Bologna Game Farm Shines a Spotlight on Gaming

On Friday, November 13, at the Biagi Auditorium in Salaborsa, Bologna, the Emilia Romagna public video game accelerator Bologna Game Farm is promoting the day's work “Gaming & policy, strategies for the development of the video game industry”, dedicated to policies supporting and developing the video game industry in Italy and abroad.

An event promoted by the Emilia Romagna Region and the Municipality of Bologna, and realized with PR FESR 2021/2027 funds, which involves public administrations, the professional sector chain, development teams, the research world, and many gaming enthusiasts with two discussion sessions to explore and deepen the main challenges and opportunities of the video game sector, with particular attention to its cultural value and social impact.

“Over the years, Bologna Game Farm has established itself as a true model of public policy for the video game development sector: a vision that recognizes video games as a supply chain to invest in with a rigorous and tailored approach to favor the achievement of market objectives and entrepreneurial consolidation. This support means boosting a continuously growing regional ecosystem, which positions Emilia-Romagna among the most fertile and innovative territories. The perspective with which we continue to work, thanks to numerous collaborations with national and international realities, is one of ever greater integration and openness of the sector”, declares Rosa Grimaldi, Delegate for Cultural and Creative Industries of the Municipality of Bologna.

The morning of November 13 opens with the panel “Experiences of public support for the growth of the video game sector”, moderated by journalist Fabrizia Malgieri. After institutional greetings, Giorgia Boldrini (Head of the Culture Department of the Municipality of Bologna) presents to the public the “method” of Bologna Game Farm acceleration, announcing the two finalist projects of the 2026 edition, each receiving a contribution of 15,000 euros to complete the development of the video game and launch it on the market in 2027. 

This is the shortlist of 8 projects protagonists of the 2026 edition from which to identify the two winners: “Poker Monsters” by Andrea Busani (Reggio Emilia); "Mirror" by Elena Felici (Bologna); "Box Box Box!" by Paolo D’Alessandro (Parma); "Project: Ascesis" by Alessandro Agresta (Bologna); "In your light" by Pier Luigi Caracò (Bologna); "A perfect location" by Alberto Calleo (Bologna); "Tarot Requiem" by Eugenia Carraro (Bologna), “Analog Overdrive: Signal Barrage” by Giuseppe Ventriglia (Bologna).

Another announcement of the day concerns the winning team of the first BGF Game Jam, a two-day non-stop development marathon - focused on Bologna's cultural heritage - which was organized by the BGF accelerator for November 11 and 12 at the Serre dei Giardini Margherita, and has so far attracted over thirty participants.

Following this, Thalita Malagò (IIDEA) presents an overview of the Italian and European market, to then introduce the international comparison on different sector acceleration models with the experiences of Bologna Game Farm, Zagarolo Game City, Madrid in Game, and the Municipality of Cagliari.
The morning session concludes with the speech by Rosa Grimaldi, Delegate for Cultural and Creative Industries of the Municipality of Bologna.

In the afternoon, attention shifts to the relationship between video games and gender identity with the meeting “Video games and gender, between representations and game design”, dedicated in particular to the themes of inclusivity, representations, and expressive languages in game design. A first in-depth analysis with which Bologna Game Farm broadens its gaze towards complex and highly topical cultural and social issues, which also cross the world of gaming as a special form of communication and construction of imaginaries.

Coordinated by Alessandro Soriani (Unibo) and introduced by the Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Bologna Emily Clancy, the debate sees the participation of Flavio Garganese (La Gilda del Cassero) and Francesco Toniolo (Catholic University of Milan), Claudia Molinari (We Are Muesli) and Marco Spelgatti and Mattia Belletti (Owof Games).

 The detailed program of the day can be consulted on the website bolognagamefarm.it and downloaded HERE