We're not competing with LGF, says GameCity organiser

Iain Simons, organiser of GameCity, has told GamesIndustry.biz that it is not competing with the London Games Festival, despite taking place in the same week.

Both events overlap in the week beginning October 22, but Simons is convinced that GameCity's combination of consumer, education and art events are a far different offering than those at the London Games Festival.

"I'm sure that games culture in the UK is big enough to support a number of events at the same time," offered Simons in an interview published today.

"From what I can gather, we're trying to do quite different things. The fact that we're independent and we're not industry run — not instigated by ELSPA or a publisher's point of view — gives us a mandate to do anything we want.

"It gives us a different perspective on the products and the culture. I'd like to think that the things you see at GameCity are quite different to what you'll see at other events. We're comfortable doing something that's different and aimed at a different audience," he said.

Both events have specific sessions aimed at parents, debate about videogames in the media and practical advice on breaking into the games business.

Only in its second year, GameCity boasts an impressive roster of industry names — from UK developers such as Frontier, Rare, Free Radical and FreeStyle to cult heroes such as Katamari Damacy's Keita Takahashi and Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov.

It also has a relaxed approach to games recruitment, where students can sit with leading developers for short sessions to discuss their portfolios.

"We've got a whole load of developers coming up to talk and effectively offering short tutorials, and it's all in relaxed places where you can have a cup of tea with someone from Rare, bring your laptop and show off a demo, rather than a sterile job interview," detailed Simons.

GameCity takes place in Nottingham October 25 — 28. The full interview with Simons can be read here.