Steinmeier at Gamescom: Federal President opens the trade fair, criticizes addiction and tendencies that endanger democracy

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was the first head of state to open Gamescom in Cologne. In his opening speech, he spoke about the social importance of video games, but at the same time warned against addiction and "excesses that undermine democracy." During his tour of the exhibition center and his attempts to try out individual games, it became clear that he has little contact with the gaming world. Despite these embarrassments, politicians can no longer ignore Gamescom: games have long been mass culture, represent a billion-dollar market and the Cologne trade fair is both a crowd puller and an important industry meeting point. The weak German games industry then comes into focus. Although the world's largest trade fair takes place in its own country, it has little influence internationally and continues to hope for better funding - which, however, failed to materialize at the political opening. At the end, the reporter shows that even the large number of politicians on the site hardly leaves an impression because the visitors mainly talk about the missing blockbusters like Grand Theft Auto VI.