Following the successful debut of Berlin’s new gaming event Games Ground in 2023, this year’s follow-up expanded significantly in both size and depth. Games Ground 2024 reinforced its role as a professional matchmaking hub, bridging the gap between game education and the industry. The event spanned two days of professional exchanges, culminating in a public celebration of gaming culture on the third day.
The show floor itself reflected this growth, occupying a space equivalent to the entire venue used for last year’s event. Lectures and mentor programs in various meeting spaces facilitated interviews, job promotions, and portfolio presentations. Several lecture stages offered a diverse array of topics, including panels on the latest industry trends and hands-on workshops focused on production tools.
A standout feature of the event was the ‘XR Dungeon‘, a basement-level area dedicated entirely to Extended Reality. This space hosted an engaging lineup of demonstrations from partners like HTW University, XRBB (the regional XR association), and the meditation-focused Cyberdelic Society. Compared to the previous year’s VR and MR exhibits, this expanded area showcased a mix of continued efforts and exciting new developments.
Student showcases added another layer of depth, centering on training simulations with creative approaches to visualizing psychological challenges, educational scenarios, and hazardous situations. These displays complemented the Cyberdelic Society’s meditative program, which featured panoramic experiences and awareness training. Meanwhile, VR gaming focused largely on multiplayer experiences, and a robust lineup of location-based MR exhibits impressed attendees with their innovative multiplayer arcade setups.
Games Ground 2024 solidified its reputation as a vital hub for the local, national, and international gaming industries. Its success was further amplified by a series of financial meetups held across the city during the same week, culminating in an Investor Summit for Game Funds hosted at the Games Ground venue. By emphasizing professional growth and networking, Games Ground has positioned itself as the successor to the more consumer-focused Berlin Gamesweek. It now serves as a unifying platform for gaming initiatives in Berlin, highlighting the city’s evolving significance in the gaming landscape.
Frontispiece image © Games Ground
