Grimme Online Award for Herbst '89 From Playing History and the German Historical Museum

Berlin-based game studio Playing History and the German Historical Museum have won the 2025 Grimme Online Award for their serious game, "Herbst '89 - Auf den Straßen von Leipzig".

The serious game "Herbst '89 - Auf den Straßen von Leipzig" (Autumn '89 - On the streets of Leipzig) was developed as part of the exhibition "Roads not Taken. Or: Things could have turned out differently". It allows players to experience the events of the Peaceful Revolution on 9 October 1989 in Leipzig from different perspectives, giving them the chance to influence the outcome.

The Grimme Online Award jury explained its decision as follows: "In this interactive graphic novel, players can assume the roles of various characters to experience the peaceful protests of 9 October 1989 in Leipzig from their perspectives. The decisions made in the game influence the course of events: will the protests remain peaceful, or will weapons be used, leading to bloodshed? (...) The game makes an important contribution to history education by giving people born after 1989 the opportunity to relive the events."

Michael Geithner, the project's Creative Director and Playing History's Managing Director, says: "9 October 1989 was one of the most decisive days in post-war German history: a day when courage, fear and hope collided. With Herbst '89, we wanted to do more than just reconstruct this day; we wanted to make it tangible. We wanted to show what it feels like to make your own decisions in history. Democracy is an achievement, and it is important to actively work to preserve it. It is a great honour and a moving sign of how relevant the Peaceful Revolution remains today that we are now receiving the Grimme Online Award for this, virtually on the anniversary of these events."

"Herbst '89 - Auf den Straßen von Leipzig" is available to play for free on the German Historical Museum (DHM) website, combining historical analysis with interactive storytelling. Visitors can also play it within the DHM exhibition, where it is just one part of the growing range of playful educational offerings that Playing History has been developing for years. The studio has been nominated six times in total for the Tommi Children's Software Award in December, including four nominations for serious games.

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