GameCity5

Nottingham, 11/10/2010 – GameCity, the World’s best-loved videogames festival, today announced the details of its series of early morning breakfast discussions, to be hosted by Guardian games correspondent Keith Stuart. The breakfasts will take place in The Broadway on Broad Street, beginning at 9:30am from Wednesday 27 ^th to Saturday 30 ^th. Entrance is free, but spaces are limited.

Guardian games correspondent and GameCity quizmaster Keith Stuart returns to this year’s festival to lead a series of early (though not too early) morning discussions aimed at invigorating GameCitizens and helping them prepare for the day ahead.

Beginning at 9:30 every morning, Stuart will lead a room of early risers as they delve into discussion and a hearty breakfast. Areas of debate will range from games as art to the impact of second-hand sales on the industry and everything in between.

Keith Stuart said, "GameCity is by far my favourite video game festival, and I'm delighted, though petrified, to be involved this year with something a little bit different. I'm hoping that with the Gamesblog Breakfast events we can re-create the atmosphere of a daytime studio discussion show, but with controversial issues from the gaming world rather than teen pregnancies, overweight pets or mass family brawls. 

Joining the discussion every morning will be several of the festival’s main headliners, allowing fans the chance to share stories, opinions and a pot of Earl Grey with some of the biggest and best names in the gaming world, from a variety of backgrounds, including design, music, development and production.

Stuart added, “Gamesblog has always been about looking at the industry from a slightly different angle, and GameCity reflects that standpoint brilliantly."

Throughout the morning, those unable to attend will be able to voice their opinions and put questions to the panel for discussion through Twitter via #GCBreakfast. A full range of competitively priced breakfasts will be available throughout the discussion.

GameCity Director Iain Simons said, “Very few people get the chance to have breakfast with Keith, so this really is a great opportunity to chat with developers and see how one of our leading games journalists eats. ”

The Guardian Breakfasts are just one part of GameCity5, the yearly festival from GameCity that explores and celebrates videogames culture. For the full details on the festival line-up, go to www.gamecity.org. To book your attendance at this event, go to http.my.gamecity.org

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NOTES TO EDITOR

Follow all the latest GameCity news on our website,  www.gamecity.org

Get the latest updates on our Twitter page,  www.twitter.com/gamecity

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*GameCityNights is a series of after-dark monthly events that brings together developers, students and players in a celebration and exploration of videogame culture - with prizes. Every month a brilliant headline speaker will be making their way to Nottingham to share their thoughts, passions and give a unique insight into their work.

GameCity is what a videogame festival should be. 

The Centre for Contemporary Play is a research centre based at Nottingham Trent University which pioneers innovative thinking through new partnerships. Since 2008 it has worked with a variety of leading organisations from the commercial and public sector to deliver major research and inclusion projects. These include the ITAG conference, the GameCity videogame festival and the National Videogame Archive - a unique collaboration with the National Media Museum.

Driven by leading thinking at NTU, the Centre for Contemporary Play continues to create radical and innovative projects in the academic and public engagement space.

Gamecity’s aim is to bring together developers and the public to explore and celebrate videogames and videogames culture, with a particular focus on students. We attract the best speakers in the world, offer up-and-coming artists and developers a platform for their games and create totally unique events.

Some of GameCity’s greatest hits include a world-record breaking zombie gathering, Keita Takahashi designing a children’s playground and Masaya Matsuura, Lorne Lanning, Alexey Pajitnov and Media Molecule having headlined.

We’ve worked alongside some of the most prominent names in gaming, including; Warner Bros, TTGames, Crytek, Activision, Namco Bandai, SCEE, Xbox, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, Nintendo, Freestyle Games, David Braben, Media Molecule, Splash Damage, Harmonix, Rare, Denki, Monumental Games, Midway, Zoe Mode, ThatGameCompany, Nana-on-Sha and lots more.

Going way beyond just playing games, GameCity offers other new ways for people to interact with videogame culture. Art exhibitions, director commentaries, playground building, live recreations of videogames, gigs, gong-shows, three World Records, arcade trails, club nights – nothing is off limits for this most radical of videogame festivals.

Don’t just take our word for it, see what others have said after working with us,

GameCity looks poised to become our industry’s ?rst Sundance. A truly unique approach for hosting a game festival that seems long overdue.

Lorne Lanning, Oddworld Inhabitants

GameCity is unique. Any games festival that can reunite industry legends, lead to a Japanese game developer designing a playground, and evoke religious sentiments in a shopping centre is doing something very right for sure.

Edge Magazine

The year’s most inventively programmed new arts festival

The Times