Campus Spielkultur 2026
Organizer
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Registration is required to participate.. Only a limited number of tables are available for authors.
- Campus Spielkultur 2026
Information about the event
Campus Spielkultur is a new format in the colorful world of analog games.
Organized by the SAZ (Spiele-Autoren-Zunft, or Game Designers Association), creative minds from all over Germany will meet in the federal city of Bonn from March 20 to 22 to spend a weekend exchanging new ideas with game enthusiasts from the region and across the country.
The focus here is on intensive game testing. In addition to providing a space for exchange and networking with like-minded people, lectures and discussion rounds with established experts on game development will be offered.
All interested parties will have the opportunity to approach the various facets of game development not only in a playful way, but also theoretically, and to benefit from the wealth of experience of the established speakers. The insights gained here can be incorporated into the prototypes and tested directly at the gaming table.
With the Bonn Student Union, the "Uni Bonn spielt Community", and Boardgame Historian, the Spiele-Autoren-Zunft has experienced partners at its side. Together with the large, enthusiastic gaming community in Bonn, a weekend full of gaming fun, unforgettable moments and encounters, new inspiration, and valuable ideas for your own game concepts is guaranteed.
We look forward to seeing you and your participation!
Registration
The registration form can be accessed via this link.
The following tickets are available there:
- Designer Table: If you want to test your prototypes, choose this ticket. The ticket price includes a meal on Saturday afternoon. If you would also like to have something to eat on Friday and Saturday evenings, you can book the additional option “Dinner on Friday” or “Dinner on Saturday.”
(Valid for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) - Accompanying person: If you have booked a Designer Table and would like to bring additional people with you, you should register them here free of charge. Additional meals for Friday and/or Saturday can be booked as desired via additional options.
(Valid for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) - Visitors: If you would simply like to participate in playing and testing the prototypes on display, please book a free ticket here. You can also book meals for Saturday if you wish.
(Valid for Saturday and Sunday)
Location
Bonn Student Services
Campusmensa Poppelsdorf (CAMPO)
Endenicher Allee 19
53115 Bonn
The venue and its entrances are barrier-free.
Arrival
Parking: There are numerous parking spaces available on the campus grounds in the immediate vicinity of the venue: Access via Campusallee
Arriving by train: Bonn Central Station is centrally located. The central bus station is in the immediate vicinity, from where buses run regularly to the venue.
Public transportation: The campus cafeteria is already visible from the “Kaufmannstraße” bus stop on Endenicher Allee: follow the road towards the highway bridge and it is just a few hundred meters away.
The following lines stop at this bus stop: 604, 605, 606, 607, 632, N2.
Information on the timetable can be found here:
Accommodations
Information on accommodation in Bonn and the surrounding area is available here:
https://www.visit-bonn-region.de
Tips on Bonn, the city and the region can also be found here.
The Bonn Tourist Information Office has compiled the following list of accommodation (information provided without guarantee):
Catering
When registering for Campus Spielkultur, there is an affordable option to enjoy hot meals on site; see additional options.
The following dining options are within walking distance or a short trip by public transport from the campus cafeteria:
- Along Clemens-August-Straße in Bonn-Poppelsdorf;
- On Frongasse in Bonn-Endenich:
- In Bonn city center – located at and behind Bonn Central Station.
Schedule and timetable
Here is the schedule, as well as an overview of the lectures and panels in the supporting program (information on the program items is still being updated).
The supporting program will take place in the foyer of the cafeteria.
| Friday, 20. March | |
|---|---|
| 05:00 pmr | Game night for all Designer Table Ticket holders and their guests |
| 10:00 pm | End of the day |
| Saturday, 21. March | |
| 9:00 am | Admission and table occupancy |
| 10:00 am |
Presentation: “Ideation and Design Loops: Methods for Effective Game Design” Dennis Daseking, Dr. Florentin J. Schmidt (Transfer Center enaCom) How do structured ideation, prototyping, and iterative design loops help with effective game design? As experts from the Transfer Center enaCom at the University of Bonn, Dennis Daseking and Dr. Florentin J. Schmidt provide clear insights into how testing, feedback, and fine-tuning contribute to good game design. |
| 11:00 am |
Presentation: "Theme vs. Rules? On the Potential of Captivating Game Worlds" Lukas Boch Games are more than just rules. Most board games have at least a rudimentary theme. Some create entire game worlds. But what advantages do good themes offer authors, and how can a theme be brought to life? Historian and game researcher Lukas Boch gives examples from his own research practice. |
| 12:00 pm |
Presentation: "Illustration and graphic design for board games" Marco Armbruster What goes into the design of a board game? Illustrator and graphic designer Marco Armbruster provides insight into his everyday work. Using practical examples, he shows how board games are designed and what processes and decisions are involved. The lecture examines the contribution that good design can make to a game. |
| 2:00 pm |
Presentation: "A Toolkit for Game Development – The Empamos Project" Prof. Dr. Thomas Voit The presentation provides insight into the results of the EMPAMOS research project, which uses machine learning methods to search the game instructions in the German Game Archive for the building blocks that game designers use to motivate us humans to play. Based on over 50,000 pieces of empirical evidence, it has been possible to develop an AI-based assistance system that helps game designers develop good games faster and more reliably. |
| 3:00 pm |
Panel: "Serious Games – Serious Problems?" Mathias Thanos [bpb], Jonas André [Playing History], Anna Falke [LVR – Landesmuseum] I see board games as just a pastime, and every game has the potential to educate. But what if games are created explicitly for an educational context? What are the obstacles and potential, and what should authors pay attention to? Moderated by Jasmin Bauer (YT: Abgewürfelt), the panel will explore these and other questions. |
| 4:00 pm |
Presentation: "Between fact and fiction: everyday history in games" Matthias Cramer, Matthias Rudert Historical games open up an interactive space of possibilities in which the past is not only reconstructed but also experienced. “The Job” is a project that combines literature and digital and analog games to create a new form of storytelling. The focus is not on the stories of great statesmen, but on the everyday history of ordinary people in the shadow of historical events. The authors provide insight into the development of this project – from the vision, to the first analog prototype, to an analog/digital game with an app funded by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. |
| 6:00 pm | Dinner optional |
| 10:00 pm | End of the day |
| Sunday, 22. March | |
| 9:00 Uhr | Admission and continuation of the event |
| 10:0 am |
Presentation: “How do I write good game instructions?” Irina Siefert This lecture will focus on the structure, language, and content of game instructions. First, the lecture will address the special features of this type of text and discuss the opportunities and pitfalls that arise as a result. Practical tips for formulating clear and accessible instructions will then be presented. |
| 11:00 am |
Panel: “Game designers as cultural creators” Christoph Post [Brettspielbox publisher of Handbuch Brettspiele],Martina Fuchs [Game of the Year],Robin DeCleur [SPIEL trade fair],Dr. Jürgen Karla [moderator] |
| 2:00 pm | End of the event |
Questions
Please feel free to send any questions about the event to office@spieleautorenzunft.de.