[This is a machine translation]
The gamescom congress 2026 will open with a focus on games and democracy. For the first time, a German head of state—Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier—will attend gamescom: Following a welcome address by Felix Falk, Managing Director of game—the Association of the German Games Industry—he will deliver the opening speech.
This will be immediately followed by two panel discussions, moderated by Viola Tensil.
In “Saving the World Through Play: What Games and Their Communities Are Achieving,” Jörg Friedrich (Game Director, Paintbucket Games), Prof. Dr. Sabiha Ghellal (Professor of Experience and Game Design, Stuttgart Media University), and Peter “PietSmiet” Smits (YouTuber and streamer) will discuss the power inherent in games and the communities surrounding them—in remembrance culture, education, and the everyday lives of millions of players.
In “Games for Democracy: What They Can and Cannot Do,” Nandita Wegehaupt (Executive Director, Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur), Olaf Zimmermann (Executive Director, German Cultural Council), and Nathanael Liminski (Minister for Federal and European Affairs, International Affairs, and Media of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia) explore where games actually strengthen political participation and democratic resilience—and where their limits lie.
To conclude, Viola Tensil and Tobias Kopka from the program curation team will provide an overview of the day’s conference schedule and introduce the main program.
The opening session is structured as a single, continuous block—late entry will not be permitted once it has begun. The session will be held in German, with simultaneous translation into English available.
