Edinburgh grows a new Fringe
Interactive entertainment takes its place alongside more traditional arts with the announcement of first ever Edinburgh International Games Festival.
Edinburgh in August has traditionally been a melting pot of classical musicians, stand-up comedians, street entertainers and executives from the worlds of film and television. From this year, however, this pot will have an extra ingredient as the first ever Edinburgh International Games Festival (EIGF) will see computer and video games take their place alongside the more traditional arts.
The EIGF, which will run in parallel with the other Edinburgh Festivals during August 2003, has been devised to increase the awareness and understanding of interactive entertainment and to highlight the growing bond between video games and other entertainment industries including music, literature, television and film.
The event is being managed by a committee drawn from all areas of the business, including publishers, developers and two industry trade bodies; The Interactive Game Developer Association (TIGA) and the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA). The committee is chaired by Tom Stone, Worldwide Managing Director for LEGO Interactive.
Commenting on the event, Stone says: "This Festival will be a celebration of the art form of video games. It will expose the heart and soul of what we do – make compelling interactive experiences that are enjoyed by millions. The event will focus on the quality of our industry's product and is designed to encourage debate about games in the same was as film, TV and literature are widely discussed."
Running from August 11th to 18th, the EIGF will consist of two separate, but related events: an eight-day public exhibition (taking place at the Royal Museum of Scotland) and a one-day conference for members of the industry and other interested parties (at Edinburgh's International Conference Centre). Further details on both events will be released in the near future.
The climax of the Festival will be the inaugural presentation of an award for excellence and innovation at a ceremony on the evening of August 18th. The recipient of this award will be chosen by a worldwide panel of judges drawn from all areas of the interactive entertainment industry, who will make their choice from an initial shortlist of 25 nominees drafted by the staff of Europe's most influential games magazine, Edge.
The event is being financially supported by Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian and by sponsorship from some of the biggest names in interactive entertainment, including Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and NVIDIA.
The EIGF, which will run in parallel with the other Edinburgh Festivals during August 2003, has been devised to increase the awareness and understanding of interactive entertainment and to highlight the growing bond between video games and other entertainment industries including music, literature, television and film.
The event is being managed by a committee drawn from all areas of the business, including publishers, developers and two industry trade bodies; The Interactive Game Developer Association (TIGA) and the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA). The committee is chaired by Tom Stone, Worldwide Managing Director for LEGO Interactive.
Commenting on the event, Stone says: "This Festival will be a celebration of the art form of video games. It will expose the heart and soul of what we do – make compelling interactive experiences that are enjoyed by millions. The event will focus on the quality of our industry's product and is designed to encourage debate about games in the same was as film, TV and literature are widely discussed."
Running from August 11th to 18th, the EIGF will consist of two separate, but related events: an eight-day public exhibition (taking place at the Royal Museum of Scotland) and a one-day conference for members of the industry and other interested parties (at Edinburgh's International Conference Centre). Further details on both events will be released in the near future.
The climax of the Festival will be the inaugural presentation of an award for excellence and innovation at a ceremony on the evening of August 18th. The recipient of this award will be chosen by a worldwide panel of judges drawn from all areas of the interactive entertainment industry, who will make their choice from an initial shortlist of 25 nominees drafted by the staff of Europe's most influential games magazine, Edge.
The event is being financially supported by Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian and by sponsorship from some of the biggest names in interactive entertainment, including Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and NVIDIA.
People:
Tom Stone