More initiatives of the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft
De
More initiatives of the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft

Three Questions to: Dom Schott, Creator of the Podcast OK COOL

Dom Schott has been a part of the German games journalism scene for some time already, but the last few years brought big changes for him: he joined the team of The Pod on a regular basis, moved to Hamburg and started his own podcast: OK COOL. We took this opportunity to reverse the roles and ask him about his work for a change.

If you are subscribed to any German gaming podcast, there is a good chance you have heard Dom Schott's voice at some point over the last couple of years. A student of archaeology in his former life, he then veered into games journalism almost 10 years ago and has since become a frequent guest (author) in many publications. As a freelance journalist, he started his outlet OK COOL in 2019. At first, this was a colourful collection of all the pieces in which Dom was interested, but couldn't find the right buyer in established games journalism outlets.

Since then OK COOL has made a name for itself and has a clear focus on the stories behind games. Every week Dom invites a guest from the industry for an interview that sounds more like a conversation between friends about anything and everything and of course - video games. Besides that OK COOL has still a lot of room for experiments and offers a wide range of different podcasts for its supporters, who can chip in via Steady. Since January 2023, enough people are doing so that OK COOL could bring three more people aboard.
We wanted to take this opportunity and talk with Dom about the place OK COOL holds in games journalism and his view of the Hamburg games industry. 

The new team behind OK COOL: Rainer Sigl, Lea Irion, Dom Schott and Leonie Wolf
The new team behind OK COOL: Rainer Sigl, Lea Irion, Dom Schott and Leonie Wolf

You've described OK COOL as the outlet that tells stories and experiences which can't be measured in numbers and statistics. How did this concept come about?

I'm incredibly bored by traditional games journalism. There are way more interesting approaches to talk about this medium than thinking in narrow minded categories like "graphics", "fun" or "length" or/and in ratings - especially when in my experience people tend to discuss solely the chosen rating instead of the actual game, which makes it more difficult to have a profound discussion about issues like racism, colonialism, working conditions and so on. There need to be alternatives AND there is a need for alternatives - and I'm trying my best to offer one.

OK COOL was created while you were living in Berlin. In the meantime, you have moved to Hamburg and have certainly been able to make some contacts in the local industry. To what extent has this changed your work and perhaps also your view of games and games makers from Hamburg?

I've noticed some very interesting differences between the game industries in these two cities. Here's the most exciting one: While Berlin's community of developers seems to be way bigger and more engaged with each other, the Hamburg scene is on its own way to find a fitting identity for itself. Here people seem to be very eager to build completely new networks - which is a very exciting process to cover as a journalist.

Your project is attracting a steadily growing audience, and you've now even been able to put together a small team of your own. Which journalistic goals would you like to achieve? Beyond that, what would you like to see in the future of the German games journalism?

First of all: Breaking stories about the gaming industry - especially in Germany - which need to be told. Stories about sexism, working conditions and crunch, but also stories about success, passion and unique ideas. For traditional outlets, it's often inconvenient, complicated or due to ties with the industry simply not wise to talk about these more serious topics - but someone has to. And I do want to do that and shed light on every aspect of this industry which traditionally stayed in the shadows, especially in Germany. It's long overdue.

Besides that I want to focus more on the people who make games, tell their stories and sensibilize gamers to the realities in which games are made. This would not only help to create more sympathy for the industry as a whole but would also lay the foundation to have a more complex conversation about games and the stories they tell us - inside and outside of their fictional worlds.


Wanna know more about OK COOL? You can check out the website, Twitter, subscribe to the free feed or gain access to the full program

More News

Tips and Resources for your Funding Applications

Are you planning to apply for our funding programs and need some information and tips? Here's a short guide for you.

Road to gamescom 2024

For this year's gamescom Gamecity Hamburg again runs the Road to gamescom program: We offer spots at our joint Gamecity Hamburg booth at the Indie Arena Booth for Hamburg-based studios, teams and devs. Apply now until April 21

Road to Nordic Game 2024

Gamecity Hamburg offers a Road to Nordic Game Conference program: We offer spots at our Gamecity Hamburg booth for Hamburg-based studios, teams and devs. Apply now until April 10!

Apply now for Games Germany Steam Sale for games "Made in Germany" 2024

German Developers, studios and publishers with their headquarter in Germany can now apply for the Games Germany Steam Sale for "Games Made in Germany" 2024 until April 18, 2024.

Hamburg Games Conference Lecture Hall in the Altonaer Museum

Recap: Hamburg Games Conference 2024

It’s a wrap! The 15th Hamburg Games Conference (HGC) 2024 brought us two days filled with inspiring talks, panels, discussions and workshops with 42 speakers and 365 guests representing 255 companies from all over the world!

Prototype Funding 2024: Application Phase from March 7 to April 8 with New Diversity Checklist

Applications for Gamecity Hamburg's 2024 prototype funding are open from March 7 to April 8. This year's funding round provides 400,000 euros in total and up to 80,000 euros per accepted application team.

Games Lift: Playtests & Pizza

The Games Lift Incubator has evolved. We have plans for an entire year. That's why we've met with teams, mentors, and alumni months after the end of the workshop schedule.

Everspace Developer ROCKFISH Games Celebrates 10th Anniversary

What began in 2014 with the idea of the two experienced developers Michael Schade and Christian Lohr and an empty office has become a permanent studio fixture in Hamburg 10 years later. ROCKFISH Games now has 25 employees and established itself as an institution in the Hamburg studio landscape.

Successful third Pitch Level Up 2024 in SPACE Hamburg

For the third time, about 80 participants were able to gain valuable expert knowledge from our talks at our Pitch Level Up event and review and optimize their pitch decks and pitches for their game projects in 1:1 feedback sessions. 

Hamburg Games Conference: 5 Things to Do in the City

Are you visiting our beautiful city for the Hamburg Games conference? We recommend to stay a while and explore some of the unique sights Hamburg has to offer. After all, it is one of the most popular cities to visit in Europe. Here are five things you should do when travelling to town for the Hamburg Games Conference (besides visiting the conference of course)

Road to Hamburg Games Conference - 7 Hamburg indies present their games

The Hamburg Games Conference is just around the corner - 2 days of expert insights, talks, panels, roundtables and networking from March 5 to 6 at the Altonaer Museum. With our Road to HGC program, we present seven Hamburg indie studios that will showcase their games on the conference expo floor.

Senator's Roundtable 2024 brings industry decision makers and politics together

As in previous years, Dr. Carsten Brosda, Senator for Culture and Media, and Gamecity Hamburg invited executives from the gaming industry to the Senator's Roundtable 2024 to discuss current challenges and topics within the industry.

More News
Cookies are used to make this website work and to enhance your experience.

To learn more about the types of cookies this website uses, see our Cookie Policy. You can decide for yourself which categories you want to allow. Please note that based on your settings, not all functions of the website may be available.

Cookies are used to make this website work and to enhance your experience.

To learn more about the types of cookies this website uses, see our Cookie Policy. You can decide for yourself which categories you want to allow. Please note that based on your settings, not all functions of the website may be available.

Your cookie preferences have been saved.