Conference for Game Didactics Debuts in Frankfurt

On 10 June, the German Conference for Game Didactics will take place for the first time in Frankfurt. Supported by the industry association game, it is to become an annual meeting place for science and teaching.

The 1st German Conference for Game Didactics will take place at the Massif Central in Frankfurt. The location made its first appearance in the games industry in February, when it hosted the Massif Games Convention to bring gaming, culture and business together. The four-day event was supported by Red Bull and PlayStation, among others. Now games are returning to Massif Central on 10 June, albeit with a different focus.

Organised by Prof. Stephan Jacob from Hochschule Darmstadt (Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences), who is also behind the Games Industry Talks, the future of games education in Germany will be discussed in Frankfurt. The aim is to create a platform where professors and lecturers in the field of games can meet to discuss current issues, share challenges and ideas. One of the central issues will be the need to establish a separate academic association for games education and teaching.

The conference, which will take place annually in future, is supported by the industry association game. Participation is free of charge and registration is possible via Eventbrite. The 1st German Conference for Game Didactics will start at 10.00 a.m. with a welcome address, followed by a keynote speech entitled "Quo Vadis (Education) Game", before moving on to the first topic, which is entitled "From training to studies and research - tasks, expectations and profiles". The focus will be on the similarities and differences between the educational pathways, teachers' expectations of graduates and the area of research and doctoral studies.

After the lunch break, a keynote speech on "Games didactics" will continue with the second topic, "Guidelines for games teaching and exchange of experience". This is about curricula and teaching concepts, teaching evaluation methods and generally about the collection and exchange of different teaching concepts, content and methods.

At the end of the day, a panel of academic associations will discuss whether it is necessary in the medium term to set up an organisation specifically dedicated to promoting and representing games education in Germany, similar to the renowned Gesellschaft für Informatik (GI). The day will conclude with an evening event that will provide an opportunity for networking.