On video games, politics and the battle for global influence

In partnership with Bristol Games Hub.

Video games are the world's largest entertainment medium. They are played by billions of people of all ages every year, generating hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue.

But they are more than an entertainment product. They connect people across the globe, creating digital third places where people talk, share ideas and build identities, fostering diverse communities capable of dominating the digital discourse now shaping our reality.

While democracies continue to underestimate the potential for influence in this space, others have seized the opportunity to control, co-opt or collaborate with video game communities to wield the power of these vast information ecosystems.

Saudi Arabia is spending tens of billions of dollars acquiring video games businesses to wash its reputation. Russia has funded video game development to help spread disinformation about the war in Ukraine. Steve Bannon utilised tactics deployed by online video game communities to propel Donald Trump into the White House, and Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin even carved video game references into his bullets.

Supported by the insights of politicians, academics and industry experts, Power Play is the vital guide for understanding this new political frontier, highlighting what democracies must do to protect and harness the immense power of play before the essential battle for digital influence is lost for good.

We're excited to welcome George Osborn to Bristol, to discuss Power Play.

George E. Osborn is the Editor of the Video Games Industry Memo newsletter, and the founder of Half-Space Consulting, a strategic consultancy which helps NGOs, regulators, governments and businesses to understand the video game sector.

He will be in conversation with Dr Richard Cole, Senior Lecturer in Digital Futures at the University of Bristol, and co-founder of the Bristol Digital Game Lab. Also on the panel, Dr Tomas Rawlings, who is the co-founder and director of the Bristol Game Hub, and VP at Sumo Digital.

Further details: 01179252274

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