Kino x Games : Attracting Gaming Communities to Cinemas: KinoGames

Programme(s): Creative Europe Programme (CREA)
Topic(s): CREA-MEDIA-2023-AUDFILMEDU
Type of action: CREA Project Grants

Project ID: 101136129

Objective:

Since the Covid Crisis, numerous cinemas in Europe struggle to bring back their audience, especially the young adult generation. The emergence of streaming platforms is an additional challenge for cinemas. On the contrary, the video game industry experienced a significant growth over the Covid period. In fact, recent studies have shown that video games were used as a way to socialize with others and is not considered as a factor of exclusion anymore. However, European video games and movies are not very different. In Europe, they are generally financed by the same funding bodies and independently produced. Many games seek to promote European culture by incorporating historical facts or environments…and of course, gamers watch movies and film audiences play games. It is time the 2 European content sectors support each other instead of competing. Based on the Creative Europe project Cinnovate (ended March 2023) aiming at bringing innovative content into cinemas, the consortium led by game eco system catalyst SpielFabrique proposes to develop gaming events in cinemas with the goal to bring recurrent communities of casual gamers back to the cinemas to play and subsquently to watch movies. Experiences and research done during the past project shows a strong appetite for young audiences to attend gaming sessions (not E-sport) for a human-size social experience in their local cinemas. 5 Independent cinemas from 5 European countries and a European Film. Festival is joining the consortium to test different gaming sessions models and better understand how to build a bridge between gaming and films. Supported by a company specialized in gaming events and renowned expert curators in film and video games, the activities developed in the 36 months will shows best ways to attract new audiences, learn about community marketing for films and develop business models that will offer new sustainable opportunities to the participating cinemas but also to scale Europe-wide.