Spiel Essen scraps using AI art to promote event after backlash last year, ongoing legal uncertainty
Plus: Record-breaking UK Games Expo preps for even bigger future after being outbid for its main hall next year
The decision by Spiel Essen, the world’s biggest board game fair, to use AI-generated images across its tickets, posters and app last year caused significant ire from industry professionals and board game players alike - and the friction around AI art has only intensified since. Spiel Essen has now confirmed to BoardGameWire that no AI imagery will be used to market this year’s event in October - and explains why in our headline feature.
Elsewhere in the newsletter we have news of last week’s record-breaking UK Games Expo attendance, and how the event plans to expand even further despite being outbid on its main hall for the next two years. Plus all the other board games happenings from around the industry, regular designer advice and our jobs board.
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Mike Didymus-True - Editor
World’s biggest board game fair scraps using AI art to promote event after backlash last year, ongoing legal uncertainty
Spiel Essen, the world’s biggest board game fair, has stopped using AI generated images to market the event, citing criticism from industry professionals and consumers about last year’s campaign and ongoing uncertainties about the legality of the technology. Publishers, artists and players took to social media and BoardGameGeek forums last October to condemn Spiel’s decision to use AI art across the tickets, posters and app for its 2023 event, which was attended by 193,000 people.
Those images drew scorn for their inclusion of widely-criticised AI art tics, such as six-fingered people and objects melting into one another, and many commentors questioned why Spiel could not have hired one of the hosts of artists within the board game industry to create the designs instead. A Merz Verlag spokesperson told BoardGameWire that as well as the industry and consumer condemnation, the uncertainty around the legality of the technology was a driver of the decision to avoid AI art for this year’s event.
Record-breaking UK Games Expo preps for even bigger future after being outbid for its main hall next year
The UK’s largest hobby gaming convention is planning a big expansion in 2025, after a surging attendance saw more than 39,000 people descend on this year’s record-breaking event. That popularity led to a particularly congested Saturday at the three-day event, with large queues across the three halls, jams around the most popular booths and busiest junctions, and some demo tables fully booked for the day within minutes of the doors opening.
UK Games Expo co-organiser Richard Denning told BoardGameWire that the event will expand to have about 20% more space in the trade halls next year, in addition to extra space for the large number of gaming events, tournaments and megagames that take place at the show. The move also comes in the wake of UKGE being outbid for its biggest hall, the 14,000 sq m Hall 1, which has been booked out by an as yet unknown “larger company” for the next two years.
Paizo’s workers union, two tabletop games conventions and a TTRPG charity bundle for trans rights are all finalists for this year’s Diana Jones Award
Tabletop gaming’s most eclectic prize, The Diana Jones Award, has revealed the five finalists for its annual prize, which it believes best exemplifies excellence in the field of gaming. Two tabletop gaming conventions, Fastaval and Adepticon, are among the finalists this year, alongside board game designer Ami Baio, a workers union at roleplaying game maker Paizo, and a TTRPG charity bundle focused on trans rights in Florida.
Previous winners across the award’s 22-year run have included Blood Rage designer Eric Lang, Nigerian games industry publisher and evangelist NIBCARD, and the entire ‘actual play’ movement of people livestreaming and podcasting roleplaying games.
Uwe Rosenberg is teaming up with scientists to develop a quantum tech-themed board game, thanks to €820,000 of government funding
Revered board game design veteran Uwe Rosenberg is leading development of a game about quantum technologies, which is being funded to help teach about the workings of research laboratories. Germany’s Federal Ministry for Education and Research is providing €820,000 to fund the project, which is being co-developed by quantum researchers from the Technical University of Braunschweig, Stuttgart-based physics education specialist Professor Ronny Nawrodt, and Berlin-based Professor Jens Junge and his team from the Institute of Ludology.
The QUANTista project team aims to help present new quantum technologies in an entertaining way and publicise associated jobs, in the hope of influencing older children and adults to consider working in the sector.
Board game industry professionals band together for Palestinian children-focused fundraiser
A host of board game publishers, designers, artists and content creators are hoping to raise $5,000 to help Palestinian children affected by the Israel-Hamas war, via a 12-hour internet livestream this coming weekend. Root publisher Leder Games, Gloomhaven maker Cephalofair and Wonderland’s War publisher Druid City Games are among a dozen tabletop publishers supporting the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund by donating games for the livestream, which will run from 12.30pm ET on June 8 to 1am ET on June 9.
Board game designers signed up to give away 1-on-1 coaching sessions through the fundraiser include Calvin Wong Tze Loon, co-designer of the new Mass Effect board game with Eric Lang, and recent Diana Jones Emerging Designer award winner Clarence Simpson.
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Jobs of the Week
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