Benefits for members
Anyone who becomes a member of SAZ strengthens the representation of interests of game authors and consequently the own position. The advantages are obvious: a strong SAZ has more weight in negotiations with publishers about fair contracts as well as in political initiatives, e.g. on intellectual property and the cultural asset of games. Our performance record and successes are impressive. Creatives are often individualists, but everyone benefits from a strong community – both experienced game authors and newcomers.
- The series of publications called SAZ Points provides the basic knowledge for game designers; it is available for download to all members – see title overview.
- In the SAZ Academy, we started offering online seminars via Zoom on a wide range of topics for our members at the beginning of 2021.
- Guidelines and information leaflets on various German and international tax topics, on German social insurance, on contract advice and on library royalties by the German collecting society VG WORT are also available to all members for download exclusively at the SAZ MEMBER AREA.
- SAZ members benefit from ticket discounts: For instance, they get free entrance to the Toy Fair in Nuremberg (otherwise for registered trade visitors only), reduced tickets for the consumer fair SPIEL in Essen and reduced fees for the IDEAG conventions in Italy and from 2020 for the Game Designers Convention in Göttingen (Germany).
- Support with contract and copyright issues: The SAZ can provide important tips here on the basis of many years of experience. In this way, many contracts have already been substantially optimized in favor of the authors and problems have been solved. If required, the SAZ's legal advisor, a lawyer in Berlin specialized in intellectual property and media law as well as industrial property law, is available free of charge for initial consultation – after mediation by our office. The legal protection reserve of the SAZ can offer financial support in exemplary legal cases.
- In the internal member area of the SAZ website, a large number of publications, guidelines and special information are available for download in German and English. Here, members can create and edit an author profile and have access to the SAZ Forum as a discussion platform.
- Members benefit from the exchange of experiences among each other and can participate from a wealth of well-founded knowledge.
- The author profiles on the website help to make SAZ members better known as game authors and their expertise. Publishers, companies in other sectors, agencies, media, and even colleagues can contact you quickly and directly.
- For SAZ training events members receive preferential - and sometimes excluive – access to. Every new member receives a voucher worth 40.00 €, which can be redeemed at the SAZ’s own events or at those from a contractual partner of SAZ. With this, we promote the qualification of game authors. At present, we can offer these vouchers for German events only, but we gladly accept applications from event organizers in other countries.
- 10% discount in the online shop www.spielmaterial.de receive SAZ members – application through the SAZ office required.
- 25% discount on the subscription price of the magazine SPIELBOX, for members who apply for the discount at the Nostheide publishing house when taking out a new subscription or before renewing a subscription. Membership is confirmed to the publisher by the SAZ office
- An exclusive 3rd party insurance for property and business liability covers a whole range of risks for those who are more intensively and professionally involved in the development of games. Unfortunately, it is currently restricted by the insurance company to residents in Germany and Austria.
- SAZ members can have influence on how the SAZ represents the interests of the game authors, on which topics SAZ is active and who represents the organization. General Assemblies serve the purpose of democratic decision-making, in which all can participate. In addition, there are many opportunities to participate directly in regional groups and individual projects. We also support the formation of national SAZ groups in other countries.
Supporting members also benefit from many of these advantages, but have no voting rights at general meetings, no advice on copyright and contract problems and no author profile on the SAZ website.