This is a press release posted alongside our usual editorial content.

Two days this autumn will be dedicated to bringing together communities that too often discuss the future of video games separately: industry, academia, research, and culture.

This is the aim of The Games Forum Roma, a new international forum taking place on 12–13 November 2026 at Villa Mondragone. The event is organised by Women in Games and Structura, with Tor Vergata University of Rome as Main Partner.

Attendance is free of charge, subject to registration and availability. The conference will be held entirely in English.

The Forum addresses an increasingly important question for the sector: how can dialogue between industry, research, education, and culture be transformed into concrete collaborations, new projects and professional opportunities?

Rather than simply offering a traditional conference programme, The Games Forum Roma has been designed as a meeting space to encourage direct dialogue between those who develop video games, those who research and study them, those investing in the technologies transforming their production and distribution, and those exploring their cultural, educational, social, and economic impact.

The programme is co-directed by Dr Marie-Claire Isaaman, CEO of Women in Games, and Marco Accordi Rickards, President of Structura.

Culture, Community, Commerce

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.

Cross-cutting topics throughout the two-day programme will include artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, the transformation of work, developing new skills, the cultural value of video games, and collaboration between research and industry.

Keynotes, panels and discussion sessions will be complemented by dedicated networking opportunities, creating space for professionals and organisations with complementary expertise to connect and explore potential collaborations.

A European Roundtable in Rome for Organisations Representing Women Across Innovation and the Creative Industries

As part of The Games Forum Roma, The Rome Roundtable 2026: Women, Equality & Europe’s Digital Future will also take place. This international working roundtable is organised by Women in Games and Structura.

Over two days of closed-door sessions, the Roundtable will bring together organisations representing women across video games, media, technology, education, research and the creative industries, alongside networks working on equality issues.

The discussion will connect experiences from different sectors to identify shared challenges and explore potential solutions relating to women’s participation and leadership, as well as access to professional and economic opportunities.

The aim will be to identify shared priorities, areas for action and new opportunities for collaboration, with European gender equality objectives towards 2030 providing a common reference point.

From the Forum to Projects That Continue Beyond the Event

The Games Forum Roma is designed to extend beyond the two days in November.

Insights, proposals and opportunities emerging from the event will feed into the Rome Forum Brief, a document capturing the key outcomes of the discussions.

In parallel, CIRCULUS will be developed as a network designed to maintain connections between industry, academia, research and culture throughout the year and to support the development of new collaborations.

The Forum is aimed in particular at developers, studios, publishers, video game industry professionals, researchers, academics, students, cultural organisations, and companies working across the creative and technology industries. The goal is to create a space where professionals already working in the sector can gain new contacts and expertise, while students and researchers can engage directly with the professional and international dimension of the industry.

The Forum will be hosted at Villa Mondragone, the historic Renaissance residence associated with Tor Vergata  University of Rome – a setting where cultural heritage, research and new forms of contemporary creativity can come together, both in practice and in symbolism.

The Games Forum Roma will take place on 12–13 November 2026. Attendance is free of charge, subject to registration and availability.