Welcome!

The Seminar

Experience history and society in board games! Dive into historic moments and experience how decisive figures have overcome their challenges.

We cooperate with the pedagogical team of the political education center Helmstedt to offer the seminar „Democracy in Changing Times – experience complex historical and political contexts through gamification“

During the week you will have access to many and varied board games during the seminar time slots.
In selecting the collection we focused on titles that represent current and historic situations and decisions especially vividly and understandably. As players you take on the roles of decisionmakers in these scenarios to experience them first hand.
For each seminar time slot you choose which games and themes are of particular interest to you and who you would like to explore them with.

Some examples from our collection:

In „Hegemony – Lead Your Class To Victory“ you take on the roles of the various classes as interested parties in modern western democracies and experience the societal interplay of interactions, dependencies and balancing processes.

In „Weimar – The fight for Democracy“ your experience the crisis and challenges of a young democracy, by taking over the roles of the deciding political parties in the Weimar Republic

In „Limit“ you take on the role of states in the world from the time of industrialisation until the near futre and experience how national political decisions shape growth and relationships in a limited world.

In „World Order“ you explore international relations by the example of the world powers since 2010. You experience how their economical, diplomatic and military forms of power and influence shape the modern political world order.

The Place

The Politische Bildungstätte Helmstedt (Political Education Institution Helmstedt) is situated at the edge of the town of Helmstedt, half way between North Rhine Westphalia and Berlin at the former inner-german border.
It is just a few minutes to the Autobahn A2 and there is ample parking near the building.
Helmstedt Station is easily reachable through the RB40 from Braunschweig and Magedburg and we will offer a shuttle service from the train station.

You stay in double bed rooms with seperate beds and a bathroom with shower and toilet. If needed we can accomodate single room upgrades and rooms that allow a dog to stay.

The kitchen team provides full board with breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as an afternoon coffee break with cake.

The People

BIG-Con depends on the amazing people that we can excite for our game rounds. With participants from all origins we offer a multilanguage event where those relying on English as a common language are just as comfortable as German speakers.

At BIG-Con you will encounter from excited Beginners, …

… over passionate and experienced game explainers and experts, …

… all the way to tenacious Fans of longest running Strategy Games all kinds of people that make up our wonderful hobby.