NEW GAMEHOTEL SHOW & CONFERENCE ANNOUNCED

01/08/2006 - Following up on its successful shows in California and Paris, GAMEHOTEL, the acclaimed international event series on interactive entertainment, stages a first edition in German-speaking Europe.
| German version |

On October 20, 2006, GAMEHOTEL’s flagship live event will swap the familiar Silicon Valley and Paris venues for the vibrant feel of one of the continent’s most thriving club environments, the Tonimolkerei Club, on the shores of beautiful Lake Zurich.

Packed with ideas, style, and a whole lot of fun, the light-hearted GAMEHOTEL SHOW will present leading video game creators from Japan, the US, and Europe, spotlighting the most exciting developments in games, and offering wide-ranging access to the cultural phenomenon that is interactive entertainment.

For the GAMEHOTEL CONFERENCE, held in conjunction with the GAMEHOTEL SHOW, the organizers have handpicked a roster of high-profile international specialists. They will spotlight the growing influence and importance of video games in the creative industries, advertisement, and communication, as well as in the media, education and the workplace.

Full program details will be available at the end of August. Check out the current press releases in English and German.

Ticket sales starts on August 31 via

Limited seating available! If you wish to receive email notification when tickets are on sale, please send email (subject: ticket sales) to

CELEBRATION OF VIDEO GAMES
“Today, video games hold a central position in culture and society. Yet the public debate often leaves aside the exciting developments in this truly contemporary means of expression”, says GAMEHOTEL director Bruno Beusch. “GAMEHOTEL closes this gap and places video and computer games where they belong: right on top of the cultural agenda of the 21 century!”

Since their spectacular 2003 Paris debut, GAMEHOTEL’s flagship live events have transposed the latest trends in interactive entertainment into vibrant, “cheerfully designed” (Famitsu, Tokyo) happenings chock full of demos, screenings, and stimulating conversation. Due to its unique approach, this “celebration of video gaming as it relates to pop culture at large” (Gamasutra) has established itself as a stylish alternative to traditional consumer fairs and industry insider gatherings, and has become one of the rare events to successfully reach the general public, the media, and professionals alike.

PRAISE FROM THE PUBLIC AND THE MEDIA
The audience and the media described GAMEHOTEL events in glowing terms: French daily Libération: “A great evening on digital pop culture”. Leading London-based game magazine Edge: “GAMEHOTEL offers moments of rare cultural insights. A valuable and enduring achievement; refreshing and exuberant”. Californian Xbox Nation magazine: “Fun, relaxation, and intelligent discourse! A much-needed counter-balance to the industry’s play-it-safe agenda”. Yahoo: “The symbol of future events on video games”. Online game magazine Gamespot: “[Featuring] some of the most innovative people in games, GAMEHOTEL was a success.” French weekly Télérama: “The place where you discover tomorrow’s games and digital heroes.” High-profile game magazine Gamasutra: “A celebration of video gaming as it relates to pop culture at large.” Influential blog Kotaku: “Crawling with hot game designers. A slick stage presentation and interview extravaganza ... impressive.” Tokyo-based game magazine Famitsu: “Relaxing atmosphere, cheerfully designed!”

WHO IS WHO OF VIDEO GAMES
The guest list of previous GAMEHOTEL events and spin offs reads like a who’s who of video games: legendary Japanese creator of Lumines, Space Channel 5, and Rez, Tetsuya Mizuguchi; the new enfant terrible on the block and mastermind behind cult title Katamari Damacy, Keita Takahashi; Guitar Hero creator, and Harmonix’ CEO, Alex Rigopulos; Sony Worldwide Studios’ president, Phil Harrison; Sims-creator Will Wright; French and Swedish alternate reality gaming pioneers Tom Söderlund and Mathieu Castelli; British game developer legend Peter Molyneux; former Ubisoft worldwide technical director Julien Merceron; Japanese music-action game master Masaya Matsuura; French visionary David Cage; British author and columnist Steven Poole aka Trigger Happy, and many more have shared their thoughts and visions while demoing their latest titles.

FROM THE VALLEY TO THE LAKE
After its celebrated 2003 Paris launch in an elegantly historic aristocratic town house, GAMEHOTEL has become part of the official program of the world’s premiere video game developer convention, the Californian Game Developers Conference, in 2004 (GAMEHOTEL AT GDC). The sold out 2005 shows, GAMEHOTEL FUTURE MOVES and GAMEHOTEL JAPAN UNLIMITED, featured the first public European appearances of Japanese and US top game designers and shooting stars.

In its first venture into the German-speaking part of Europe in October 2006, GAMEHOTEL’s flagship live event will swap the familiar Silicon Valley and Paris venues for the vibrant feel of one of the continent’s most thriving club environments. For the exuberant show, held at Tonimolkerei Club, on the shores of beautiful Lake Zurich, the organizers have again handpicked a roster of high-profile guests.

GAMEHOTEL SHOW
Chief among the many highlights: the appearances of some of the world’s most innovative and respected game designers and industry protagonists from Japan, the US, and Europe. “Game designers are finally getting the attention they deserve,” says GAMEHOTEL producer Tina Cassani. “Today, video games are in a situation comparable to that of movies in the first half of the 20th century. Game developers are currently shaping the future of interactive entertainment, and creating the first masterpieces of a new art form. GAMEHOTEL is playing host to the future Chaplins and Hitchcocks of video games!”

More great live action and fun will happen courtesy of exclusive game demos, entertaining screenings, penetrating talks, and GAMEHOTEL’s popular specials, such as the light-hearted GAMEHOTEL POP CULTURE QUIZ, the ambitious GAMEHOTEL REPLAY series, or the legendary GAMEHOTEL DEATHMATCH contest.

GAMEHOTEL CONFERENCE
The GAMEHOTEL evening show will be held in conjunction with the GAMEHOTEL CONFERENCE. High-profile specialists, and international GAMEHOTEL guests, will spotlight the growing influence and importance of video games in the creative industries, the media, education and the workplace.

How do video games inspire the work of designers and creatives in advertisement, communication, film, and media? What can companies learn from interactive entertainment in order to develop products and services that meet with the high expectations of today’s consumers? How can video games be used successfully in learning, at school as well as in the workplace?

The GAMEHOTEL CONFERENCE is targeted towards professionals, decision makers, and opinion leaders, in the film and media industries, in marketing, communication, and advertisement, as well as in education, for who it is a must-do to keep track of the latest developments in one of today’s most influential media.

THE GAMEHOTEL BRAND
In addition to its flagship live events, GAMEHOTEL also produces an ongoing series of TV/radio programs on game culture, as well as GAMEHOTEL seminars and focus sessions on game-related skills and techniques in education and the workplace. The release of a book on GAMEHOTEL is scheduled for the end of 2006. This entertaining journey into the universe of video games will spotlight the positions, ideas and visions of leading video game developers and GAMEHOTEL guests.

THE ORGANIZER
GAMEHOTEL is produced by renowned event organizer and digital media consultancy TNC Network (www.tnc.net). The “specialist in electronic event design” (Libération, Paris) has earned an international reputation with the development of a refreshingly new style of trend-setting events on interactive entertainment, emerging communication technologies, and digital pop culture in Europe, the US, and Asia.

TNC Network was founded in Paris in 1995 by interactive entertainment experts, event and media producers, Tina Cassani and Bruno Beusch. The long-time advisers to prestigious technology festivals, mentors in digital media think tanks, and frequent speakers at conferences around the world, have consulted with clients in industry, media and interactive entertainment, research, education, and culture. The World Technology Awards nominees, and former curators at the world’s premiere digital media festival Ars Electronica, have produced and directed over 50 productions for all major European broadcast networks.

INFORMATION AND CONTACT
Contact: Bruno Beusch, director GAMEHOTEL
Phone: +33-8-7178-51-00
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