Games Week Georgia returns to Atlanta this year October 1-6, 2024, to celebrate all aspects of the global video game and esports industry.
The annual week of events and activations, curated by Skillshot Media and Ghost Gaming, and delivered this year in partnership with the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s InnovATL2024 initiative, will conclude with the three day gaming lifestyle festival DreamHack Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center from October 4-6.
“Gaming is quietly the largest segment of the $2 trillion global entertainment industry,” said Todd Harris, CEO of Skillshot Media. “Games Week Georgia celebrates the gaming and esports industry, bringing together gaming leaders and experts from around the world, and culminating in one of North America's largest gaming festivals — DreamHack Atlanta.”
The current set of announced Games Week Georgia events include:
“DreamHack's exponential growth in North America is a testament to not only the growth of the gaming industry, but the appetite of fans for in-person, community-driven experiences,” said Guy Bloomberg, Event Director, DreamHack Festivals - Americas, ESL FACEIT Group. “Following a record-setting DreamHack Dallas this year, our return to Atlanta alongside Games Week Georgia doubles down on making this moment a celebration of the state's vibrant gaming landscape.”
According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, digital entertainment is a $550 million industry in the state, responsible for more than 12,000 direct and indirect jobs. Events like DreamHack Atlanta not only fuel that industry, but draw over 40,000 guests, vendors, developers, celebrities, and more to the city across the weekend.
“Georgia is on the frontlines of innovation and growth and continues to engage groundbreaking industries like gaming, animation and esports that attract new career and development prospects for our state,” said Georgia Center of Innovation Senior Industry Engagement Manager Asante Bradford. “Events like Games Week Georgia put our state’s thriving creative ecosystem in the spotlight and show Georgia’s students that jobs of the future are here and within their reach.”
Grant Wainscott, Vice Chair of the Atlanta Esports Alliance added, “Georgia, and specifically metro Atlanta, has solidified its reputation as a global hub of creativity, talent, and influence. Games Week Georgia as a part of InnovATL2024 allows us to demonstrate how gaming drives both innovation and workforce development to feed our overall tech ecosystem.”
As one important element of workforce development and diversifying the gaming industry, Games Week Georgia will host five women from the BroadcastHER Academy Fellowship for Women in Esports and Gaming via an all-expense paid trip to Atlanta, experiential learning and mentoring from Skillshot Media, Ghost Gaming, and other partners of the 1,000 Dreams Fund initiative.
Further information and tickets for all events above are now available at https://www.gamesweekgeorgia.com/
CreatorSummit, a property of Ghost Gaming and produced by Skillshot Media, will debut on Saturday, April 27, 2024, as a day-long networking and professional development event celebrating content creation and the growing Creator Economy in Georgia. Full schedule here.
CreatorSummit will take place at Skillshot Media at Uptown Atlanta, with panels covering topics including Why Atlanta For Creators, Audience Growth, Best Practices for Brand Integration, Creation for Social Impact, Playable User Generated Content in Gaming, and AI Disruption.
“The CreatorSummit will help advance and democratize the creator economy in Georgia,” said Asante Bradford, Senior Industry Engagement Manager of Georgia Department of Economic Development. “Creators can have a significant impact on economic development and events like CreatorSummit foster innovation, birth collaboration, and expand opportunities for individuals and businesses.”
CreatorSummit will feature leading social media influencers and content creators from across Georgia and representatives from brands global and local including Twitch, UTA Atlanta, Prize Picks, Vayner Media, Zenni, Blimpie, Sly, the*gamehers, Georgia Entertainment, Atlanta Influences Everything, Butter.ATL, ATDC, Crafty Apes, Cxmmunity, Pipeline, Soccer In the Streets, Georgia Film Academy, and the Georgia Game Developers Association.
“GenZ’s main career aspiration is to be an influencer,” said Todd Harris, CEO of Skillshot Media and Ghost Gaming. “And leading brands are identifying influencer-driven events and campaigns as key to their marketing strategy. With this inaugural CreatorSummit, we seek to foster connections between emerging creators, established creators, platforms and brands as part of the Ghost Gaming vision to develop and unlock business opportunities for talent relevant to gaming culture.”
A limited number of in-person and virtual CreatorSummit tickets are now available at www.csummit.live/tickets.
CREATORSUMMIT EVENT DETAILS
CreatorSummit
Guests to include: (full list HERE)
Schedule to include: (full schedule HERE)
