Warhammer 40,000 is a vast universe that has millions of fans worldwide – including celebrities. It’s logical that some people immerse themselves a little deeper into this world and take it … a bit more seriously. How serious is shown by the now second academic Warhammer conference in the middle of Germany.
What kind of conference is this?
- During the Warhammer Conference, scientists and researchers discuss various topics from the world of Warhammer.
- It’s not just about nerd topics in the world, such as xeno-biology, but also parallels to our real world – like the political significance of structures within the Imperium.
- The conference will take place from September 26 to 27, 2025, for the second time at the University of Heidelberg – because where else, other than in Germany, could one turn fun into seriousness?
But why? Counter-question: Why not? But seriously, Warhammer is a huge world where there is no “good” and “evil” anymore, everything consists only of moral gray areas. Especially from a sociological perspective, it is exciting to investigate such circumstances.
Warhammer is not the first science fiction that becomes a subject of scientific research. There are dozens of books and treatises about Star Trek that analyze all sorts of topics from physics to politics to gender roles.
Part of this research is only relevant and exciting for fans within the world. Other aspects, such as cultural interactions and social developments, are scientifically interesting in comparison to our contemporary world.
Universes like Warhammer have millions of fans worldwide, some very famous, like the self-proclaimed Warhammer nerd Henry Cavill. This makes it easy to sell certain topics excitingly and bring science closer to the audience. The organizers have already published a paper on the topic titled: “Why Warhammer Matters”.
Two days of nerd discussions about the Imperium and the insides of bug aliens
What topics will be presented in September 2025 is still unknown. Currently, the organizers are still collecting contributions. You can already check what was presented last year on the official YouTube channel. The topics back then included:
- Xenobiology of the Tyranids compared to eusocial insects in real life
- The ethical implications of the struggle between the Imperium and Chaos
- a physical treatise on how travels through the Warp actually work
However, there are also significantly more practical topics that target creative people and analyze why the literature of Warhammer works so well and what makes the world-building.
The conference will be held live in Heidelberg in September. For those who cannot attend in person, there will be an online livestream. If you are researchers yourselves, you can still apply with your contribution on the Warhammer Conference website until June 30.
If you want to pass the time until then or enjoy Warhammer without dealing with it scientifically, you can also just spend your time on the many games that now exist in this world. Here you can find the 5 currently best games about Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 on Steam.
