# Can play help solve regional challenges? Lessons from cooperation across borders - Savonia AMK

> What can gamified approaches offer regional development? InnoGS highlights lessons from cooperation across borders.

## Rethinking Gamification in Regional Development
The InnoGS project explores how gamified approaches can support participation, skills development, and regional vitality in Northern Europe. Initially perceived as mere entertainment or small tricks, gamification is now understood by the project team as a form of "game thinking"—a way to facilitate discussions, explore diverse perspectives, imagine alternatives, and build collaborative solutions.

## Addressing Challenges in Sparsely Populated Areas
In regions facing youth out-migration, talent retention issues, and unequal access to services, InnoGS focuses on leveraging local knowledge and community potential. The project emphasizes that there is no "one-size-fits-all" model; instead, it develops approaches tailored to specific local contexts.

## The Value of Cross-Border Cooperation
The project brings together a diverse range of organizations, including education, research, regional development, and the game industry. 

*   **Creative Crowd (CEO Johan Linder):** "InnoGS has shown us the value of learning across borders. Working with partners from different countries has enabled us to compare approaches, challenge our assumptions, and co-create solutions that respond to shared societal challenges."

## Practical Applications and Lessons
Concrete examples of the project's impact include:
*   **Finland:** Youth-oriented game camps and digital youth communities have created low-threshold ways for young people to connect and build skills.
*   **Sweden and Ireland:** Ecosystem-building work has utilized shared physical spaces to foster creativity and local vitality.
*   **Methodology:** The project emphasizes designing initiatives *with* youth and stakeholders, rather than *for* them, to ensure accessibility, trust, and relevance.

## Role-Playing as a Development Tool
A key method used by the project is role-playing to address regional challenges. During the Interreg NPA 25th anniversary event, participants used role-play to simulate regional scenarios. This method proved effective in:
*   Breaking down complex issues into approachable segments.
*   Helping stakeholders (parents, municipal representatives, youth workers) understand different perspectives.
*   Moving from abstract concerns to concrete, actionable ideas for local community support.

## Future Directions
As InnoGS enters its second half, the project will:
*   Deepen existing pilots and strengthen cooperation.
*   Explore new applications for game thinking, such as supporting diplomacy-related skills among young people.
*   Link community skills and rural development to broader geopolitical themes in the Arctic context.

## Project Information
This work is part of the Innovation through Gamified Solutions (InnoGS) project, co-funded by the European Union through Interreg NPA.

**Project Team:**
*   **Mariia Hämäläinen:** RDI Specialist, InnoGS Project Manager, Savonia University of Applied Sciences
*   **Rebekka Mannelqvist:** Project Coordinator, Region Västerbotten
*   **Johan Linder:** CEO, Creative Crowd

## Resources and Links
*   [InnoGS project homepage](https://www.interreg-npa.eu/projects/innogs/)
*   [When games and regional development met – InnoGS project partners’ visit to Finland](https://www.interreg-npa.eu/projects/innogs/home/news-events/new-article-when-games-and-regional-development-met-innogs-project-partners-visit-to-finland/)
*   [“Bring Something Here for Us, Too!” – Young people’s wishes and participation barriers in remote areas](https://www.interreg-npa.eu/projects/innogs/home/news-events/new-article-bring-something-here-for-us-too-young-people-s-wishes-and-participation-barriers-in-remote-areas/)