Creating a better way of working in Finland

NOEMI CUGUDDA - BRAND PRODUCER

TL;DR

• Joining Housemarque during unprecedented times

• Tips for relocating to Finland

• Nordic work-life balance in Housemarque

How does an Italian gamer find herself in the cold and far-away Finland? Through many twists and turns, it seems.

You often hear that people enter the game industry at a very early age, having dreamed of it from a very early age, but that wasn’t the case for Noemi Cugudda. 

When it comes to gaming, she was a late bloomer. Her parents thought that having a computer in the house would distract her studies, only getting one after almost all of her friends already had one: an Amstrad Noemi’s family received when signing up for an encyclopedia about Donald Duck. Later on her family ended up getting consoles that were available at the time, and that’s when Noemi’s passion for gaming truly got its first spark. Back then she didn’t know she would one day end up working in the game industry, and just enjoyed challenging her friends in Tekken 3. The true turning point for Noemi was World of Warcraft. She didn’t have any previous knowledge of the Warcraft universe, but her friends were so hyped about this new MMORPG that Noemi decided to give the game a chance. 

“My friends and colleagues were looking forward to the open alpha, and I was very confused about their excitement. Until we all played the alpha… then the beta.. and we bought the game on day 1. I was hooked, and realized I wanted to work in the industry, without having a clear idea about what to do yet,” she reminisces. 

Noemi’s history before joining Housemarque is a very varied and long journey. She studied languages, hoping that it would let her connect with other people more easily, and after her studies she hopped between jobs to pay the bills. In 2007 a new challenge called onto Noemi: the opportunity to work at Blizzard Entertainment as an Account and Billing agent. But this opportunity required her to move abroad - to France. 

“It was my first time working abroad, and I wasn’t sure how it would go, but a decade and a half down the road, here I am in yet another country.”

Housemarque wasn’t a name Noemi was familiar with until she moved to Helsinki, Finland in 2014. She met with people working at Housemarque at Finnish game industry events and became fast friends with many of them, and heard how much they enjoyed working at the renowned studio. When a fitting career opportunity at Housemarque came up, Noemi decided to see for herself what kind of company she had heard all about. 

“After 10+ years of experience working in games I thought I had a good grasp of what gaming companies are like as an employee. But Housemarque was just a diamond in the rough: the drive to support Housemarqueans as best as possible, help them grow through empowerment and trust. It sets the bar really high for others.”

Noemi joined Housemarque under a year ago during the pandemic, but that didn’t stop her new colleagues from welcoming her to their team whole-heartedly. She quickly connected with others, grew within the company, and rose to the occasion when she was asked to join the Housemarque brand team as their Brand Producer. 

Noemi describes her experience working on Returnal extremely positive: 

“Though I arrived about a month after the launch, I fell in love with the game, the story and Selene right away,” she explains, “Getting to meet in person the people who have worked on it, gave life to the world and the character, and seeing their passion first hand was incredibly inspiring.”

Her proudest Housemarque moment is a no brainer for Noemi: it’s getting to meet Jane Perry, the voice of Selene, when she was visiting Helsinki. Being introduced to the actor who brought a character she loves alive was an amazing experience, and Noemi can’t wait to see what other adventures life at Housemarque has in store for her. 

When asked about if working on Returnal has inspired any future ideas, Noemi smirks and only answers with a secretive “Yes.”

Noemi has been working in gaming for more than 10 years and has seen many shifts in the industry, seeing it become more mainstream and accepting. She is happy to see more diverse talent entering the industry which helps to fuel  innovation, create exciting narratives, and make gaming a medium and industry for everyone. When Noemi started her career in gaming, she only knew a handful of women in the industry and is excited by all the opportunities people from different backgrounds can access today to pursue their passion for gaming also on a professional level. 

“The gaming industry is constantly evolving, and there are still a lot of opportunities to do better when it comes to diversity, but I can see a real shift and lots of change since I first started in the industry,” Noemi ponders.

During her free time Noemi likes to wind down with video games, of course, and especially with rhythm VR games. Outside of gaming, Noemi enjoys spending time in the beautiful Finnish nature. Long walks near the ocean and in the many forests of Helsinki are perfect to get one's creative juices flowing. 

“I also find people to be a great source of inspiration: meeting diverse people, learning about different backgrounds and experiences, these things affect the way I work and the ideas my brain produces.”

This Brand Producer has come a long way to end up where she is now. Originally from Italy, later moved to France and finally ending up in Finland, Noemi has great insight when it comes to relocating to a new country for work and getting adjusted to a new culture. 

“I never thought I would leave my hometown, as it is where my heart is. Moving to France was the biggest shock, not because the country was different, but because I had left anything I knew behind. I also thought I would stay there for one year tops, to get some experience to bring back home. Well, that didn’t happen,” Noemi laughs and continues, “Finland and Helsinki were not on my radar, but I am so glad my partner and I took the leap of faith back in 2014! We moved as he was offered a role in another gaming company, and we knew the industry was flourishing and hoped that I would find the right place for me.”

And Noemi did find the right place for her at Housemarque. 

As for Finnish culture shocks, she didn’t have many. Noemi had expected the weather to be colder than it ended up actually being, but the Finnish sauna culture was a surprise, even though she loves the body-positive aspects of it. 

For anybody who’s on the fence about relocating to Finland, Noemi says go for it! 

“I would recommend Finland and Helsinki in a heartbeat!” she says. She likes how safe Helsinki is, how beautiful the long summer days are, and the easy access to nature no matter where you live. 

“While Finnish people can be reserved, they are also friendly and helpful, generally curious and surprised about why a foreigner ended up so far from home,” Noemi describes Finns, “I came to love how my personal space has increased, and have learned to enjoy quieter moments, which says a lot as I can be quite boisterous myself.”

If you are someone who has been considering moving to Finland, Noemi has some tips for you: 

“Come with an open mind and prepare to be pleasantly surprised. Connect with both locals and foreigners to learn more about what life in Finland is like: they can also help you get proper apparel for winter, which is a pretty big deal when the temperatures can reach the double digits below 0 °C!”

Work-life balance has been an important topic of discussion for the past few years, even more so since the pandemic. Finding and providing a healthy work-life balance is very important to Noemi – not just for herself, but also when creating the work environment for her team. But Noemi has been happy to notice that a good work-life balance seems to be the norm in Finland. 

“I have seen how Finland seems to have it ingrained in its DNA. Of course perfection everywhere is hard to achieve, but I feel Finland is ahead of most.”

This also applies to Housemarque as the company is focused on improving sustainability even more.

“Without putting people under the spotlight, I have seen how passionate people with decisional  power are about our wellbeing, and it feels nice to feel looked after.”

Well, Noemi, where do you see yourself in five years?

“If it’s in summer, possibly on a beach in the Mediterranean; if in winter, likely at our mökki [translation: cottage] by the lake,” she smiles. 

Written by

Jenny Jokinen