Are you a (n aspiring) game developer who’s run out of great ideas for new games? To celebrate the scorching hot Tokyo summer, here’s a treat especially for the game developers working in Finland or those developers well versed in the intricacies of Finnish culture. Please note that the foundations of this idea are somewhat unique to the Finnish culture, but it should be relatively effortless to understand the gist of it.

Talkoot – communal work

Especially back in the days ‘talkoot’ was about working together with your neighbors to, for example, renovate your house’s roof, do garden work, or just strive towards a common goal. No money was involved, as it was more about helping others and doing things together. Usually, once the project was completed, the hosts would serve food and drinks to the participants to thank them for their efforts. Sounds great, right? Recently the phenomenon has been rediscovered, as younger generations have organized various talkoot-esque events in major cities in their neighborhood. This, I believe, serves as a good opportunity to create a mobile game focusing on talkoot, or communal work. 

As you can see, the idea is still really, really basic and rough, but it doesn’t get more Finnish than this! The game could contain different levels focusing on organizing and joining talkoot. When organizing, the purpose would be to ensure your neighbors and friends get the shit done, while as a participating member, your objective would be to avoid responsibility while claiming to take political responsibility. Bonus levels, on the other hand, would focus on intoxicating your character and making sure they make it home safe and sound.

Perhaps it’s because of the heat, or maybe, just maybe, this might be a brilliant idea…