As the initiator and spokesperson of the Initiative Creative Gaming, Andreas Hedrich has been pleading for the creative use of video games in education and to make digital gaming culture visible and come alive. He teaches media eduaction and active media relations at the Faculty of Education at the University of Hamburg. Furthermore, he is chairman for Mediennetz Hamburg e. V., member of jaf – Verein für medienpädagogische Praxis Hamburg e. V., speaker of GMK-Landesgruppe Hamburg and associate of Frische Medien. As media pedagog and media producer it is important for him to be responsible for projects that highlight the creative use of media and their ability to be used by everybody as a medium for communication.

If asked what his favorite game is, he answers “Riding a bicycle in my mind”.

Carina studied cultural sciences at the University of Koblenz and culture and media management at the University of Music in Hamburg.

During times, when she isn’t entertaining her own offsprings, she is carrying out media and cultural pedagogic projects with children and youths in Hamburg. Her favorite games are strategy games like “Anno” or “SimCity”, if she finds any time besides her duties.

As team coordinator at PLAY18 she is responsible for bringing together the tasks of the festival with the interest of the team and the volunteers. During the festival she can be found at the Festival HQ, where she will answer (almost) any question.

Christiane Schwinge holds a degree in pedagogy and works as a freelance media educator in various fields of education. She is founding member and speaker of the independent and nonprofit Initiative Creative Gaming, thus she campaigns for the creative, capable and critical use of digital games. Since its opening in 2015, Christiane is part of the direction of the ComputerSpielSchule Hamburg, an open media pedagogic institution for adolescents and adults taking place in Bücherhallen Hamburg, the public libraries of Hamburg. Besides, she works as a lecturer at different universities. Since 2016, she also coordinates the MINTforum Hamburg.

Among her favorite games are “B.U.T.T.O.N.”, “Octodad” and “Mimics”, because they are equally silly, funny and unplayable.

Christina Kutscher studies English Literature and Media at the University of Hamburg and is a tutor at the Institute for British and American Studies. She is also a media educator and writer for Lost Levels, Gameplane.de and keingame. At PLAY18 she is responsible for the Creative Gaming Award an the excursions.

She has many favorite games, especially those that are creative, have a well written story or simply are a lot of fun like “Final Fantasy 9″.