Hamburg, September 1, 2026. As of now, ninth-grade students in Hamburg can apply for a spot in the School Internship Games Program. The three-week internships will start in January and June 2027. Supervised by media educators from the Creative Gaming e.V. initiative, each internship will provide 16 students with hands-on insights into game design, programming, audio design, and other career fields in professional game development. This school internship program—the only one of its kind in Germany—is made possible through a partnership between the participating companies InnoGames, Fishlabs, Playa Games, gamigo, and Goodgame Studios; the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg); and the Gamecity Hamburg regional initiative, in cooperation with the Creative Gaming e.V. initiative. 

With more than 190 game companies, Hamburg is one of the most important game industry hubs in Europe. In addition to development studios and publishers—some of which employ several hundred people—the Hanseatic city is home to a vibrant indie scene shaped in no small part by graduates of Hamburg’s various game-related degree programs.  

How do young people break into the gaming industry? What skills are required of those just starting their careers? And what kinds of jobs are available in professional game development? The games school internship provides answers to these questions. 

Thorsten Rohmann, CEO of Playa Games, explains the added value of the internship for students and companies: “Many different disciplines work in close collaboration during the development of a video game. Game design, art, programming, production, marketing, and community management each require different skills and personalities. It is precisely this diversity that defines our industry. The School Internship Games Program gives participating students the opportunity to learn about various career paths and gain hands-on experience through practical tasks. They are guided by experts from the respective fields and experienced educators at Creative Gaming. This gives the students a realistic impression of what working in the games industry is like and, at the same time, helps them to identify their own interests and strengths. “For us, this project is truly a labor of love. A program like this is unique in Germany so far, and in my view, it lays a very solid foundation for sparking young people’s interest in the various career paths within our industry at an early age and for specifically nurturing the next generation of talent.” 

Insights into career paths, visits to game studios, and hands-on experience over three weeks 

During the three-week internship, students rotate through participating companies. There, experts from Hamburg-based game companies provide practical insights into their day-to-day work, share their career journeys, and answer the students’ questions. On two internship days at HAW Hamburg, students learn more about game-related study programs and can actively develop game mechanics and characters themselves. The final day concludes with a presentation of the work created during the internship to company representatives. The program is recognized by schools as a mandatory school internship as part of career orientation. 

The School Internship Games Program 2027: 

• Winter Internship: January 11–28, 2027 
• Application Deadline: September 30, 2026 
• Summer internship: June 7–25, 2027 
• Application deadline: October 29, 2026 
• For: 9th-grade students in Hamburg 
• Available spots per session: 16 
• For application information, please visit: https://schulpraktikum-games.de 

Additional Information Sessions Hosted by Gamecity Hamburg 

In addition to the joint school internship games program, Gamecity Hamburg offers additional opportunities to introduce students to the games industry as a career path. Schools and teachers interested in hosting a “Gamecity@School” event can contact Gamecity Hamburg via email at office@gamecity-hamburg.de. 

Credits: Photos 1-2 Initiative Creative Gaming e.V., Graphics Gamecity Hamburg