Physical card games such as the Pokémon TCG can be connected to gambling problems, the study claims. © Caleb Oquendo, Pexels campus Study Connects Loot Boxes and Trading Cards to Problematic Gambling Mechanisms A study by the City University of Hong Kong shows possible links of loot boxes and physical trading card games to gambling problems. Notably, the effectiveness of these mechanisms appear to be unrelated to buyers' overall state of mental health. An open-access study by the City University of Hong By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
© Student Games Festival campus First Student Games Festival Comes to Warsaw On 18 October, the first Student Games Festival will be organised in Warsaw. Submissions for the game awards run until 31 August. The event is hosted by Polish cultural and educational organisations in cooperation with Warsaw, the Cultural Ministry and 11 bit studios. The first international student game festival is By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
From left: Benjamin Hillmann (Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur), Nandita Wegehaupt (Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur), Elisabeth Secker (USK), Melanie Endler (USK) © Luna Grüsgen for Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur campus USK and Game Culture Foundation Release Updated Parents' Guide to Games Right in time for gamescom, the German Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK) and the Digital Game Culture Foundation (Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur) have released their updated Parents' Guide to Games. The German Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK) and the Digital Game Culture Foundation (Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur) have published their new By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Excerpt from the study: 'Sexism, anti-feminism and queerphobia'. © Bertelsmann Stiftung campus Bertelsmann Stiftung Study Explores the Democratic Potential of Gaming Communities "Gaming communities are anything but apolitical" is one of the findings of the Bertelsmann Stiftung's study, "Spielräume für Demokratie - Potenziale und Spannungsfelder im Gaming" (Room for Democracy: Potential and Areas of Tension in Gaming). In Germany, gaming is generally regarded as either an By Marcel Kleffmann • 3 min read
© Screenshot campus Raw Talent: German State Universities Organise Their Own Indie Booth Following a mini appearance at the Home of Indies Booth 2024, eleven state universities from Germany have joined forces to create their own Raw Talent Booth. Fifty teams comprising around 160 students will present their games in a 63-square-metre space. It is the dream of many game design students to By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
© Koelnmesse campus gamescom congress Shows High-Profile Speakers as Program Drops With the release of its full program, the gamescom congress on 21 August has revealed a high-profile speaker lineup from politicians to game devs and researchers. The three focus topics “The Next Level of Immersion”, “Gaming and Responsibility” and “Gaming and Well-Being” are packed with talks. On August 21, the By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
© Koelnmesse campus Immersion, Responsibility and Well-Being Shape gamescom congress 2025 gamescom congress reveals its big three focus tracks with the reveal of the first speakers. Industry experts such as Jukka Laakso, Johanna Pirker, Eric Vezzoli and Celia Hodent will present their thoughts and methods on Immersion, Responsibility and Well-Being in and around games. On Thursday, 21 August, the gamescom congress By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
From left to right: Prof. Dr. Sebastian von Mammen, Chair of Games Engineering at the University of Würzburg; Prof. Dr. Anja Schlömerkemper, Vice President of the University of Würzburg; Prof. Dr. Marc Erich Latoschik, Head of the Chair of Human-Computer Interaction; Dr. Fabian Mehring, Bavarian State Minister for Digital Affairs; Felix Freiherr von Zobel, Member of the Freie Wähler; Prof. Dr. Jörn Hurtienne, Head of the Chair of Psychological Ergonomics © XR Hub Bavaria campus Additional Funds: XR Hub Würzburg's Funding Breaches 2.5 Million Euros With an additional funding of 760,000 euros, the Bavarian Digital Ministry under Fabian Mehring has pushed the public budget for XR Hub Würzburg to 2.5 million euros until 2026. The newest cheque was presented at University of Würzburg's Summer Expo. At yesterday’s Summer Expo at By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
© bpb campus bpb Launches Handbook Gaming & Rightwing-Extremism German Federal Agency for Civic Education bpb has officially released their Handbook Gaming & Rightwing-Extremism today in a presentation hosted by the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt. The German Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, bpb) has officially launched their anthology called Handbook Gaming & Rightwing-Extremism today in By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Johanna Pirker is the new Professor for N-Dimensional User Experience at TUM. © Matthias Rauch campus Game Dev Professor Johanna Pirker Joins TU Munich Munich's Technical University has a new "games professor": Johanna Pirker, head of the GameLabGraz and former professor at Munich's LMU, has been appointed full Professor for N-Dimensional User Experience at TUM. She wants to bring industry, teaching and research together. Johanna Pirker, professor of By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Eva Adamer-König and Manuel Haselberger © Kevin Trau campus ESVÖ Supports New Esports Degree Programme Starting in autumn 2025, FH Joanneum will offer "E-Sports Business and Management" for the first time at its Bad Gleichenberg campus. In implementing this, the university is relying on close cooperation with the industry, including the Austrian Esports Association ESVÖ. The new degree programme is a specialization within By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Group photo of the initiators of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Spielwissenschaft (German Society for Game Science) © DGSW campus German Scholars Launch Deutsche Gesellschaft für Spielwissenschaft This is an important step for game sciences in Germany. Representatives from research and university professors have institutionalised the discipline with the founding of the German Society for Game Sciences (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Spielwissenschaft e.V.), with Stephan Jacob and Jens Junge as chairmen. This is a step that has By Stephan Steininger • 3 min read
