GameCity8: Nottingham to host videogame festival

GameCity has revealed new details about its annual festival taking place across Nottingham from October 19 to October 26.

Set to draw more than 50,000 visitors and following the record-breaking success of 2012’s festival, GameCity8 will feature unique and family-friendly events, headlining with a remarkable experiment in public play – two giant screens that will take up different positions and configurations for different games each day.

As well as shifting around Nottingham’s Old Market Square, they will feature new and innovative games from leading developers, including Mike Bithell (Thomas was Alone) and Martin Hollis (Goldeneye 64).

Called simply Two Big Screens, GameCity8 director Iain Simons promises one of the most interesting experiments in large-scale public gaming ever seen.

“With seven festivals behind us, we’re striving to make sure GameCity8 is the most exciting and interesting yet,” he said. “Two Big Screens will undoubtedly be the public highlight, exploring different ways to play with games that have been developed especially for the festival. But it will be the scope and range of events throughout the week that will combine to make GameCity a real cultural highlight for anyone interested in videogaming and one of the friendliest and most fun festivals on the scene.”

GameCity is a Nottingham Trent University project which holds events throughout the year, culminating in the eight-day festival each autumn.

Game developer Mike Bithell said: "Gamecity 6 was the first time anyone but me played Thomas Was Alone. It was a big deal to me, and it started my love for everything these guys do. I am disgustingly excited to be taking part again this year. The event we're doing on the Friday is still top secret, but it's going to be fun and I'm looking forward to revealing stuff for the first time."

Other details confirmed so far, include:

● Family Takeover in Nottingham Trent University’s Newton building on Saturday October 19 and Sunday October 20 – including the results of a GameCity and Confetti Media project involving Nottingham Schools. Pupils were asked to build their version of Nottingham using the Minecraft game and the results will be printed out using 3D printing technology.

● An Antiques Roadshow-style event on October 22 – run by the National Videogame Archive – visitors can bring their old videogames and any related material and share their memories of videogames and gaming.

● GameCityLimits  on October 23 and October 24 - a vibrant conference exploring the fringes and boundaries where videogames and interactive culture intersects business and media. It will feature media industry leaders such as Macmillian, Channel 4, EMI and Wellcome Trust coming together for a round of presentations, talks and panel discussions. Business-focused sessions will explore new directions and commercial advice for businesses, helping them navigate and collaborate within the cross-sector commissioning landscape.

● Unveiling the winners of the Off the Map competition on Wednesday October 23 – a collaboration between GameCity, Crytek software and the British Library using historic drawings and maps of Stonehenge, the Tower of London and the Pyramids.

● The GameCityPrize – a shortlist for the annual award for the most exceptional videogame of the year will be drawn up at an event on Thursday October 24. Last year’s judging panel was chaired by Lord Puttnam.

● Leading developer Mike Bithell will be joining a discussion about mythology and how myths develop before revealing his latest game on Friday October 25. The venue and the subject of the game remain a closely guarded secret… for now.

To find out more about GameCity visit www.gamecity.orgor follow the team on Twitter @gamecity and Facebook www.facebook.com/gamecity.nottingham