TIME: 10:00 AM – 10:15 AM

To kick off the day, our Co-Founder Ruth Lemmen and our Head of Womenize!, Madeleine Egger, Joscha Neumann (Medienboard) and Lissandra Haulica (Ambassade de France en Allemagne) will hold a short welcome note.

TIME: 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM

Candela will share her experience of the full journey, from the myth of “building communities” to what it really takes to start from nothing, including the invisible work no one talks about and the gap between expectations and reality. She’ll explore what happens when creators enter the picture as partners rather than just numbers and why finding the right fit matters more than reach. Finally, She’ll talk about the part we rarely address: what happens when everything ends, when communities shrink and the real human impact remains. Behind every community, there are people, stories, and connections that go far beyond the hype.

TIME: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Feeling inadequate? Have you ever been told not to feel inadequate? Has any of that kind of advice ever helped? Do you wonder why your discomfort is labeled as a syndrome? And why if it’s so common, it’s often only tackled on an individual level? In this two-part talk and workshop, we will contextualize the so-called “imposter syndrome”, demystify its occurrence, and fight its hold onto all of us, together.

TIME: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Dive into the world of game design in this hands-on masterclass. No prior experience required! In small teams, you’ll develop a game idea from scratch to a playable prototype in just 90 minutes. Using analog materials and creative constraints, we’ll explore brainstorming, iteration, and playtesting in a dynamic, collaborative process.

Why join?

• Collaborative & beginner-friendly: Ideal for newcomers and experienced players alike.
• Analog & hands-on: Focus on mechanics, rules, and the joy of creation.
• Networking with a playful twist: Get to know each other through creative collaboration!

TIME: 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM

Over the past decade we saw nearly every game company embrace DEI programs, Girls STEM initiatives, and codes of conduct to try and address the well known systemic abuse, wage gaps, and harassment rampant in the games industry. Now we see many of those programs fading away. In that time what has changed? What lessons were learned? Was any of it sincere or all just a publicity stunt?

Lavendel Kranz walks through the many failed attempts to fix these broken systems she has been witness to. What worked, what didn’t and what she would do differently if she were starting over today. This is a heavy topic but a hopeful one about building solidarity, sharing our struggles, and how to make sure your energy is directed at real change.

TIME: 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM

Take a well-deserved break to refuel and recharge. Enjoy a delicious lunch, connect with fellow attendees, and take the time to exchange ideas and experiences in a relaxed atmosphere. Whether you’re networking or simply unwinding, this is your moment to pause and power up for the rest of the day!

TIME: 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM

In times of industry layoffs and uncertainty, many professionals are forced to rethink their careers. But reinvention rarely looks like a clean success story. It can involve doubt, identity shifts, and moments of not knowing where to go next. This fireside chat brings together personal perspectives on navigating layoffs, career pivots, and the emotional realities behind them. Through an honest and vulnerable conversation, Mafalda and Ruth explore how to cope with uncertainty, protect mental health, and find empowerment in the process of redefining oneself.

TIME: 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM

By now, many of us have understood that games can be more than just entertainment and that they always convey messages – consciously or unconsciously. If you have ever felt the need to make the world a little bit better, you might have considered doing so through developing games with that in mind. But how exactly could you use your personal values when you are not exactly working on one of those „serious games?“ Or maybe you wonder how to have an impact if you are not a writer?

Together we will develop, share and reflect concrete ideas on how everybody on the team can use their values to influence content. All professions are welcome in this workshop – your unique viewpoint is always a plus!

TIME: 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM

Running a live game is messy, fast-moving, and never really “done.” In this talk, Valeria and Olivia will pull back the curtain on the real day-to-day of LiveOps, from tough prioritization calls and production challenges to the constant balancing act between player happiness, business impact, and team wellbeing. Using lessons from Idle Miner Tycoon, we’ll explore how product and production truly work together to keep a game evolving for years, what breaks (and what scales), and the leadership lessons that come with it. Expect practical insights on decision-making, feedback, and how to build teams that can thrive in the long run and not just survive the next update.

TIME: 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM

Developing video games is no easy task, and balancing marketability, changing social and political climates, and your own morals and opinions can be difficult. This panel invites four creatives with varied experience levels to share insights into their journey and what they learned along the way. Successes, failures, lessons learned – we want to have an honest and open conversation about (current) challenges being queer in the games industry and how a queer perspective might change or influence the creative process.

This session is curated by Malina Riedl and Beck Niederländer, who is also hosting the panel, from the Foundation for Digital Games Culture.

TIME: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Creating a safer and more inclusive games industry is a shared responsibility. In this workshop, Faith Carriere (Manager of Developer Relations) and Raphael Stange (CEO) from Nitrado will discuss what meaningful male allyship looks like in practice and share ideas to create safer, more inclusive spaces in the gaming industry.

Open to all genders, this workshop invites attendees to share experiences, discuss challenges, and explore actionable ways to support positive change together.

TIME: 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM

Marketing lives in last week’s numbers. Product lives in the next quarter’s vision. When these two time orientations share a studio without a translator, alignment becomes a negotiation between two separate realities, and not a conversation about one game. This talk unpacks why Marketing and Product teams conflict, not because of personality or politics, but because of a structural mismatch in how each function relates to time. Drawing on a real cross-over journey from 17 years in marketing to product, this session introduces fundamental issues between teams and how to bridge these gaps.

TIME: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

This masterclass explores how 3D assets become truly game-ready inside Unity — beyond modeling and texturing alone. Using real production examples, Theresa shares practical workflows for shaders, materials, optimisation, and engine integration, while also discussing common mistakes that can break visual consistency or slow down production and or performance.

The session offers insights into art direction, pipeline thinking, and decision-making in professional game development, showing how visuals are shaped not only by assets themselves, but by the systems connecting them. Participants will gain practical production knowledge, workflow strategies, and a clearer understanding of how to bring artistic intent successfully into a real-time game environment.

A laptop with 3D software of your choice (Blender, Maya, Max) and a version of Unity 6 is recommended to participate in this workshop

TIME: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Launching a game is more than just hitting the release button. When you are preparing for a Kickstarter campaign, Early Access launch, Steam release, or publisher pitch, success often depends on the work that happens long before launch day.

In this workshop, Jacky Martin breaks down the essential systems, strategies, and warning signs every indie developer should know before going live. From audience validation and positioning to production readiness, marketing preparation, and funding strategy, attendees will learn what actually makes a game launch-ready in today’s competitive market.

The session includes a practical launch readiness framework and a complete checklist developers can immediately apply to their own projects to identify weaknesses, avoid common launch mistakes, and improve their chances of building momentum from day one. Perfect for indie developers, small studios, and first-time founders preparing for Kickstarter, Early Access, or commercial release.

TIME: 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM

Voice is a core part of how games tell stories, shape characters, and create emotional connection — yet it is often treated as separate from the game development process.

This panel brings together perspectives from voice performance, production, and localization to explore how voice acting is created and integrated into games.We’ll discuss how game voice work differs from film dubbing, when it should be considered in production, and how collaboration between actors and developers works in practice. We’ll also touch on the impact of AI-generated voices and what it means for the future of human performance in games.

TIME: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

We’ll end the conference day with a casual networking session designed to foster meaningful connections and spark future collaborations. This closing gathering offers all attendees and speakers the opportunity to reflect on key insights from the conference, exchange ideas, and expand their professional networks in an informal and engaging setting.