"Harbour of the games industry" is the heading under which the gamecity:Hamburg project has provided targeted support to the local games sector since 2003. This division of the initiative Hamburg@work was established with the intention of developing Hamburg into an attractive location for the computer games industry. The plan is working: Since the inception of gamecity:Hamburg, the number of jobs in the games-related value creation chain has increased from 800 to about 4,000. gamecity:Hamburg operates as a public-private partnership and is headed by its founders Stefan Klein (Hamburg@work) and Achim Quinke (Quinke Networks). Additional information on the job market development in the games sector in Hamburg is provided here.

Services
gamecity:Hamburg works proactively to improve local conditions for Hamburg-based digital gaming companies and assists them in establishing cooperation projects and developing new business areas. In addition to this, the network supports the local industry with comprehensive services, facilitating joint trade show appearances in Germany and abroad, networking events, affordable office space, start-up consultancy, and qualification programmes. Detailed information about gamecity:Hamburg’s activities is provided here.

The Founders
Stefan Klein, who was born in Hamburg and has an academic background in law, is also a founding member of Hamburg’s initiative for the media, IT and telecommunication sector, Hamburg@work, established in 1997. Since November 2007 he has been the Hamburg Business Development Corporation’s (HWF) project manager tasked with assisting German and international companies in the media, IT and telecommunication industries on all issues of establishing operations in Hamburg. Stefan Klein has been serving as Managing Director of gamecity:Hamburg since 2003.

An engineer by training, Achim Quinke is the visionary behind gamecity:Hamburg who also developed the project’s basic idea for his degree thesis. Apart from his unsalaried work as Managing Director of gamecity:Hamburg, he set up Quinke Networks, a specialized games industry PR firm, in 2001. Achim Quinke is in charge of gamecity:Hamburg’s press and public relations activities, and is therefore the main contact for press and media representatives.