London Games Festival Returns - Full Details

The London Games Festival is back later this month, with a bunch of industry and consumer events planned in and around our wonderful yet slightly-expensive capital city, running for two weeks from Monday 22nd October through to early November.

And then it’s Bonfire Night. And then it’s Christmas. So, that’s the year all sewn up.

In addition to the main event - the videogame BAFTA awards on 23rd October - the festival is described to SPOnG as “a cultural celebration of computer and video games.”

Below you can find all the latest info on what’s happening so you can book tickets, put dates in the diary or merely scoff at the idea of leaving your house to hear some academics waffle on somewhere about the cultural vitality of videogames, when you could be safely ensconced at home playing PGR4.

Video Games Live
www.videogameslive.com
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX
tube: Embankment / Waterloo
dates: from 5.30pm Mon 22 Oct
Tickets from 0871 663 2500 or www.southbankcentre.co.uk (from £19.50 + booking fee)
Video Games Live is a ground-breaking new live performance showcasing the thrilling music of video games, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and choir, and the cutting-edge visuals, interactivity, technology and fun that video games provide. The evening includes performances of some of the greatest game franchises and music, including Mario, Zelda and Halo, through to a special retro classic arcade medley, featuring over 20 games such as Pong, Donkey Kong, Space Invaders and Tetris.
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Dare to be Digital[/b]
www.daretobedigital.com
enquiries@daretobedigital.com
Shop 14, Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL
tube: Old Street
dates: daily 22 – 24 Oct
Exhibition featuring concept art, finished characters, games trailers, playable demos and a documentary film plus some games will be available for free download. Drop in to find out more about how video games are made and details about Dare to be Digital - the UK’s premier video games design competition for university students.

Zero Gamer
www.londongamesfringe.com
01zero-one, Hopkins St, Soho, W1F 0HS
tube: Piccadilly Circus
dates: 1 – 6pm 22 – 26 Oct
FREE
Zero Gamer looks at games played, unplayed and unplayable, the spectator and the spectacle. Sometimes we just like to watch, and machinima, gameplay videos and spectator gaming events take the activity out of interactivity. Part of the London Games Festival Fringe.

The British Academy Video Games Awards
www.bavga.co.uk
Battersea Evolution, Battersea Park, SW11 4NJ
dates: Tues 23 Oct
Tickets available to attend
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is the UK's leading organisation dedicated to the recognition and promotion of excellence in the fields of the moving image. Renowned for its high profile Film and Television Awards ceremonies, the prestigious BAFTA mask has long been seen as a symbol of excellence.

Guy Debord’s Game of War
www.londongamesfringe.com
01zero-one, Hopkins St, Soho, W1F 0HS
tube: Piccadilly Circus
dates: 6 – 9pm Tues 23 Oct
A founder of the Situationist International, Guy Debord was also a gamer who devoted much of the last 20 years of his life to developing, playing and promoting a table-top military simulation, The Game Of War. To coincide with Atlas Press' new publication of the rules, the game will be played by a motley group of activists, artists and academics, using a facsimile of Debord's original 1977 design of the pieces and board. Part of the London Games Festival Fringe.

London Game Careers Fair
www.gamecareerfair.com
The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL
tube: Old Street
dates: daily 23 – 24 Oct
FREE but pre-registration required
Now in its second year, the exclusive recruitment event at the London Games Festival provides the opportunity for publishers, studios and game companies to speak with professionals, recent graduates and individuals from related industries, such as computer graphics, animation, and film, who are interested in pursuing careers in game development.

London Gamer Geeks Quiz Night
www.londongamesfringe.com
College Arms, Store St, WC1E 7DH
tube: Goodge St
dates: 6.30pm Wed 24 Oct
Info: 0207 436 4697
FREE
Geeky games-type thing where you get the chance to do stuff like wailing at games awards, one-up each other about how much you love Sega and exchange invite codes to l33t betas. Part of the London Games Festival Fringe.

Computational Brain
www.londongamesfestival.co.uk
Dana Centre, Science Museum, Exhibition Rd, SW7 2DD
tube: South Kensington
dates: 7 – 8.30pm Wed 24 Oct
FREE but essential to pre-book at tickets@danacentre.org.uk or 0207 942 4040
How similar is the human brain to a computer? Event featuring new control mechanisms of the future including thought-controlled gaming. Can computer models of brain activity allow us to read minds? Will we ever be able to build a digital version of the amazingly complex human brain? All this and more answered!

Eyes on the Game
www.londongamesfestival.co.uk
Dana Centre, Science Museum, Exhibition Rd, SW7 2DD
tube: South Kensington
dates: 7 – 9pm Thurs 25 Oct
FREE but essential to pre-book at tickets@danacentre.org.uk or 0207 942 4040
This event will showcase technology that tracks a gamer’s eye movements. What do you watch when playing a video game? Your character, the virtual environment or the in-game adverts?
Research will identify what draws attention and can be used for development of future games and to aid in-game advertising.

Dorkfest – Console Hacks
www.londongamesfringe.com
01zero-one, Hopkins St, Soho, W1F 0HS
tube: Piccadilly Circus
dates: 6.30 – 8.30pm Thurs 25 Oct
FREE but please reserve your place on insync@01zero-one.co.uk or 0207 025 1985
Games machines - and other gadgets - are often capable of doing much more than they were originally designed for, plus nowadays they're also a) cheap, and b) everywhere. Inspired by the international "Dorkbot" meetings of "people doing strange things with electricity", cartoonist Tim Hunkin and a team of tinkerers explore some of their unexpected entertainment potential. Part of the London Games Festival Fringe.

Sense of Play 07
www.senseofplay.com
Soho Theatre, 21 Dean St, W1D 3NE
tube: Tottenham Court Rd
dates:9.30am – 5.30pm Fri 26 Oct
FREE but online pre-registration required
Sense of Play is a one-day symposium and content showcase co-sponsored by the University College for the Creative Arts. The event aims to promote lively debate on the nature of game design: what it means to different people – both inside and outside the industry. Focussing on the creative and cultural dimensions, Sense of Play examines game design as both a discipline and craft, offering different perspectives on its current and future possibilities. Part of the London Games Festival Fringe.

Text 4 Treasure
www.txt4treasure.com
Central London
Text ‘t4t’ to 60300 to register for details of starting point
dates: daily 27 – 28 Oct
Put yourself into a game & stand a chance of winning some great prizes. Get a team together for a text treasure hunt in central London with clues sent by sms. Game devised by the BSc Computer Visualisation and Games team at London Metropolitan University in conjunction with Gamelab London and Genius Telecom

Fuse 07[url=http://www.londongamesfestival.co.uk]
www.londongamesfestival.co.uk[/url]
Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Shepherd’s Bush, W12 8TT
tube: Shepherd’s Bush
dates: Fri 2 Nov
To book: Visit the official MySpace page at: http://www.myspace.com/fuseexplosion
Ubisoft is fusing together music and gaming to create a Battle of the Bands alongside a Battle of the Gaming Clans. Rock music and gaming fans will join a host of music and gaming stars to pack out the legendary Shepherds Bush Empire and witness the best of the countries unsigned bands in a genuine festival atmosphere.