In the Community of Madrid there are: 43 degrees or master’s degrees dedicated to the industry video game. Engineers, computer programmers, screenwriters, audiovisual experts, business development, marketing… this sector covers a wide range of professions that go beyond amateur and professional actors. The offer to train in this world between screens has been increasing in the region in recent years, but young people, mostly foreigners, train here and then leave. “We have to make them stay. We should offer initiatives to those who want to start and make their job easier. “For those who are already big, offer them an ecosystem that will enable them to continue developing their businesses here.”
The person speaking this way is the Innovation delegate of the Madrid City Council, Cherubconvinced of its scope. e-Sports (video game competitions) are already quite advanced in Spain, with well-known players, but “emphasis should be placed on the development” of these games in order for the sector to “complete its unification”. He knows the first thing from a personal hobby. He is aware of this from time to time in his spare time Connects to play with your Playstation 5 to Final Fantasy 7 and also to Diablo, two series that have had huge international success. After four years working in innovation and a career dedicated to technology, he says of the latter: “We need big studios to come and if it is possible for one of our companies to create a video game that leaps into the international arena, as happened with Commandos 25 years ago,” he explains.
Invest in Madrid
For this, the Madrid City Council has promoted a strategy aimed at giving impetus to this bill-paying sector. 2.012 million per year in Spain, 27% of which comes from MadridAccording to the Spanish Video Game Association’s (AEVI) 2022 Video Game Industry Yearbook. This data reflects billing levels increasing by 12.09% compared to the previous year.
well below this figure 25 million euros The children’s department will devote space to video games throughout this period, but the delegate believes that these will serve to give greater visibility to this sector, increase the synergy between different companies connected to this world and internationalize Madrid as a reference that will attract the attention of video games. For example, the business of London It may be losing out due to Brexit and competing with Germany, which, according to its own statement, has strongly supported the development of this business.
startups
Yulia Tru Created September 2022 Tested with a friend actor. The CEO and co-founder of this startup explains that the development of a video game takes between 3 months and 5 years, depending on its complexity and ambition. His small company is collaborating on this development by testing different parts of the video game from the user experience. “Not only is it easy and understandable, but there’s also the emotional part and the reactions it evokes. A video game has to be entertaining, and we analyze facial expressions, videotape players trying a demo while we record the screen. It’s about computational learning and computer vision through technology-based artificial intelligenceWe see what emotions different parts of the game create and whether they provoke any reactions.” The results serve to refine the development of the video game and make adjustments where something isn’t working.
Yours is one of the 30 startups participating in the first edition of the fair. In Madrid Gaming Entrepreneurship Programedited by city of madrid and was closed this week. has been six month immersion Where they find state-of-the-art audio, video and virtual and augmented reality laboratories and receive personalized advice, support in seeking funding, hosting events and expert support for their business.
“We are a startup, we were polishing the product in March and went to market in the summer. Access to mentors and being part of the ecosystem accelerates business development and Helped us not go blind“Tru explains his experience in this program, which is just one of the actions of Madrid in Game, the umbrella under which all municipal initiatives are promoted to promote the video game and gamification industry in the capital.
From business cluster to campus
The innovation department bases its commitment on two pillars. On the one hand, Madrid Game Cluster, It unites the entire company ecosystem and training centers in the sector and today includes 68 companies and entrepreneurs. On the other hand, video game campusLocated in Casa de Campo, opening in December 2022, the three pavilions and more than 3,000 m² of space include an incubator and project accelerator, a high-performance Esports center (something similar to a gym for such digital sports) and an experience . mansion.
The closing of the first edition of the entrepreneurship program will give way to the second at the end of this month. On September 29, the call for new startups to join this incubation center opens, and on this occasion 50 startups will take part, 20 of which will be companies that have already participated in the first event and are currently repeating at another stage of development. Our goal is for 200 startups to pass through here in the next three years.“The turnover in Spain is already quite large, but the sector will continue to grow as broadcasters have more and more views and with the effort also made in terms of the development of the community and space for development. Madrid, which has created an ecosystem of companies that attract others, compared to other capitals such as London, the quality of life and “It’s a very competitive city in terms of salaries. There are a growing number of Asians and Americans interested,” says Niño.
Additionally, the second marathon will be held in Madrid on the weekend of the 15th to the 17th of September. Hack Jams, a 48-hour tournament in which teams from various disciplines (programmers, artists, scriptwriters, etc.) compete to design a video game from scratch that can then be tested on campus. A second season was added to this. Esports Series MadridThe championship started on September 5 and the final will be held on December 1. Madrid City Council was the first public administration to organize these championships in Spain and brought together 5,900 players in the previous organization. Free and open access is permitted only to persons over the age of 16, and beyond entertainment, the aim is to promote the professional development of amateur players.
HE “Afternoon Game in Madrid” Another of this scheme’s initiatives to revitalize the sector is an informal meeting held on the last Wednesday of each month, which serves as a meeting and networking point, bringing together 100 to 200 people in previous sessions. Through interviews with managers of the main companies based in Madrid, where the participants participated.
The sector’s impact on employment is still low. 132 video game development studios in the Community of Madrid According to AEVI, these are still small companies that employ only 1,373 people. But last year, 7.1 million video games were sold, and the number users In Spain “it is already exceeding 18.2 million“With a significant presence of female players representing 47% of total users, in line with other countries around us such as Germany, the United Kingdom or France”, therefore the council wants to promote the development of this sector.