Game Designers Convention in Goettingen 2023

The 41th Game Designers Convention take place in Goettingen on June 03rd and 04th 2023 in the LOKHALLE Göttingen, Hall 1. Organizers are the Game Designers Association (SAZ) and the City of Goettingen – Culture Department. All game authors and publishers are cordially invited to participate. This event is a perfect platform where game designers can present their prototypes to representatives of game publishers. They receive direct feedback and the chance to find a suitable publisher for their newly developed games.

There is an admission fee is for all participants above 16 years (as well for companions) – to be paid cash upon arrival: Authors incl. table € 30,00 | Table for SAZ members with pin € 20,00 | Companions of authors € 10,00 | Publishers representative € 30,00. Admission is free for children and young people under 16 years.

Further information you get clicking on the corresponding tab above including an application (only German) for the Award of the German Game Author Scholarship, the timetable and for some visual impressions some pictures of the years before.

Registration: Since Saturday is a closed event, registration is mandatory for ALL participants (authors, companions, publishers). For this purpose, you find until May 14th 10 PM an online form incl. immediate email confirmation below.

Here is the current list of participating publishers and agencies:

999 Games
ABACUSSPIELE
AMIGO Spiel + Freizeit GmbH
Drei Magier Spiele
Dusyma
Edition Spielwiese
Feuerland
frechverlag GmbH
Funtails
Gaiagames
Game Brewer
HABA Family Group
Hans im Glück Verlag
HeidelBÄR Games GmbH
HUCH! / Hutter Trade GmbH
Kallmeyer Lernspiele
Karma Games 
Korea Boardgames
KOSMOS
Lookout Spiele
Loosey Goosey Games GmbH
Mücke Spiele
PD-Verlag GmbH & Co. KG
Pegasus Spiele GmbH
Piatnik
Ravensburger
Schmidt Spiele
Schüler Spiel-und Lerndidaktik GmbH
Skellig Games
Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg GmbH
Together Spieleverlag
Zoch
White Castle

(The list will continue to be updated until until the start event).

 

The Game Designers Convention in Goettingen has been founded 1983 by Karin and Reinhold Wittig (Edition Perlhuhn) and has become a steady institution. Since 2017, the SAZ – together with the city of Göttingen – has been co-organizer and continues this tradition. Below you will find detailed information about the meeting.

Event location: Lokhalle Göttingen. Hall 1, Bahnhofsallee 1, 37081 Göttingen, Germany – direcly behind the train station: Google-Map

Deadline for registrations to the Convention is May 14^th, 2023. Later applications cannot be accepted, for organizational reasons. As soon as the maximum number of 180 tables has been reached, only registrations without a table can be accepted. The display above indicates the total number of registered participants, not the number of tables.

Targeting publishers: From mid-May onwards, you will also find a list of all the publishers registered up to then, together with their respective web addresses. This is a good opportunity to find out in advance which publisher could be suitable for your own game prototypes. Nearly every publisher has one or more specializations and also certain types of games that do not fit into the program.

Once you have found the right publisher(s) for your games, you can approach them during the gathering. There will also be an opportunity to drop off a short description of your game(s) into “Publisher’s Mail Boxes” of suitable publishers (please avoid filling everyone's boxes). You can find a WORD form for such short descriptions here. You can also try to make appointments in advance with specific editors sending them your game descriptions.

All information about the German Game Author Scholarship – sponsored by the jury Game of the Year – and the PDF form for application you find here. Please note, that an application is only possible if you have a good knowledge of the German language.

There is an admission fee is for all participants above 16 years (as well for companions) – to be paid cash upon arrival: Authors incl. table € 30,00 | Table for SAZ members with pin € 20,00 | Companions of authors € 10,00 | Publishers representative € 30,00. Admission is free for children and young people under 16 years. This contribution finances the GÖTTINGER SPATZ award, organizational expenses as well as a contribution to the hall costs. All participants receive a name tag, which we ask you to wear during the meeting. Publishers' representatives and SAZ members can complete the formalities on the day before the editors' workshop or at the SAZ General Meeting. On Saturday it is a closed event in which admission is not possible without a name tag.

Entrance and parking: The entrance for participants on both days is exclusively only on the back of the Lokhalle at the parking lots. We can provide the participants with a total of 100 free parking spaces. Please apply when registering online. Parking or parking of mobile homes is not possible. The parking permit will be sent in advance by post. All others will find sufficient parking spaces and a multi-storey car park at the back of the station.

About lodging you should take care by yourself. If necessary, please contact Göttingen Tourism and Marketing: Altes Rathaus, Markt 9, 37073 Göttingen, Tel.: +49-551-49980-20, email contact.

Spaghetti dinner: The spaghetti dinner traditionally organized by Reinhold Wittig on Saturday evening unfortunately has to be cancelled this year, as no location could be found.

For further information and as media contact, please apply to Hans-Peter Stoll, Manager of the SAZ: email contact, phone +49-6206 - 9123192.

Five more info’s and rules about our gathering:

1. If you have to cancel at short notice, please still let us know about it so we can update our participants' list, and, where applicable, assign tables to other participants.
2. Please note that on Saturday, our gathering is not open to the public but only to people who have signed in beforehand.
3. Please return the name tags after the gathering.
4. Please note the closing times of the Lokhalle: Saturday at 7.00 pm, Sunday at 2.00 pm. By then, everyone must have left the hall.
5. Access to the parking lots behind the Lokhalle is only possible with a pre-ordered parking permit.