David Parlett's SAZ page

Alex Randolph (1922-2004),

founding member of the SAZ, said: "I've often thought that if I'd been an explorer or anthropologist and discovered a hitherto unknown tribe, my first question would have been, 'What games do you play?'. They must certainly have had some."

The Beermat Manifesto

In 1988, at a games fair in Graz, this beermat became a historical document in the story of games. On it, a gathering of well-known game authors, headed by Alex Randolph, Hajo Bücken and Wolfgng Kramer, inscribed the following proclamation: "None of us will give a game to a company unless our name appears on the box-lid!"

Games have authors too!

Since then, publishers have increasingly been quoting the author's name both the box and the rulesheet. The SAZ campaign "Games have authors too!" continues to build on this successful initiative.

The Game Designers Association (SAZ) represents game designers' rights and interests. It promotes new game designers and seeks to foster a greater appreciation of the cultural value games to society.

Founded in 1991, the SAZ (SpieleAutorenZunft) lobbies specifically for the interests of game designers in the public and the publishing spheres. Although its main area of activity is Germany, the SAZ is also developing an increasingly international character by attracting more members from other countries. In March 2015 there were a total of 429 designers in 22 countries.

Membership

is open to anybody who supports the goals of the SAZ. Voting rights are restricted to those who have had at least one game published, or, if not, who have been in membership for at least one year and been granted voting rights by successful application to the General Assembly. If you would like to join, please complete and submit this Application form (PDF form 330 KB). I can vouch for the value of membership, having myself benefited on several occasions from the Association's legal department on terms of contract.

Principles and practice

> Game designers are originators. That's why we call them authors.

> We advocate a clear definition and acknowledgment of the intellectual property rights inherent in games. Together with other cultural organisations, we also oppose any attempt to circumvent the principles of copyright law.

>We promote fairness in the exploitation of intellectual property rights by providing advice to members in contractual matters, offering help from our legal adviser, and, if required, negotiating with publishers at home and abroad in order to reach settlements best in keeping with the authors' interests.

>We put faces to the creative names behind invented games. The fact that every new game has an author is still not widely recognised by the publica at large. We therefore work to ensure that publishers clearly identify their authors, and welcome additional forms of presentation and acknowledgment in all publications related to their respective games.

>We seek to foster a wider appreciation of games as cultural assets. That means, for example, equal treatment of games on the cultural scene, better acknowledgment of the importance of game playing for developing social and cultural competences, and equivalence to books, movies, theatre, and other cultural assets with regard to sales tax.

>We support a lively exchange of experiences and ideas among members, both nationally and internationally. Our regional meetings and web forum are designed to provide an intensive exchange of experience. We also organise workshops and other events.

>We actively promote new game designers. They may sometimes compete with one another, but new creative blood is dear to all our hearts. Games as cultural artefacts revolve around people. New members receive an advanced training voucher for selected workshops.