When the Federal President Comes: The Games Industry Has Arrived in the Engine Room of the Economy
For the first time in 17 editions, a German head of state, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, enters gamescom. This is not just a gesture to the fans — it is an economic assessment. What his appearance on August 27 means for small and medium-sized enterprises.
There were ministers. There were state secretaries, regional leaders, receptions with champagne glasses and photo sessions at the exhibition stand. What never happened in 17 years of gamescom: a Federal President attending. That changes on August 27, 2026. Frank-Walter Steinmeier will open the gamescom congress with a keynote and then participate in a panel discussion about the role of games in democracy — as the first German head of state to ever visit gamescom. Afterwards, he will walk across the exhibition grounds in Cologne, directly interacting with developers and the community. One could dismiss this as mere symbolic politics. That would be a mistake. When the highest office of the federal republic appears at an industry fair for the first time, it speaks less about the fair and more about the maturity level of the industry it represents. Games are no longer a niche in Germany that is left to ministries for digital affairs. They are an economic factor — and the Chancellery has apparently understood this before many industrial companies have.
The actual targets are not the gamers
The gamescom congress is explicitly not aimed at the gaming masses, but at decision-makers from culture, education, politics, science, and media — and at representatives from economic sectors who want to know how they can benefit from the industry's innovative power. This is precisely where the lever is that is interesting for medium-sized businesses.
The congress encapsulates 2026 under a term that is unusually precise: 'The Games Effect'. This does not refer to the games themselves, but to what emanates from them. Real-time 3D engines, which today represent factory halls and construction projects as digital twins. Simulation environments that train surgeries in medicine. Gamification mechanics that shorten learning curves in personnel development and crafts. And AI methods that have been tested in games for years before they make it to industrial application. Viewed soberly, the games industry is a real lab for methods that are only celebrated as innovations elsewhere years later — from the industry through crafts and the service sector to public administration.
For a B2B company, this is the relevant interpretation: Games are not a foreign market next door. They are a method supplier.
Democracy as a Second Playing Field
The second program focus is called 'Playing Field Democracy' and deals with the positive influence of computer and video games on political education, participation, and societal resilience. That it should be the Federal President — who has made democracy education a focus of his tenure — setting this framework is no coincidence. It represents a conscious shift in narrative: away from the old reflex 'games make people aggressive', to questioning what interactive media can contribute to democratic maturity.
The Numbers that Carry the Gesture
The appearance stands on a solid foundation. Gamescom 2025 counted around 357,000 visitors from 128 countries; the gamescom congress welcomed over 1,000 guests and 180 international experts. Gamescom 2026 will run from August 26 to August 30 in Cologne, with the opening ceremony on the evening of August 25th, by the Opening Night Live; the start of the expo week is already on August 24th with the developer conference gamescom dev. As a pure business platform, gamescom gathers exhibitors, publishers, professional visitors, and millions of fans — physically in Cologne and digitally worldwide. The congress is organized by Koelnmesse and the game — Association of the German Games Industry, supported by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.