GamesFestival24 Counts 1500 Participants

The 4th edition of the GamesFestival in Munich was a success, although not a new record year. At the end of the event, the GamesPreis was awarded in the age categories 12 to 18 years and 19 to 26 years.

The core theme of this year's GamesFestival, in which inclusion and participation is a key component, was ‘New Worlds’. Numerous talks, workshops and activities took up the topic, with other issues such as hate speech and historical games also being addressed. In total, the festival attracted 1500 visitors to the Fat Cat Cultural Centre, an interim cultural solution to Munich's Gasteig Cultural Centre, which is to be renovated in the coming years. A further 2000 took part in the festival online.

The highlight of the festival was the presentation of the GamesPreis 2024 (GamesPrize)  on the final day. An expert jury selected five winners in each of the categories 12 to 18 years and 19 to 26 years. There were also two special prizes on the topic of ‘New Worlds’

‘The presentation of the GamesPrize touches people's hearts, as it shows how committed young people are to games, whether they are developing their own stories, programming games or organising games-related events. Commitment is one thing; the opportunity to qualify for games-related professions is another. So congratulations to all of them,’ says Kathrin Demmler, Director of the JFF - Institute for Media Education

The GamesFestival in Munich is not a classic games festival where experienced, established or at least professional games studios compete for prizes. It is initiated by the Computer Games Academy, which was founded in 2019 by the JFF Media Centre Munich and the Parabol Media Centre. With this in mind, the festival is primarily aimed at teenagers and young people up to the age of 27 in Bavaria.

The winners of the GamesPreis24 are

Age category 12 to 18 years- Prototype category: ThePilots by Luis Kraus and Erik Janus from the AA Games seminar at Albrecht-Altdorfer-Gymnasium Regensburg - Prototype category: Special Recognition: Velocity Rush by Marek Beck - Finished Game category: Immersion 2009 by Tonia Krüger - Digital Games Culture category: Binary Adder in Minecraft by Joscha Giebelen - Digital Games Culture category: E-sports at schools by GG Gamers (e-sports group at the Mittelschule am Lechrain Aindling)

Age category: 19 to 26 years- Prototype category: InSekten by Elena Neubauer and Pocket Sun - Prototype category: Paper Play VR by Studio Moondowner - Finished Game category: Special Recognition: Chronicles of Ymira by Styxcon - Finished Game category: Apprentice Home Alone by Pocket Sun - Digital Game Culture: GAMEPATHY #1: Game Jam & Game Culture Conference by Gamepathy GameJam Team

Special prize

• A.I. Noire from Three Amigos Interactive
• Salt Collector from Salt Collector Studios