BRINGING TOGETHER GAMES, ACADEMIA, CULTURE & INDUSTRY: THE GAMES FORUM ROMA
How can the games industry, academia, research and culture work together to create new opportunities? That question is at the heart of The Games Forum Roma, a new international event organised by Women in Games and Structura, with Tor Vergata University of Rome as Main Partner.
Taking place on November 12th-13th 2026 at Villa Mondragone in Rome, the Forum will bring studios, publishers, researchers, educators, students and cultural organisations into the same conversation. Its programme is being co-directed by Dr Marie-Claire Isaaman, CEO of Women in Games, and Marco Accordi Rickards, President of Structura.
Three themes will frame the inaugural edition: Culture, Community, and Commerce.
Culture will explore video games as a form of creative expression and interactive work, their relationship with art and cultural heritage, and their applications in research and education.
Community will focus on the people who make up the gaming ecosystem, from developers and players to educators and industry professionals, with discussions around inclusion, representation, access to opportunities, and working environments.
Commerce will look at the forces shaping the growth of the industry, from business models and international markets to investment, emerging technologies and the long-term sustainability of businesses and careers.
Alongside keynotes and discussions, there will be opportunities to meet people from other disciplines and explore potential collaborations.The Forum will also host The Rome Roundtable 2026: Women, Equality & Europe’s Digital Future – two focused, closed-door working sessions bringing together leaders and organisations from games, technology, media, education and the creative industries. Structured around key European priorities including innovation and STEM, economic participation and leadership, AI and online harms, and gender equality in funding, the Roundtable is designed not simply to discuss the issues, but to identify shared priorities, practical next steps and opportunities for continued collaboration.
The ambition is for The Games Forum Roma to extend well beyond the two days in November. The ideas, priorities and opportunities emerging from the Forum will be captured in a Rome Forum Brief, while CIRCULUS – Knowledge in Motion is being developed as a year-round network to keep participants connected, support new collaborations and carry the most valuable conversations forward into future activity, partnerships and projects.The conference will be held in English and is free to attend, subject to registration and availability.
Find out more by visiting the website here.