German Games Industry Association aims to make country “the best esports location”

The German Games Industry Association (GAME) has outlined ten ‘demands’ for the country’s games and esports industries in a recent report.

The German games industry body outlined that it wants to make Germany a premier esports location, highlighting that frameworks must be created in order to achieve this.

GAME stated that this need for change is due to the increased social, cultural and economic relevance of esports. Importantly, this includes highlighting that clubs offering esports should be recognised as non-profit organisations in the tax code.

Moreover, the 10th ‘demand’ in the report stresses that more needs to be done when it comes to events and supporting younger talent. The association detailed: “Whether esport is a sport or not is not decisive. At the same time, there needs to be more support for young talent and events in the states and local communities so that we in Germany can participate in this international phenomenon at a world level.”

Germany has played a significant role in esports, largely due to the many well-known leagues, tournaments and companies based in the country. This includes the likes of CS:GO staple IEM Cologne and European leagues like League of Legends’ LEC and VALORANT EMEA. 

In the report, GAME, in particular, highlighted the esports player foundation (epf), which launched in 2020. The association claims that epf works with over 2000 players in games such as CS:GO, League of Legends, Brawl Stars, VALORANT and FIFA. According to GAME, the aim of the foundation is to provide support to every player in “every relevant esports game”.

Alongside touching on esports, the Annual Report of the German Games Industry 2023 largely focused on the country’s gaming sector. The report highlighted that 48% of all video game players in Germany are female. Moreover, last year the German games market revenue generated €9.87bn, a 1% increase from 2021.