The Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Robert Habeck, attended gamescom in Cologne for the first time in 2023. The man doesn’t seem to have much connection to video games, but he has done his homework and is making an effort, according to our author Schuhmann.
What phrase did Habeck open gamescom with? Habeck was appointed Federal Minister for Economic Affairs on December 8, 2021. His ministry is responsible for game funding, and it also presents the German Computer Game Award, which was controversially discussed in one category in 2023.
Actually, Habeck was supposed to open gamescom 2022, but he couldn’t attend: the energy crisis intervened.
He opened his premiere at gamescom looking at moderator Viola Tensil, who also had to skip gamescom in 2022, with the phrase:
“We have something in common. I wasn’t here last year either. You had COVID, and I had Putin.”
That received applause.
The clip of Habeck went around on Twitch:
Habeck probably has little connection to gaming, but didn’t make a fool of himself
How did Habeck come across? During his approximately 15-minute speech, one notices that Habeck probably does not have a strong connection to video games, but he did not want to show it. However, he did not make the mistake of pretending to be the ultimate gamer: He probably did not want to appear like Phillip Amthor.
He keeps talking about how valuable playing is in itself. Playing shapes culture. In games, stories are told, worlds are created, and things are experimented with that are not possible in everyday life: This has always pushed humanity forward. One can experience things through playing that would otherwise be denied.
While all this could also be said about board games: which, it seems, are played more in the Habeck household than the new Call of Duty or FIFA.
Robert Habeck believes that those who play together may not shoot at each other. The President of France has a different view of video games:
The President of France states that video games are partly responsible for the uprisings.
A colleague of Habeck also sought contact with these “strange people on the internet”.
Games can contribute to peace
Habeck even states, in light of the war in Ukraine: Those who play together might not shoot at each other in the real world. The opposite of the politician, who blames the violence in the real world on “bad video games”, just like recently the President of France.
The Federal Minister for Economic Affairs recognizes the economic importance of gaming: It is now as significant as large parts of the creative economy and, in turn, larger than some traditional industries.
Therefore, it is the goal and the mandate that a significant part of the production of games is created in Germany and Europe.
Germany is good at consuming – In production, “catching up”
This is how he sees the gaming industry in Germany: Habeck acknowledges that there are issues:
“One must say self-critically. We are good at consuming in Germany, we are catching up in producing.”
For the weakness of the gaming location Germany, he holds responsible that politically the funding has long been neglected and then was too hesitant to support the industry with money. Other European countries have done better. He probably means:
- Poland (CD Projekt Red)
- France (Ubisoft)
- Sweden (Paradox)
All 3 European countries have flagship studios that have established themselves internationally with their AAA games.
When a German studio last tried with a AAA title, it failed so catastrophically, that it had to close shortly after.
Money is tight in Germany because it is managed so stringently
Habeck then explains that he would have liked to bring 30 million euros, but he doesn’t have them with him.
Germany has imposed much stricter fiscal constraints on itself than other countries. One must become creative in funding.
Habeck criticizes that one only spends the money that one has: No one does that in the economy; even privately, one takes out a loan when one buys a house or a car. He urges to invest more.
The Green politician then presents some models on how to try to pump more money into the gaming location Germany through “venture capital”, startup funding, various funding pots, or tax advantages. However, much of this sounds vague; there are no concrete commitments. One must first explore.
What happened after? As gameswirtschaft reports, Habeck had a meeting after his speech with some of the most important international gaming publishers like Phil Spencer (Xbox) or Yves Guillemot (Ubisoft).
On Thursday morning, he then completed a two-hour exhibition tour.
Robert Habeck believes that those who play together may not shoot at each other. The President of France has a different view of video games:
The President of France states that video games are partly responsible for the uprisings.
