Mr Falk, 300 jazz concerts in 10 years, including in Croatia, Kaliningrad and South Korea. How does an enthusiastic musician become managing director of game?
The two don't seem to go together, but only at first glance. I founded the jazz funk band Mo' Blow while studying musicology and political science. At the same time as pursuing a career as a musician, I managed the office of the chair of the Committee on Culture and the Media in the German Bundestag. From 2009 to 2016, I was managing director of the German Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body. In this sense, I had been working in the industry for many years before I took up the position of managing director at game. And whether you're a saxophonist in a band or managing director of a games association, both roles require similar skills: creativity, communication, balancing positions, improvisation and persuasiveness.
The image of games and gamers has changed: gamescom in Cologne was opened by German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel in 2017. Why are computer games important for society and the economy?
Computer and video games have become an unprecedented success story in just a few years. Once dismissed as a mere waste of time and a toy, they are now established as an important cultural asset, economic factor and driver of innovation. Last year's opening of gamescom by German Chancellor Angela Merkel once again impressively underscored this development. Currently, around half of all Germans are gamers. And anyone who thinks that games are only for the younger generations is mistaken. The fastest-growing target group is currently the over-50s. This means that computer and video games are part of the everyday media life of millions of Germans. At the same time, games and their technologies have great potential for numerous economic sectors such as education, medicine, logistics or mechanical and plant engineering. And with a view to the increasing relevance of Industry 4.0, the potential of games technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality cannot be overestimated.
This year, gamescom is celebrating its 10th anniversary and is celebrating a host of world and European premieres.More than 900 exhibitors from around the world. Around 355,000 visitors. Live acts, indoor and outdoor performances and much more. Gamescom in Cologne is the world's largest event for computer and video games. Why Cologne?
We can be proud of the fact that with gamescom we have a globally unique flagship for the computer and video game industry. Nowhere else can gaming fans experience anything comparable. For trade visitors, on the other hand, gamescom is the most important business platform for the European games industry. In Cologne, we not only have a beautiful city, but also a strong partner at our side in the form of Koelnmesse, which helps us to continuously develop gamescom. The best proof that our concept works: since 2010, more than 2.5 million visitors have travelled to gamescom in Cologne and the number of exhibitors has risen sharply. This means that gamescom has long since become one of the largest trade fairs in Germany – far ahead of CEBIT in Hannover, IFA in Berlin or the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Festivalisation is becoming increasingly important for trade fairs and conferences. How important is the focus on experience at gamescom?
We have always seen gamescom more as a festival than as a traditional trade fair. In addition to product presentations, we offer an extensive programme for all visitors: the gamescom cosplay village, the family & friends area, eSports events and the gamescom city festival. The gamescom congress and the devcom developer conference also provide a supporting programme that is unique in this form.