London Games Festival Returns

EVENT LISTINGS INFORMATION

London Games Festival returns on Monday 22nd October with an extended run of two weeks. The festival is a cultural celebration of computer and video games with public and industry events taking place across the capital.

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.

Dare to be Digital

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

www.londongamesfestival.co.uk

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.

For further information please contact the London Games Festival Press Office at Cake:

Laura Bonney Stephanie Moses

T: 0207 307 3194 T: 0207 307 3159

E: laura@cakegroup.com E: stephanie@cakegroup.com

Check out www.londongamesfestival.com for the latest news and information about all of the events taking place this year

Notes to Editors:

The London Games Festival is a celebration of games and interactive entertainment taking place during late October 2007. The Festival will feature a series of diverse events in different venues for different audiences. Whether you're a gamer, a parent needing advice on games, someone working in the industry, or someone wanting to find out more about how games work and where the future of entertainment will take us, this is a festival for you.

About London Games Festival

The London Games Festival is a weeklong cultural and business celebration of computer and video games, reflecting their influence and importance as central to popular culture and entertainment. Created by the London Development Agency and with the full support of the industry, trade bodies (ELSPA and Tiga) and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, it will provide an exciting week of consumer and trade events in the capital. The Festival is a collection of independent events, which will run concurrently at venues throughout the city between 22 and 26 October 2007.

About the LDA

The London Development Agency (LDA) works to improve the quality of life for all Londoners and drive sustainable economic growth.

It aims to improve the quality of life for all Londoners by driving sustainable economic growth and keeping the capital competitive. Its role is to bring together the right people, skills and resources to deliver real results in the long term, responding to the needs and ambitions of communities and businesses.

The LDA invests more than £400 Million a year to create jobs and develop healthy, sustainable communities. It also supports London as a financial, educational and research centre. It tackles the barriers to employment for certain groups, encourages business and cultural activities and improves infrastructure and the environment.

The LDA takes on major projects and difficult issues and is constantly looking for fresh ways of doing things and better ways of achieving sustainable growth.

In this way the LDA ensures all Londoners can gain from and contribute to London's economic success.