The Colombia Film Commission attended Gamescom 2023 from August 24-28 in Cologne, Germany. It is one of the largest video game trade shows and the perfect place for developers, publishers, and other industry professionals to network, learn about trends, and do business. The show welcomes more than 370,000 visitors each year, including industry professionals, media, and fans. Gamescom is also an important platform for product launches and franchises of major companies, as well as for start-ups and independent developers.

The history of Gamescom dates back to 1989, when its first edition took place under the name European Computer Trade Show (ECTS). The event moved to Cologne in 1998 and changed its name to Games Convention in 2002. In 2009, Games Convention merged with the German video game fair E-Motion to become Gamescom.

Together with Procolombia, the Commission joined a delegation of five Colombian audiovisual services companies dedicated to video development that won the call 'Participation of companies in the audiovisual promotion of Colombia' to attend this market. The companies were Efecto Estudios, Timba, Indie Level Studios, Dreams Enterprises, and Madbricks. In addition, the Commission carried out brand visibility efforts through promotional material, the socialization of incentives under Law 1556 (FFC and CINA), the presentation of Colombian audiovisual services companies, and making contacts with developers, producers, companies, and international government entities.

Law 1556 incentives have one beneficiary project to their credit, Champions Ascension, approved to receive the Audiovisual Investment Certificates (CINA). It is worth noting that the video game industry is one of the most important in the world, generating approximately $203.9 billion worldwide in 2022, and it is expected to grow exponentially with the development of new technologies and the increase in popularity of online games. Video games are not just a form of entertainment but also have a significant economic impact. It is also a sector that creates jobs and contributes to exports.

Some of the results of the Commission's participation in Gamescom 2023 were:

• The fair featured more than 20 pavilions, with an exhibition area of more than 200,000 square meters, and more than 1,220 exhibitors from 63 countries. The Pavilion featured the leading companies in the video game market, such as Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, EA, and Ubisoft.

• We had more than 20 meetings with publishers and international developers where the incentives of Law 1556 were socialized. 

• There were around 15 meetings with national promotion entities, such as Chile, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.

• We attended the launch of 'Starfield', a video game that has been in development for 12 years and will be available to the public on September 9, 2023. 

• We handed out stickers and postcards featuring information on the National Government's incentives for audiovisual production.

• We talked to the event's production team to analyze the possibilities of participating as a country in a stand in the 2024 edition.

• We had a collaborative agenda with ProColombia’s representatives in Germany. 

• The attendees showed great interest in Colombia's incentive offer.

In conclusion, this was an exploratory mission to learn about the particularities of the video game industry, and the Colombia Film Commission will continue to make efforts to promote Colombian audiovisual services companies dedicated to this format and contribute to the production of this type of content, through the incentives of Law 1556.