How To Hire Game Devs: The Vagueness of Talent Import Practices and the Role of Gamer Identity in the Finnish Game Industry

This research explores international recruitment and hiring practices in the game industry through interviews with twelve talent experts responsible for recruitment, onboarding, and relocation in Finland. Findings reveal no significant differences between Finnish game companies’ assessment criteria for domestic and international hires. Rather, in both cases, seeking similarities between the candidates and the hiring decision makers with the vague concept called “chemistry” were foregrounded. Furthermore, the precarious position of talent experts and the lack of resources for establishing long-term or diversified hiring strategies were reported. Overall, the research highlights that assessment criteria for game development competence remain underdeveloped, underscoring the need for greater awareness of human factors in order to foster more inclusive hiring and training practices for future game developers.