Network: Memberships and Cooperations
Deutscher Kulturrat – Sektion Soziokultur und kulturelle Bildung.The German Cultural Council is the leading association of German Cultural Associations. The aim of the Council is to stimulate cultural policy discussion at all political levels. At the work level, the SAZ is represented in the expert committee Intellectual Property Rights. The SAZ is a member since 2008.
Deutsches Spielearchiv Nürnberg. As a research and documentation site it maintains a unique collection of over 30,000 games from 1945 to the present. It is thus the "memory of the game industry". Since its move from Marburg to Nuremberg, SAZ and Archiv cooperate in many respects.
Fachdienst Kultur der Stadt Göttingen. Together with the City of Göttingen, the SAZ is organizing the annual Game Designers Convention, which was founded in 1993 by Karin & Reinhold Wittig (Edition Perlhuhn). Here, the "Göttinger Spatz" is also awarded for the special achievements about cultural property of games. The SAZ is a co-organizer since 2017.
Illustratoren Organisation e.V. (IO).The IO is the association for professional illustrators in German-speaking countries. Illustration and design are important elements for the success of games, so we view our colleagues are partners and support their concerns. The cooperation exists since 2005.
Initiative Urheberrecht. The initiative includes trade unions and associations representing the interests of authors and performing artists about intellectual property rights. The initiative sees itself as a pooling discussion forum for all areas of creative work. The membership exists since the beginning of 2013.
Institut für Urheber- und Medienrecht. The institute sees itself as a bridge between science and practice in the media sector and, with its publications and events, is pushing the development of the entire communication law. The membership exists since the beginning of 2013.
Seminars of Christwart Conrad. "Fundamentals of Game Development" is an intensive seminar for (upcoming) game authors - in German language only. SAZ members can redeem their training vouchers for this. The SAZ has sponsored this event since 2010 and it takes place at irregular intervals every few years; the advanced seminar on prototype testing (currently offered twice a year) is recommended as a follow-up event. Attendance at the basic seminar is a prerequisite for this. From 2024, this event will also be funded by the SAZ. Participants submit their voucher on site at the end of the seminar and receive the specified subsidy in cash.
Société des Auteurs de Jeux. The SAJ was founded in 2017 to represent the interests of French game authors. SAZ and SAJ regularly coordinate on common topics and have, for example, also worked closely together on the creation of the Code of Respect and Responsibility.
Spielwarenmesse / ToyFair Nuremberg. Since of 2003, the Toy Fair has provided the space for the GamesCafé as a meeting place for game designers and journalists. Since 2018 the SAZ operates the GamesCafé on co-operation with the Spielwarenmesse and the Illustratoren Organisation (IO).
Table Top Game Designers Association. The North American interest group for game designers there was founded at the beginning of 2024 – also with the support of SAZ members. Close cooperation and joint initiatives are planned.
Wiener Spiele Akademie. The Austrian Academy of Games sees itself primarily as a "think tank" for the Austrian game scene. The focus is also on the development and realization of ideas and solutions for the popularization of the game in Austria like the Spielefest. The cooperation exists since 2009.