Last week, I visited Gamescom in Cologne, Europe's largest games fair. A place where hundreds of thousands of players gather, and where developers, publishers, investors and educational institutions meet.
In my roles at GameLab and the Dutch Games Association, I naturally focused mainly on the business side of the event. At the Holland Pavilion, Dutch studios presented their games to an international audience. It remains impressive to see how much creativity, knowledge and entrepreneurship our relatively small games sector has to offer.
For GameLab, Gamescom is also a good place to spot new developments. Which games stand out? What are publishers looking for? And which skills are becoming increasingly important for students wanting to work in this industry? At the same time, it was clear once again that personal contact remains essential. The best conversations often happen spontaneously, somewhere between appointments.
After several intensive days, I returned home with new ideas, valuable contacts and, above all, plenty of energy. Every year, Gamescom demonstrates how international, dynamic and versatile the games industry is, and how many opportunities exist for a new generation of Dutch game makers.
There is a qualification, however: the Dutch games industry is going through a difficult period. Nieuwsuur made a report about this in which I was interviewed. The clip can be watched here.