Bundestag election 2021: election questions from the Spiele-Autoren-Zunft
Which parties are advocating for games as a cultural asset? Which are not? And who supports the inclusion of games in the collection catalogue of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek? Before the federal election, the Spieleautoren-Zunft (SAZ) asked the parties. With the kind permission of the SAZ, we are also publishing the parties’ responses here.
The Spiele-Autoren-Zunft (SAZ)
The SAZ represents the interests of authors and advocates for a stronger recognition of games as a cultural asset in society. According to its own information, it currently has 530 members, including 24 supporting members. The SAZ is, among other things, a member of the Deutscher Kulturrat and the Initiative Urheberrecht. More information about the SAZ can be found at spieleautorenzunft.de.
Statements: The SAZ requested these from several parties, specifically on the topics of “Promoting games as a cultural asset” and “Analogue games in the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek and library lending right”. CDU/CSU, SPD, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, Die Linke and the FDP have responded so far. The SAZ is pleased with the positive feedback and looks forward to the upcoming legislative period with optimism. It also states: “The FDP had already submitted a corresponding motion [on the inclusion of games in the Nationalbibliothek’s collection catalogue] to the German Bundestag in the previous legislative period. A detailed documentation of this motion is printed in the Magazin für analoge Spielkultur Null Ouvert .”
Questions to the parties
- Analogue games must be included in the collection catalogue of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (DNB) to ensure a recognised and comprehensive data basis for the legal claim to library lending right. What is your position on this demand, and what do you plan to do to implement it?
- Analogue games, as a cultural asset with many 1000 years of history, as a force that fosters community and as an educational medium, deserve more recognition and support – comparable to the extensively funded digital games. What concrete measures do you plan to take in this regard?
CDU/CSU: “Games are cultural assets of great societal importance”
“For the CDU and CSU, games are cultural assets of great societal importance. They make a contribution to cohesion in our society. Therefore, we support the demand by the Spiele-Autoren-Zunft to include analogue games in the collection catalogue of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. However, we do not want to link the question of inclusion in the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek’s collection to the question of remuneration. Even though games, like books, are lent out via libraries, this does not necessarily give rise to a claim for library royalties. Whether this applies to analogue games is, as with other types of works, a matter to be decided on a case-by-case basis.
As for the demand for a central data collection, we would like to point out that analogue games are already collected and stored in private and public institutions. For example, analogue games are available in almost all public libraries in Germany. In 2017, the stock in the “Non Book” category was 1 954 954, and the number of loans was 4 601 165. “Non-Book” items are largely games. In addition, the Deutsche Spielearchiv Nürnberg houses a collection of around 30 000 board and tabletop games. The focus of the collection is on board and tabletop games from the German-speaking region after 1945. Furthermore, the archive also sees itself as a scientific research institute that documents and evaluates the development of board and tabletop games in the entire German-speaking region since 1945. This means that a recognised and relatively comprehensive data basis already exists today.”
SPD: “Support collection catalogue for board and tabletop games”
“The SPD supports the archiving and creation of a collection catalogue for German-language board and tabletop games. This should be done at the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, which is responsible for archiving media works, or, if necessary, at the Deutsche Spielearchiv in Nürnberg. Such a collection mandate would create a data basis that is appropriate to the status of German-language board games.
In addition to archiving analogue games, further steps must be taken in this country to reflect the outstanding international importance of the cultural asset that is board gaming, which has steadily grown over the past decades. This could include the establishment of a corresponding foundation, which should involve independent institutions such as the Deutsche Spielearchiv (based at the museums of the city of Nürnberg) and the Spiel des Jahres association, as well as organisations like the Spieleverlage e.V. and the Spiele-Autoren-Zunft.”
Bündnis 90/Die Grünen: “Games are cultural assets that are not given enough political recognition”
“Indeed, we need a uniform database for the cultural assets of board and card games. This should be compatible and interoperable with the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (DNB). For the legal entitlement of game authors to library royalties, we Greens want to find practical solutions.
During the pandemic, many people realised how analogue games can strengthen a sense of community and provide relaxation, personal development and joy in (difficult) everyday life. Analogue games are a cultural asset that, while recognised as such, still does not receive enough political recognition. If the database mentioned in question 1 is implemented within the DNB framework, we Greens consider corresponding budget increases for the DNB to be appropriate.”
The Linke: “Games are part of a holistic cultural mission”
“Games are part of a holistic cultural mission. Their accessibility in public libraries, whether in rural or urban areas, enables cultural participation, relaxation and creates community. We therefore support the proposal to include games in the collection catalogue of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek so that they, as well as their authors and publishers, have a secure data basis, e.g. for library royalties via the Verwertungsgesellschaft Wort, and ultimately also a legal entitlement. Analogue games could thus also gain greater recognition as a craft-artistic cultural asset and assert their social significance as an educational medium.
A first step is their inclusion in the collection catalogue of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. Indirect subsidies – such as a reduced tax rate – or direct funding based on specific criteria (educational value, educational potential, etc.) will be examined.”
FDP: “Games have a social relevance that is often underestimated”
“We Free Democrats want to ensure that the database to be created is compatible and interoperable with the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (DNB) or other nationwide inventories – such as the Verzeichnis lieferbarer Bücher (VLB). To this end, the Free Democratic Party parliamentary group in the German Bundestag has submitted an initiative (see ‘Recognising games and game authors – improving legal and remuneration frameworks’ BT-Drs.-19/23682).”
We also want effective and practical solutions to be found so that game authors can be granted the legal entitlement under Section 27 of the UrhG to the library remuneration. Furthermore, it should be examined to what extent the scope and amount of the annual remuneration sums borne by the federal and state governments to settle the library remuneration under Section 27 (2) UrhG need to be adjusted. For this purpose, either the DNB’s collection guidelines and the mandatory deposit regulations need to be adapted accordingly, or alternative equivalent solutions, such as via the VLB, need to be found. If implemented via the DNB, the additional tasks should be taken into account in budget planning, and the budget should be adjusted accordingly within the available financial resources.
Games have always conveyed values, fostered a sense of community, encouraged deceleration and brought people joy. Games – whether analogue or digital – are recognised as cultural assets. However, their societal relevance is often underestimated. Their importance as a diverse educational medium is also frequently underestimated. Not only do the games themselves deserve recognition, but so do their authors, whose creativity constantly enriches and advances the gaming landscape. That is why we advocate for a uniform data basis for the cultural asset of games and further refer to the aforementioned motion by the FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag as well as our answer to question 1.
Even the Deutscher Kulturrat has posed questions to the parties. The answers can be read in the election manifestos in issue 9/21 of Politik & Kultur.