected to projects such as the production of the Educational Masters tournament, leading gaming clubs for children and youth, and participating in the Assembly LAN event.
”In 2024, we participated in 21 different events and prepared 15 new assignments related to esports industry development. The CoEsports network now includes 35 business partners and stakeholders.”
The Center of Expertise in Esports in Central Finland made its presence known at events throughout the year, with the consortium playing an active role. Our collaboration with the Sport Suomi network merged sports innovations with esports through InnoLab workshops, while the topic of online gaming safety sparked discussions for the second time at the Digital Security Fair. Additionally, the international Elisa Masters tournament brought top esports talent from across the country to Espoo.
For the first time, we also organized the Esport Nexus event, which gathered academic and commercial esports professionals in Jyväskylä. During the two-day event, research initiatives originating from CoEsports project were showcased. For instance, the Finnish Institute of High Performance Sport KIHU completed its modeling of an esports testing and training environment, while applied research on coaching methods for CS2 players, hosted by Jamk was finalized in 2024.
Our year in numbers
13 networking events
5 business stories
8 event pilots
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remain at the heart of our network activities. Over the course of the year, the collaboration between the CoEsports network and businesses was further deepened, and 17 new participants with an interest in esports joined our network! Together with our members, we also created engaging business stories, which were published on the CoEsports.gg website.
We also reached out to companies through open CoEsports AfterWork events. These formal gatherings fostered new innovations and initiatives, paving the way for deeper collaboration among participants.
We eagerly look forward to 2025 and the grand finale of our project. A heartfelt thank you to all our stakeholders and everyone who has participated in our events and networking activities!
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CoEsports’ year 2024 in a nutshell
Read the second annual review of Center of Expertise in Esports in Central Finland!
BUSINESS STORY: OxyGoal
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We are looking for research participants!
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Greetings from Peliviikko!
During the Game Week, several events took place in Jyväskylä – CoEsports network was also involved in various gaming and esports actions.