Gaming Government Germany on the Horizon

With Lars Klingbeil as designated Vice-Chancellor, the number of top politicians with an affinity for games continues to rise. Is this the political breakthrough for games as the leading cultural medium in Germany, asks GamesMarkt editor-in-chief Stephan Steininger.

No, the designated Chancellor is not known as a passionate gamer. We are not (yet) that far in Germany. You can certainly say a lot about Friedrich Merz, but he has never claimed to have any particular affinity for the gaming industry, nerd culture, or esports in recent years. But he doesn't have to. His job over the next four years is to deliver and tackle the most pressing issues facing the country.

Nevertheless, the chances have never been better than they are today that also two of the most pressing problems facing the German gaming industry will be tackled in the next four years. Of course, my optimism is based on the fact that both tax-based games funding and the recognition of esports as a non-profit activity have made it into the coalition agreement, which was signed today on 5 May.

But they are not there without reason. They were negotiated in. This is also because more and more politicians with decision-making powers have grown up with games, know the industry, and regard games as a cultural medium — not because they want to reach young voters, but because it is their conviction.

And an increasing number of these gaming politicians are taking their seats in government, which will be formaly appointed tomorrow. The most prominent example is Lars Klingbeil. The SPD's approval of the coalition agreement has made him the designated Vice-Chancellor last week.

Klingbeil is one of the pioneers at the federal level when it comes to openness towards gaming issues. In autumn 2012, he was part of a cross-party group of MPs who formed the ‘Parliamentary Games Group’. Years later, Klingbeil took part several times (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021) as SPD Secretary General in Debatt(l)e Royal, the panel discussion with top politicians at the gamescom congress. Among other things, he was a political guest and laudator at the DCP (2018) and gave the keynote speech at the first Esport Level Up (2019). And, of course, he was also a guest at the gamechanger talk hosted by game (2022).

As future Vice-Chancellor, Lars Klingbeil is the most important politician with an affinity for games in the new government, but he is certainly not the only one. Thomas Jarzombek from the CDU was also involved in the founding of the Parliamentary Group for Games in 2012. The politician from Düsseldorf is set to become Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry for Digitalisation and State Modernisation in the new government.

Dorothee Bär's time as Parliamentary State Secretary, a position she held from 2013 to 2017, is long behind her. She is set to become Minister for Research, Technology and Astronautics in the new cabinet and will also be responsible for games policy. Bär is thus the greatest hope for the rapid implementation of tax-based games funding. She is also one of the pioneers of games policy.

While Klingbeil and Jarzombek founded the Games Parliamentary Group, Bär co-organised the first Parliamentary Games Evening in the Bundestag, where MPs and their teams were able to try out various games in the Bundestag and talk to the developers. She played a major role in the Bundestag initiating the Deutscher Computerspielpreis (German Computer Game Award) as a funding award and was later not only a regular guest at the award ceremonies but also jury chairwoman for an extended period. It is also hard to imagine gamescom without Dorothee Bär.

Dr Stefanie Hubig, a designated SPD minister who has already addressed the issue of gaming at gamescom, also joined this group today. Hubig was Minister of Education for the state of Rhineland-Palatinate while attending gamescom in Cologne. As the future Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection, she could well play a key role for the games industry, particularly in relation to consumer protection in connection with loot boxes.

These examples show how many politicians can assess and promote the topic of games in the coming years without prejudice but with real expertise. Of course, it does not mean, that they will agree to everything, but sudden U-turns or delaying tactics, as seen under the traffic light coalition, are unlikely.

Nevertheless, it remains questionable whether games will finally become a leading cultural medium also in Berlin's political arena. From a gaming perspective, Wolfram Weimer, who is completely unknown in gaming, will take up the important post of Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. His predecessor, Claudia Roth, had set aside a special budget for the funding of games.

There was much to suggest that, in addition to the hopefully soon-to-be-introduced tax-based games funding model, there would be a funding pot for smaller, more culturally relevant indie games, as has been the case up to now, which would be fed from the BKM budget. It remains to be seen whether Wolfram Weimar will play along. It is possible that the industry and game will have to do more lobbying at the top political level than it appears at first glance from the personnel changes, even with the new gaming government in Germany.

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