Amersfoort Game in the City

Name of the project:
Game in the City

Executive summary of the project:
What started out as a modest conference for the gaming industry has grown into an important Dutch event for connecting the gaming industry up with other business sectors. Three consecutive editions have set the tone for Game in the City. In November 2010, Amersfoort was once again shaken up by Game in the City. With more than 50 (inter)national speakers, numerous master classes and the presentation of the Dutch Game Awards, the event offered an impressive programme to more than one thousand visitors.

Three years ago, Amersfoort debuted the first edition of Game in the City. Amersfoort’s creative centres, the 'Oliemolenkwartier' and the 'Wagenwerkplaats', were the ideal locations for the event. The Rijtuigenloods, a venue situated in a former train maintenance hall, is another illustration of how creativity can spark new ideas and business. The two-day event consists of three key components: The first day focuses on cross-business opportunities in games and, in previous years, featured well-known speakers such as Peter Molyneux and Keita Takahashi. The top Dutch games are celebrated with the presentation of the Dutch Game Awards and an industry dinner party on the first evening. The second day is mainly designed to target students and young professionals. The idea is to offer young talent professional insights and new contacts in the industry. More than 40 companies showed new and revolutionary developments in this special marketplace over the two days of the event.

Why is your project considered as a best-practice:
Game in the City enjoyed excellent exposure in the national press and is fully recognized by the gaming industry, as well as by local industry, as an important business event. But why would we consider Game in the City a best practice? The main reason is that Game in the City connects the creative sector up with the business world at national level through events like the Dutch Game Awards. Secondly, the master classes, which are attended by approximately 350 enthusiasts, are so outstanding that some students consider them part of their curriculum. Finally, Game in the City is an excellent example of how to create a great event through collaboration. Game in the City has established partnerships with companies and institutions such as Control, CCAA, Dutch Game Garden, Dutch Game Association, Gamefonds, the Chamber of Commerce, HKU, iMMovator, iZovator, TFI Region Utrecht, and Syntens. Game in the City also received funding from the European Commission’s European Fund for Regional Development. A quote from one of the attendants of last year’s event illustrates the key to our success: “Sharing does not divide your resources, but multiplies them, so you can innovate faster, sooner and better.”

Game in the City has given us many memorable moments, such as Peter Molyneux's demonstration of Natal, the forerunner of Kinect. However in the future we would like to mobilize even more local businesses without losing our national focus.

Tips and tricks for those who want to follow your lead:
Show ambition, dare to be different, and do something unique! Co-creation is one of the keywords of Game in the City. We collaborate with our partners to constantly reshape the programme and to add new components. Our connection to local networks, such as Amersfoort Creative City, BO0 and VAB, and local companies helps us to create Game in the City and we are proud to be part of the event.

Links to websites and/or social media (Youtube, Slideshare, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook etc):
Take a look at our websites www.gameinthecity.nl/2010-en/ and en.dutchgameawards.nl/ and feeds with #gitc2010 to find pictures, information and much more!

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