Vision
We believe in a society that shapes digital transformation with the help of games and acknowledges games as an enrichment to its culture.
Mission
We build bridges between the world of games and political and social institutions in Germany. As an ambassador for games, we illustrate what can be achieved by applying the ideas, mechanics, and technologies behind games for the common good.
Strategic goals
We set topics, highlight opportunities, and promote ideas to demonstrate the potential of games in the fields of culture, education, and research. We do this by developing new and innovative formats, events, and research approaches.
Further information
Our image brochure provides a more detailed view of our topical focus and our work, as well as of our understanding of the societal importance of games.
The advisory board
Olaf Zimmermann
Chairman of the Advisory Board, Managing Director 'Deutscher Kulturrat'
Prof. Dr. Eik-Henning Tappe
Vice-Chairman of the Advisory Board, Board of Directors of the 'Gesellschaft für Medienpädagogik'
Our advisory board helps to shape our work as a foundation. It consists of representatives from the areas of education, society, the protection of minors, culture, media, politics, pedagogy, administration, and scientific research. The advisory board works to ensure our independence and transparency and acts as a multiplier for our projects and formats. The institutions represented are responsible for a variety of projects in the areas of games culture, development, and research, as well as the protection of minors and media education.
Institutions represented on the advisory board (advisory board members)
Association for Media Education and Communication Culture (GMK)
'Deutscher Kulturrat' (German Cultural Council)
Directors’ Conference of the State Media Authorities
Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media
Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
Federal Agency for Civic Education
game – the German Games Industry Association
German Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK)
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Chair of Educational Science and Media Education
‘Oberste Landesjugendbehörden’ (Supreme State Youth Authorities, lead agency NRW)
University of Duisburg-Essen, Chair of Media Informatics and Entertainment Computing
Team
Çiğdem Uzunoğlu
Managing Director
030/236258940 Çiğdem Uzunoğlu has been the managing director of the Foundation for Digital Games Culture since February 2018. She is a certified systemic and master business coach. She brings extensive experience from foundation work: Most recently, she was the managing director of "Die gelbe Villa" of the Jovita Foundation. Previously, she gained extensive experience in management positions as a member of the executive board at the Walter Blüchert-Foundation and as a division manager at the Foundation of German Business. She is a member of the "Information and Library" advisory board of the Goethe-Institut and is co-head of the Diversity Working Group at the Association of German Foundations. Çiğdem Uzunoğlu studied political science at Freie Universität in Berlin.
Niels Boehnke
Project Lead Stronger with Games
030/2362589412 Niels Boehnke (born 1984) studied history and political science in Greifswald (B.A.) and then political science and economics as an accompanying subject in Heidelberg (M.A.). From November 2013 to May 2014, he worked as an intern at the foundation and was entrusted in particular with tasks in the area of the German Computer Game Award. Since February 2015, he has been working as a project lead at the Foundation and has supervised various projects, including the specialist conference ‘Digital Games in Children's Hands’, the new edition of the Parents' Guide, the study ‘Traffic and Applied Interactive Technologies (APITs)’ and various live gaming sessions.
Melanie Fussenegger
Project Manager Start-up: Games-Entrepreneurs
030/2362589421 Melanie Fussenegger studied Audiovisual Media at the Stuttgart Media University (B.Eng.) and MultiMediaArt at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences (M.A.). From 2015 she worked as a lecturer for the subjects 3D, drawing, design theory, game design and portfolio management at the b.i.b. International College in Bergisch Gladbach. Later, she also became the course director for the degree program "Game Design - Art and Animation" there. When she moved to Berlin, she joined the media agency Exozet - now Endava Berlin - where she first worked as Quality Assurance and shortly after as Project Manager on various website and app projects. Since March 2022, Melanie Fussenegger has been working as a project manager for the Foundation for Digital Games Culture.
Benjamin Hillmann
Communications Manager / Project Manager GamesTalents
030/2362589415 Benjamin Hillmann (born 1986) studied Cultural Studies and German at the University of Bremen (B.A.) and then Media Studies at the Babelsberg Film University (M.A.). From 2012, he worked first as a student trainee and later as an editor for the BIU – Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware and game – The German Games Industry Association . Since February 2019, Benjamin Hillmann has been working as a communications and project manager for the Foundation for Digital Games Culture.
Christian Huberts
Project Lead Remembering with Games
030/2362589416 Christian Huberts (born 1982) studied cultural studies and aesthetic practice at the University of Hildesheim (diploma). Since 2009, he has worked as a freelance cultural and media studies publicist and regularly appears as a gaming expert at cultural events, in news articles and on radio and television. Most recently, he supported the Berlin studio waza! Games in the development of the political education app Konterbunt and was editor of the ‘Handbuch Gameskultur’ of the German Cultural Council and the industry association game. Since March 2020, Christian Huberts has been working as a project manager at the Foundation for Digital Games Culture, where he has been heading the ‘Erinnern mit Games (Remembering with Games)’ initiative since the end of 2021.
Tim Kucharzewski
Project Manager Games and Values
030/2362589420 Tim Kucharzewski (born 1988) studied History & English Studies at the University of Bonn (B.A.), as well as Military Studies (History/Sociology/Politics) at the University of Potsdam (M.A.), where he also submitted his PhD in 2021. From 2015, he worked as a seminar leader and project manager in the field of historical and political education. At the Foundation, he is currently in charge of the Games and Values Education project.<br />
Tobias Lo Coco
Project Manager Award Office
030/2362589417 Tobias Lo Coco (born 1992) studied Politics, Administration and Organisation (B.A.) and then Political Science (M.A.) at the University of Potsdam. From 2018 onwards, he initially worked as a volunteer project assistant in the context of various projects on the topic of the European Union for the Brandenburg regional association of the Europa-Union Deutschland (EUD). Since December 2019, Tobias Lo Coco has been working as a project assistant for the ‘German Computer Game Awards’ and ‘gamescom Award’ for the Foundation for Digital Games Culture, among others.
Viet Hoang Qua
Tech Wizard Stronger with Games
030/2362589413 Viet Hoang Qua (born 1992) is currently studying Economics in Berlin (B.A.) and is expected to graduate in 2022. Since April 2019, he has been working at the Foundation for Digital Games Culture and supports Niels Boehnke as the person responsible for technology and organization at the ‘Stärker mit Games’ (Stronger with Games) initiative.
Malina Riedl
Project Manager Games Project Days
030/2362589418 Malina Riedl studied Cultural Studies and Spanish Philology (B.A.) at the University of Potsdam. In 2019, she completed an internship in curation at the Computer Games Museum Berlin. In December 2019, she worked for the first time at the Foundation for Digital Games Culture for the project ‘Stärker mit Games’ (Stronger with Games). In the meantime, she supervised the organisation and planning of the ‘Games Project Days’ and the ‘Digital Expansion of the International Computer Games Collection’.
Benjamin Rostalski
Project Lead Award Office
030/2362589414 Benjamin Rostalski (born 1983) studied political science in Berlin from 2003 to 2010. From 2006 to 2012, he worked for the German Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK) as a reviewer for computer and video games. In 2010, he took over the project area of the USK. Since 2011, he has been in charge of the award office of the ‘German Computer Game Award’, among other things, and has been project manager at the Foundation for Digital Games Culture since October 2012.
Luise Volkmer
Office Manager
030/2362589422 Luise Volkmer (born 1994) trained as a retail saleswoman. From 2019, she initially worked as a Sales and Service Consultant for Wayfair. in 2022 she completed further education in office management and human resources. Since March 2023, Luise Volkmer is working as Office Manager for the Foundation for Digital Games Culture.
Tabea Widmann
Project Lead Auswärtsspiel
030/2362589419 Tabea Widmann studied European Cultural History and Comparative Literature (B.A.) and Cultural Foundations of Europe (M.A.) in Augsburg and Konstanz with stays abroad in Prague and New Delhi. Following her studies, she worked as an academic assistant in the transfer project MEMOZE on medialised testimony in memory cultures at the University of Konstanz. Since October 2018, she has been doing a PhD on digital games as cultural memory media around the Holocaust and medialised testimony. In September 2022, she took over the management of the project ‘Auswärtsspiel’ at the Foundation for Digital Games Culture.
Responsibility & Values
We are committed to an inclusive working environment based on mutual respect and appreciation. Read more about this in our Code of Conduct for Appreciative Interaction (German language-version only).
We offset our CO2 emissions by supporting a ClimatePartner project for marine protection.
We are committed to fostering an open-minded, diverse, and democratic society through our projects. We consistently oppose anti-Semitism, homophobia, Islamophobia, racism, sexism and any other form of group-related misanthropy, discrimination or hate speech. Our Safe Space Policy applies to all our events.