Localized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Challenges and Solutions in Game Culture Environments

This study examines diversity, equity, and inclusion in Finnish game culture, arguing that DEI efforts must reflect local cultural, political, and structural conditions rather than adopting globally uniform models. Drawing on two online co-design workshops with eight stakeholders from municipal services, esports, education, the game industry, and community organizations, the research offers a qualitative account of how Finland's game cultural sector currently approaches inclusion. The authors position their work against a broader research literature that has concentrated heavily on gender while giving limited attention to other marginalized groups, and against a recognized gap between Nordic anti-discrimination legislation and everyday practice.

The findings reveal more challenges than successes. Participants reported expanded representation, structured community activities, and growing awareness of diversity, but also described persistent stereotypes, administrative and funding gaps, and societal resistance. Gender, particularly binary gender, remains the dominant DEI focus, with women concentrated in administrative and human resources roles and discrimination against women and disabled people persisting despite Finland's reputation for equality. The authors partly attribute the narrow focus to Finland's relatively late adoption of broader anti-discrimination frameworks, and they identify a widespread "illusion of an equal society" that discourages proactive equity work.

The study also highlights structural dynamics shaping responses. Support is fragmented, access to resources varies between regions, and many influential organizations are volunteer-run non-profits dependent on community and public funding. Consistent with Finland's welfare-society model and tradition of associative governance, stakeholders favored collective, publicly supported solutions, including shared public gaming spaces, game literacy education, stable funding, minimum DEI requirements, and a national game cultural strategy. Toxicity and harassment were widely recognized as serious concerns. The authors conclude that solutions must be tailored to local contexts and that further research on regional game cultures is needed.