Companies from Germany have so far hardly played a role as computer game developers. According to the will of the federal government, that should change in the future.
The federal government wants to make Germany more attractive as a location for developing computer games.
Germany is internationally one of the most important sales markets for digital games, in Europe it is even the most important, said Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU), who is also responsible for the digital infrastructure in the Federal Cabinet, on Wednesday in Berlin.
Despite its excellent prerequisites, Germany has so far been less relevant as a developer location. “Together we face the challenge of further developing Germany as a gaming location and establishing it as a leading market in international competition,” said Scheuer.
Of 37 digital games that were sold more than 100,000 times in Germany in 2019, only one came from Germany. “Only five percent of the sales achieved in Germany were generated by German companies,” said Scheuer. Coordinated location marketing is needed to change that. The federal government will campaign for this as part of its games strategy.
Scheuer emphasized the importance of Gamescom. The game fair in Cologne is a figurehead for Germany as a location. “It shows in a concentrated form how efficient, innovative and creative the industry is in Germany.” The German Computer Game Prize (DCP) is also a successful format that the ministry receives financially. With the donation for the DCP and the funding program for games developers, the federal government is supporting the industry with a total of more than 250 million euros.
In the future, on the one hand, it will be about luring international companies to Germany. At the same time, they want to support companies from Germany in such a way that they can develop into large companies. Suitable “hubs” and other alternative offices would have to be created for this. Furthermore, it is a matter of optimizing opportunities for crowdfunding and other new financing models. The shortage of skilled workers must be prevented through media skills training and foreign skilled workers. For this purpose, existing training and study programs would also have to be geared more towards games and business know-how within the industry would have to be strengthened through further training offers.
Scheuer and Digital Minister of State Dorothee Bär (CSU) also promoted using the potential of games for society. Computer games should be designed as a barrier-free medium for all social groups. In addition, the cooperation and integration of the games industry in the art and culture industry should be promoted. So-called “serious games” should be recognized as an effective tool in all areas of education.
According to the games industry association, over half of Germans between elementary school and retirement age play computer and video games. A total of 58 percent between the ages of 6 and 69 use consoles, PCs or smartphones to immerse themselves in digital worlds. In the Corona year 2020 alone, around five percent more people in Germany discovered computer and video games for themselves. Minister Scheuer spoke of 34 million people in Germany who play digital games.
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