The Story Behind the Creation of GTC Cafe

My primary occupation is game development. In late October 2022, we relocated to Helsinki upon receiving an invitation from Business Finland for our game project, Vinar.

In January 2023, a television advertisement on a Finnish network caught our attention. It depicted a short animation about Geppetto, the father of Pinocchio. When Pinocchio leaves Geppetto, he becomes deeply sad and isolated. This ad, initiated by the Red Cross, urged people with spare time to step forward and help foster community connections.

This spurred us to conduct further research, revealing that over half of Helsinki’s adult population lives alone, often missing out on meaningful social interactions.

We pondered over how we could contribute to enhancing social engagement. Given our expertise in video game production, we realized that conventional games, mostly played online in isolated settings, did not foster interpersonal interaction.

So, we came up with the idea of creating a space where people can gather and engage with each other through art, culture, and play.

In May 2023, after considerable effort and investment, GTC Cafe was born.

Since then, we’ve hosted numerous events aimed at fostering connections among our patrons, including mafia game nights, chess and backgammon tournaments, weekly quizzes, speed dating events, doll painting sessions, stand-up comedy, live music performances, and much more.

Our mission is to cultivate a welcoming environment where empathy and mutual support reign supreme, bringing people closer together.

Your presence is always valued and cherished.

Warm regards,

GTC Café