What If the Rules of Gaming Weren’t Just in the Code?

Video games are now the largest entertainment industry on the planet. Bigger than film. Bigger than television. Bigger than music.

But behind every digital world sits another set of rules. Not just game mechanics, but real-world law.

Who owns a character?
Can players really trade virtual items?
What happens when AI starts generating game art, voices and storylines?
And who decides what is fair in online worlds with millions of players?

This interactive session explores how law quietly shapes the way games are created, played and experienced. Rather than focusing on legal technicalities, the discussion looks at something more interesting: how legal frameworks influence creativity, fairness and diversity across the games industry.

Together we will explore three big questions.

What if the rules behind games shape who gets to make them?

Game development does not happen in a vacuum. Intellectual property law determines who owns characters, music and game engines. Platform policies influence which studios thrive and which struggle to break through.

We’ll explore how copyright, platform power and labour conditions affect the kinds of games that reach players.

What if the stories inside games shape culture?

Games are cultural spaces where identity, representation and storytelling are constantly evolving. At the same time regulators are paying increasing attention to loot boxes, microtransactions and virtual economies.

This part of the conversation looks at representation, online speech, content moderation and how law protects younger players in complex digital worlds.

What if virtual worlds are real social spaces?

Millions of people interact inside online games every day. These environments raise surprisingly complex legal questions.

Is stealing a virtual item actually a crime?
How should platforms deal with harassment and cheating?
What happens when AI tools start generating characters, voices or art?
And what is the environmental cost of massive gaming infrastructures?

Games today are more than entertainment. They are digital societies where technology, culture, community and commerce collide.

This session invites us to step back and ask how the rules we build around games today will shape the industry and the player experience tomorrow.

Expect short provocations, real examples from the games industry and an open discussion about where gaming, regulation and technology meet.

Who should attend

This session will appeal to anyone interested in the intersection of technology, creativity and digital culture, including:

• Game developers and designers thinking about the legal landscape shaping their work
• Tech founders and platform builders working in digital ecosystems and online communities
• Researchers and academics exploring digital culture, regulation and emerging technology
• Law, policy and governance professionals interested in how regulation interacts with innovation
• Players and creators curious about the hidden rules shaping the games they love

If you care about the future of digital worlds, this conversation offers a fascinating look at the unseen systems that shape them.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher TechSPARK