Games industry to face off with TV execs at EIEF

Organisers of the Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival have announced plans to bring leading figures from the games and television industries together at this year's event.

An open forum will discuss the ways in which gaming is changing leisure habits, and look at how broadcasters are attempting to win back audiences who've swapped TV viewing for game playing.

There will also be a focus on the potential effects of the arrival of next-generation consoles and the growing popularity of online gaming.

The forum will be hosted by Broadcast magazine's Sam Delaney and the panel will include Channel 4 producer Janine Smith, Bravo commissioning editor Dave Clark and Alan Duncan, director of marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

"For fifty years, viewers have willingly turned to TV broadcasters for their main in-home entertainment," said Ian Sharpe, session producer and EIEF editor.

"With channel-hopping speed, videogames have sprung up. They have fed from the world of TV, learnt from it and are now making moves to supplant it as the primary entertainment choice.

"This phenomenon makes a great starting point for what promises to be a highlight of the Festival's conference line up."

Other events planned include sessions looking at the rise of mobile gaming, games in education, women in gaming, handheld gaming and independent film-making.

EIEF will take place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre from 10-14 August. More information and booking details are available from the official EIEF website, with early-bird tickets available until July 15.