GAMES CONVENTION ONLINE 2009

gco_logo.jpg
Hans Bredow Institute is Cooperation Partner of the Dialogue Conference on Browser-, Client- and Mobile-Games

From 31 July to 2 August 2009, the Leipziger Messe presented the GAMES CONVENTION ONLINE – the first separate platform in Europe for what is now the most dynamic market in the game industry: browser, client and mobile games. The GAMES CONVENTION ONLINE was accompanied by an international Dialogue Conference on 31 July and 1 August as part of the Business Center in Leipzig. The media research institute at Hamburg University, the Hans Bredow Institute, is the specialist cooperation partner and in consultation with the Leipziger Messe designed the two-day conference programme. The shared aim was to facilitate fruitful exchange of experiences, findings and perspectives between the industry, scientific research and social protagonists.

In its research and transfer centre "Digital Games and Online Worlds", the Hans Bredow Institute takes an interdisciplinary look into the phenomenon of gaming. Through pure research, but also with product and sector-specific studies, it sets out to contribute to a better understanding of the various social, market economy, technological and societal factors influencing digital games and online worlds. With the "Spielen im Netz“ study ("Gaming on the Net") which it presented in 2008 on the systematisation of the phenomenon "online games", the institute provided a basis for specialist discussion of this type of game.

The Dialogue Conference at the GAMES CONVENTION ONLINE was built around three key topic sections dedicated to the areas of "Market, Technology & Products", "Use & Potential" and "Society & Policy".

The section "Market, Technology & Products" dealt with the economic development of online and mobile games. It looked at the existing product categories and trends, the characteristics and peculiarities of the industry as well as convergence developments. The relationship of the still young industry to other branches of industry, as well as the status of Germany as production location, were also on the agenda.

The second basic section "Use & Potential" was primarily concerned with empirical investigations. Here, studies on use, analyses of use, potentials and risks were examined, as well as the emergence of online and mobile gaming communities.

Finally, the topic section headlined "Society & Policy" examined socio-political questions relating to the issues of protection of children and young people, data protection, consumer protection and in-game regulation. The core of conference activity was accompanied by plenary speeches given at the beginning and at the end of the event.

Further information on the conference and speakers is available at www.gamesconvention.com.