ThinkGameful!

Publications · 12 papers

Papers & positions.

We bring research, facts and clear demands together – on the questions where games meet politics, society and the world of work. Every paper starts with a one-page summary and our core demands.

All papers are published in German · Free PDF download

Politics

3 papers
Position paper3 Nov 2026

Gaming · Politics · Propaganda

Videospiele als Propagandainstrument: wenn Staaten mitspielen.

Video games as an instrument of propaganda

How China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and other actors use games for political ends – from enemy images built into game mechanics to quiet power over publishers and platforms. The bigger risk is not the single propaganda game, but the silent narrowing of what can still be played.

Core demands
  1. Transparency about state ownership and funding of games, publishers and platforms – visible to players.
  2. Protect creative independence: binding editorial statutes at state-owned studios and disclosure of regional content changes.
  3. Media literacy for games: education that explains procedural rhetoric belongs in schools and civic education.
PDF · German · 10 pagesPDF
Strategy paper2 Nov 2026

Esports · Gaming · Politics

E-Sport in Saudi-Arabien: kritische Distanz statt Partnerschaft.

Esports in Saudi Arabia: critical distance instead of partnership

Saudi billions bring real economic benefits to gaming and esports – but they cannot outweigh the ethical fault lines. An assessment with figures, facts and research on sportswashing and the structural risk of a single state fund owning large parts of the ecosystem.

Core demands
  1. No own cooperations, sponsorships or appearances at PIF-controlled formats.
  2. Human rights due diligence as a standard for every actor accepting Saudi money – publicly documented.
  3. Build independent, diversified funding for esports in Europe so that dependency does not become the only option.
PDF · German · 10 pagesPDF
Position paper3 Nov 2026

Gamification · Democracy · Participation

Spiele in der Demokratie: spielerisch mitbestimmen, ernsthaft beteiligen.

Games in democracy: playful participation, serious influence

From the Wahl-O-Mat to urban planning with Minecraft: what playful formats can achieve for civic education and public participation, where the risks lie – and how federal government, municipalities and schools should use them.

Core demands
  1. Playful participation only with real influence: results must flow traceably into decisions.
  2. Transparency and neutrality: open rules, comprehensible algorithms, no hidden steering.
  3. A federal programme “Democracy, playfully” for municipalities, schools and civic education – with scientific evaluation.
PDF · German · 6 pagesPDF

Society

3 papers
Position paper3 Nov 2026

Gaming · History · Education

Spiele als Erinnerungskultur: Geschichte erfahrbar machen.

Games as remembrance culture: making history tangible

Why digital games are becoming indispensable for remembering National Socialism, war and persecution – especially as the last contemporary witnesses can no longer speak – and what politics, education and industry need to do now.

Core demands
  1. Targeted funding for games on remembrance culture – with memorial sites, archives and research as partners.
  2. Include games in curricula and teacher training, both as a source and as an object of critical analysis.
  3. Responsibility of major studios: historical war games must not hide crimes.
PDF · German · 7 pagesPDF
Position paper3 Nov 2026

Gaming · Consumer protection · Youth protection

Lootboxen: Glücksspiel im Kinderzimmer beenden.

Loot boxes: ending gambling in children's bedrooms

Why paid random content in video games endangers children, what research knows about the link to problem gambling – and how Europe should regulate it in the Digital Fairness Act.

Core demands
  1. An EU-wide ban on paid loot boxes in games accessible to minors – in the Digital Fairness Act.
  2. For adults: mandatory disclosure of odds, prices in euros instead of only virtual currency, and spending limits.
  3. Effective enforcement with clear responsibility and checks in app stores – not just on paper.
PDF · German · 7 pagesPDF
Position paper3 Nov 2026

Gaming · Consumer protection · Design ethics

Dark Patterns: wenn Spieldesign gegen Spielende arbeitet.

Dark patterns: when game design works against players

How manipulative design, obscured currencies and personalised purchase pressure shape the free-to-play model – and which rules Europe needs in the Digital Fairness Act.

Core demands
  1. Always show in-game prices in euros as well – virtual currencies must not obscure real costs.
  2. An explicit ban on key dark patterns in the Digital Fairness Act, with reversed burden of proof for large providers.
  3. An industry “Fair Design” label that makes games without manipulative mechanics recognisable for parents.
PDF · German · 7 pagesPDF

Esports

3 papers
Position paper3 Nov 2026

Esports · Volunteering · Tax law

E-Sport ist gemeinnützig: jetzt muss es auch ankommen.

Esports is now non-profit – now it has to reach the clubs

Since 1 January 2026, esports counts as sport under German non-profit law. What the law regulates, where it remains unclear – and what tax authorities, municipalities and the scene must do now.

Core demands
  1. A nationwide uniform administrative decree linking the violence clause to the USK age rating instead of case-by-case decisions by tax offices.
  2. Equal access to funding for esports clubs as for other non-profit sports clubs – for venues, youth work and coaches.
  3. A quality framework for non-profit esports: youth protection, media literacy, physical activity and harassment prevention.
PDF · German · 7 pagesPDF
Position paper3 Nov 2026

Esports · Equality · Discrimination

Frauen im E-Sport: die undichte Talentpipeline schließen.

Women in esports: closing the leaky talent pipeline

Almost half of all players are women, yet they are barely represented in professional esports. Why this is a structural problem – and what publishers, clubs, politics and sponsors can do about it.

Core demands
  1. Binding safeguarding concepts against harassment and discrimination in all non-profit esports clubs and funded tournaments.
  2. A dual strategy: targeted programmes for women and consistently opened mixed competitions.
  3. Effective in-game moderation: publishers must expand reporting and sanction systems and report on them transparently.
PDF · German · 6 pagesPDF
Position paper3 Nov 2026

Esports · Work · Health

Arbeit im E-Sport: professionell auf der Bühne, prekär dahinter.

Working in esports: professional on stage, precarious behind it

Short careers, young professionals, high strain and little security: what research and practice reveal about working conditions in esports – and which minimum standards are needed now.

Core demands
  1. Model contracts with minimum standards for pay, holidays, training hours, notice periods and health care.
  2. Special protection for minors: schooling, rest periods and representation through independent advice.
  3. Strong player associations in Germany and Europe, recognised by leagues and publishers as negotiating partners.
PDF · German · 7 pagesPDF

Education & work

3 papers
Position paper3 Nov 2026

Gamification · School · Education

Gamification in der Schule: Lernen statt Punktejagd.

Gamification in schools: learning, not point-chasing

What meta-analyses show about the effects of playful learning, which design works and which does harm – and how Germany's Digitalpakt 2.0 should be used.

Core demands
  1. Include gamification in teacher education – focusing on design principles, not tools.
  2. Fund privacy-compliant, ad-free learning platforms from public money.
  3. Have learning games and gamification concepts independently evaluated before rolling them out widely.
PDF · German · 7 pagesPDF
Position paper3 Nov 2026

Gamification · Work · Co-determination

Gamification am Arbeitsplatz: Spiel statt Peitsche.

Gamification at work: play, not the whip

When playful elements make work better – and when they turn into surveillance. With research, case studies from Amazon to Uber and five criteria for fair gamification.

Core demands
  1. Voluntariness: no disadvantage for employees who choose not to play.
  2. Separate play from performance control: game data must not be used for warnings, dismissals or consequential rankings.
  3. Co-determination and transparency: involve works councils, disclose the rules, implement the EU Platform Work Directive swiftly.
PDF · German · 7 pagesPDF
Position paper3 Nov 2026

Artificial intelligence · Work · Copyright

KI in der Spieleentwicklung: Werkzeug ja, Ersatz nein.

AI in game development: a tool, not a replacement

How generative AI is changing studios, jobs and voices, why scepticism in the industry is growing – and which rules on consent, compensation and transparency are needed now.

Core demands
  1. Consent and compensation as the standard for any use of a person's voice, face, movement or work.
  2. Transparency for players: clear, uniform labelling of AI-generated content in stores and credits.
  3. Legal certainty for training: clarify the EU text-and-data-mining exception with an effective opt-out and a remuneration model for creators.
  4. Co-determination: introduce AI tools in studios only with the involvement of employees and their representatives – with training instead of replacement.
  5. Funding criteria: public games funding should require disclosure of which AI is used and whether training data was lawfully acquired.
PDF · German · 10 pagesPDF

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