May Briefing #1: More Than Just a Game 2025

On May 8–9, 2025, the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn in London hosted the 10th edition of the More Than Just a Game (MTJG) conference (and I was extremely happy to be there). This milestone event convened legal scholars, industry professionals, regulators, and creatives to explore the evolving legal landscape of games and interactive entertainment under the theme “Pushing Boundaries.”

Day 1

Responsible Innovation in Gaming

The opening panel of the More Than Just a Game Conference, “Pushing Boundaries,” set the tone by examining how the gaming industry can continue its trajectory of innovation while upholding ethical standards and maintaining public trust. Moderated by Rich Corken from the UK Intellectual Property Office, the discussion featured insights from Evangelia Nitti (Improbable), Theresa Bowman (Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP), Mikolaj Skowronek (NetEase), and Dorian Slater Thomas (Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz). Key topics included the role of self-regulation, the impact of cultural differences on innovation, and balancing creativity with intellectual property protections.

Intellectual Property and Digital Equity

The “Digital Equity and IP” panel discussed the complexities of balancing creativity, accessibility, and legal protection in the digital realm. Chaired by Kostyantyn Lobov (Harbottle & Lewis), the session featured Anna Piechówka (CD PROJEKT RED), Monika Gebel (Tripledot Studios), and Ross Dannenberg (Banner & Witcoff). Discussions centred on how copyright, trademarks, and design rights intersect with efforts to foster digital equity and the challenges of designing accessible technologies.

Bridging IP and Accessibility

Addressing the intersection of intellectual property and accessibility, the “Bridging the Divide” panel highlighted strategies to make games more inclusive. Speakers Dr. Yin Harn Lee (University of Bristol), Barrie Ellis (SpecialEffect), Nina O’Sullivan (Mishcon de Reya), and Aaron Trebble (Lewis Silkin) discussed how IP frameworks can both hinder and enhance accessibility efforts, emphasising the need for equitable access in game development.

Competition Law in Gaming

The session on “Competition Law as a Great Equaliser” explored the role of competition law in ensuring fair and open markets within the gaming industry. Verity Egerton-Doyle (Linklaters) and Stijn Huijts (Geradin Partners) examined issues ranging from platform dominance to in-game economies, discussing the legal and ethical challenges of maintaining competition while fostering innovation and player choice.

Academic Perspectives

Andrew Phelps (American University) presented “Pushing Academic Boundaries through Games,” offering insights into how games can be leveraged for academic research and interdisciplinary collaboration. His talk underscored the importance of integrating gaming into educational and scholarly contexts to explore complex legal and societal issues.

The Role of Games in Shaping AI Policy

During the last panel, Michaela MacDonald (Queen Mary University of London), Clemens Mayer-Wegelin (Nintendo), Anselm Rodenhausen (Video Games Europe), Andreas Lober (Advant Beiten) and Dominic Murphy (Ukie) considered how game studios are setting ethical and legal precedents, balancing innovation with challenges like copyright, transparency, and fair competition, and influencing broader AI governance.

Day 2

Building Trust: Players and Regulators

The morning panel of More than Just a Game, “Building Trust: Players and Regulators,” tackled one of the industry’s most urgent dilemmas: how to foster innovation while preserving transparency, fairness, and accountability.

Moderated by legal experts and industry insiders including Isabel Davies (Wiggin LLP), Ann Becker (Video Games Europe), Joe Jackson (Electronic Arts), Daniele Schmidt-Fischer (Ukie), Nicoletta Serao (LCA Studio Legal), and Julian Ward (Lee & Thompson), the discussion addressed the tension between self-regulation and statutory oversight, best practices in player data protection and ethical monetisation, and the growing importance of demonstrable transparency to maintain public and governmental trust.

The Role of Intermediaries

The following session, “The Role of Intermediaries,” zoomed out from developers and publishers to examine the influential yet often overlooked role of platforms and tools—such as Discord, Roblox, and game engines—in shaping player experiences and legal outcomes.

Speakers included Ryan Black (DLA Piper), Stephen Gikow (Discord), Tim Scott (Roblox), Sophie Goossens (Latham & Watkins), and Elle Todd (Reed Smith) who discussed content moderation policies and liability in increasingly player-driven spaces, the evolving role of intermediaries in safeguarding digital communities and competition law concerns around market power and gatekeeping and stressed that as platforms host more user-generated content (UGC), their legal responsibilities grow—especially around enforcement, revenue-sharing, and cross-border compliance.

What Is Money?

In one of the day’s most philosophically and commercially charged panels, “What Is Money?”, experts questioned the legal identity of in-game currencies and assets. With contributions from Paul Gardner (Wiggin), Tamara Sakolchyk (Epic Games), Konstantin Ewald (Osborne Clarke), Celia Pontin (Flux Digital), Sabrina Tozzi (Roblox), and Nic Murfett (Take 2), the panel dove deep into whether virtual currencies should be treated as real-world assets under financial regulations, players’ rights in digital marketplaces and secondary economies, and the blurred lines between consumer entertainment and speculative investment

Pitfalls and Opportunities: AI and Us

Closing the conference was the future-focused session, “Pitfalls and Opportunities: AI and Us.” Rather than focusing purely on how AI affects games, this panel turned the lens inward—asking how AI is changing the way legal professionals operate within the gaming industry.

Moderated by Andy Ramos (Perez-Llorca) and featuring perspectives from Tim Varney (Microsoft), Lizzie Williams (Harbottle & Lewis), Scott Kelly (Banner & Witcoff), and Harry Clark (Mischon de Reya), the session explored automation, AI-powered risk assessment, and enhanced legal analytics, highlighting that while AI offers powerful efficiencies, it must be approached with transparency, accuracy, and robust oversight—especially in legal contexts that impact creators and players alike.

More Than Just a Game continues to be a critical forum for grappling with these challenges, bringing together those at the forefront of law, tech, and culture. With its 10th edition, it reinforced the urgent need for interdisciplinary dialogue to ensure that the future of play remains legally sustainable and creatively vibrant.