Frank-Walter Steinmeier is the first German head of state to visit the event, underlining significance of gaming to the German economy

Image credit: GamesIndustry.biz

Federal President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier will attend Gamescom and open Gamescom Congress, the event's summit on the intersection of games and culture, politics and technology. Steinmeier will be the first German head of state to attend gamescom.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier | Image credit: Bundespräsidialamt

Steinmeier will give a keynote speech at the opening of the congress, and participate in a panel discussion on the role of games in German democracy. He will then visit the main show, "meeting game developers and members of the community in person to gain a first-hand impression of the many ways games enrich culture and society", according to German games industry organisation game.de.

This year's Gamescom Congress is focused on the ‘Playing Field Democracy’ and ‘The Games Effect’, which are described as "the positive influence of video games on democratic education, and games as an engine of innovation across the most varied fields – from medicine and industry to the skilled trades, the service sector and public administration." It takes place on August 27 as part of the wider Gamescom event which runs from Aug 26-30.

The event is preceded by developer-focused sibling Gamescom Dev, formally known as devcom, which runs from Aug 23-25. The first speakers were announced in April.

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