School Internship Games 2023: Hamburg

The School Internship Games initiative in Hamburg serves as a strategic educational bridge between the local games industry and secondary school students. By providing 9th-grade students with structured, three-week professional placements, the program aims to demystify career paths within the digital games sector. The initiative emphasizes hands-on experience, allowing participants to engage with core industry disciplines including game design, programming, audio production, and art, while gaining direct exposure to the daily operations of professional studios.

The program is a collaborative effort involving key industry stakeholders, including game studios InnoGames and Fishlabs, as well as the University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg). Supervision is provided by media and educational professionals from the Creative Gaming Initiative. Each internship cycle accommodates 16 students, maintaining a balanced demographic of eight girls and eight boys, and is open to students from both district and high schools. The curriculum is designed to meet mandatory school internship requirements, ensuring that participants receive academic recognition for their involvement.

Operational since 2021, the initiative runs twice annually, with specific application windows for winter and summer sessions. Applicants must submit a resume and cover letter, or a short video, addressing their interest in specific game development roles. Beyond the internship, the broader Gamecity Hamburg initiative supports student engagement through the Gamecity@School program, which facilitates direct interactions between industry experts and students in classroom settings. These efforts collectively function to cultivate a pipeline of future talent for the Hamburg games hub by providing clear insights into the skills and professional requirements of the industry.