MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
The London Games Festival kicks off today and runs until April 10th.
There are 32 events set to take place across nine days, with over 500 games to be shown. There are two sets of events – official ones such as BAFTA and Rezzed, and ‘fringe’ events, which includes the Videogamer Awards.
Here is a run-down of what to expect:
FRIDAY, APRIL 1st
NOW PLAY THIS
Friday, April 1st to Sunday,
April 3rd
Somerset House, Strand,
London, WC2R 1LA
Featuring experimental digital games, physical installations, illustrations, books, board games, games for mobile devices and more.
(FRINGE) RUMPUS: PICK YOUR OWN MISADVENTURE
Friday, 1 April, 10pm – 6am
Islington Metal Works
This party features seven rooms crammed with circus, live bands, DJs, art and performances.
SATURDAY, April 2nd
MONOPOLY AT THE SQUARE
Saturday, April 2nd – Sunday, April 3rd
Trafalgar Square
A 15 meter square Monopoly boards comes to Trafalgar Square, and it’s been customised to tell the history of video games in the UK.
(Fringe) THE GAMES EUROPE PLAYS
Saturday, April 2nd – Sunday, April 10th 11am – 5pm
The Finnish Institute
Featuring independent games from across Europe that focuses on children’s games looking at learning through play.
(Fringe) RADIUS NIGHTS
Saturday, April 2nd, 6pm
Loading Bar, Stratford
A live show format that explores ‘everything games’ with a panel of industry leaders.
(Fringe) LATE SHIFT
Saturday, April 2nd, 6pm
BAFTA 195 Piccadilly
An interactive movie where the audience decides what the protagonist does via their phone.
SUNDAY, APRIL 3rd
(Fringe) THE LONDON GAMING MARKET
Saturday, April 3rd
11am – 4pm
Royal National Hotel,
Russell Square
The London Gaming Market features vendors selling video games, board games and related merchandise.
MONDAY, APRIL 4th
LGF @ BFI
Monday, April 4th, 10am – 6pm
BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XT
A series of talks and summits including the Games Audio Summit, UK Games Showcase, Virtual Reality Summit, The Art of Videogames: The Chinese Room and there will also be a demo area.
(Fringe) UKIE STUDENT GAME JAM
Monday, April 4th – Tuesday, April 5th
Nationwide
UKIE’s student members at 15 universities and colleges go head-to-head.
TOURNAMENTS @ MELTDOWN
Monday, April 4th – Friday, April 8th
Meltdown Bar
The bar will feature a Smash Bros tournament on Monday, DOTA 2 contest on Tuesday, Hearthstone on Wednesday, Street Fighter V on Thursday and League of Legends on Friday.
TUESDAY, APRIL 5th
GAMES FINANCE SUMMIT
Tuesday, April 5th, 10am – 3pm
Grange City Hotel, 8-14 Cooper’s Row, London EC3N 2BQ
A summit on games funding. This event is invite-only.
(Fringe) SENSIBLE STRIKER PRO
Tuesday, April 5th, 7pm
Six Yard Box, Elephant & Castle
A celebration of the best ‘90s football games. Take part in the Sensible Soccer, Striker and ISS Pro tournaments.
(Fringe) {code}AOKE
Tuesday, 5 April, 6.30pm
BrewDog, Shoreditch
Imagine a karaoke night, but instead of singing, developers take to the mic to share ideas, code, or ask for help.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6th
GAMES FINANCE MARKET
Wednesday, April 6th – Thursday, April 7th
Grange City Hotel, 8-14 Cooper’s Row, London, EC3N 2BQ
A private event that connects handpicked games business with potential investors.
ESPORTS SUMMIT
Wednesday, April 6th, 11.30am
Princess Anne Theatre, BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LN
A three-hour summit that looks at the treatment of players and opportunities for companies.
(Fringe) UKIE: PROTECTING IP FROM DIGITAL THREATS
Wednesday, April 6th, 9.30am
UKIE, 21-27 Lamb’s
Conduit Street
Sheridans, NetNames, Level3 and the City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit discuss IP infringement.
(Fringe) THE VIDEOGAMER AWARDS
Wednesday, April 6th, 4pm
The Soho Theatre
A comedy awards event that celebrates the funniest, stupidest and, maybe, the best of the past year.
(Fringe) ROCKET JUMP EVENTS – LONDON
Wednesday, April 6th, 5pm
UKIE, 21-27 Lamb’s
Conduit Street
A series of talks from highly successful games industry professionals on boosting your studio and career.
(Fringe) UNDERSTANDING VIRTUAL REALITY: A GUARDIAN MASTERCLASS WITH DAVE RANYARD
Wednesday, April 6th, 7pm
Goldsmiths, University of London
A lecture from Dave Ranyard, VR developer and former studio head of Sony London.
THURSDAY, APRIL 7th
EGX REZZED
Thursday, April 7th – Saturday, April 9th
Tobacco Dock, 50 Porters Walk, Wapping London E1W 2SF
160 playable games are expected, with independent developers showcasing their latest projects alongside projects from major publishers.
BRITISH ACADEMY GAMES AWARDS
Thursday, April 7th
Tobacco Dock, 50 Porters Walk, Wapping London, E1W 2SF
The British Academy Games Awards is BAFTA’s annual celebration of excellence.
(Fringe) GAME ON SUTTON
Thursday, April 7th, 10am – 5pm
St Nicholas Shopping Centre, Sutton
Learn how to make games, presented by Carshalton College Computing and Creative Industries Centre.
(Fringe) SHOW ME THE MONEY! THE CHALLENGES OF RAISING CAPITAL IN THE GAMES INDUSTRY
Thursday, April 7th, 5pm
10 Queen Street Place
Join Bates Wells Braithwaite for an interactive discussion that considers the current fundraising scene in games.
EAST VS WEST LONDON: MARIO KART TOURNAMENT
Thursday, April 7th, 6:30pm
Unity Creative Agency, Clerkenwell
Blueprint: Film and Unity present a one-night-only Mario Kart 8 tournament.
FRIDAY, APRIL 8th
GAMES CULTURE SUMMIT
Friday, April 8th, 10am
Museum of London, 150 London Wall, London, EC2Y 5HN
Leading cultural institutions and exhibitors will share their experiences of archiving British video game culture.
(Fringe) MORE THAN JUST A GAME: INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND IP LAW
Friday, April 8th, 2pm
Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS), Queen Mary, University of London
This invitation-only seminar will provide a platform for academics, practitioners, developers and publishers to discuss IP issues.
SATURDAY, APRIL 9th
(Fringe) MARIO! THE MUSICAL
Saturday, April 9th, 7.30pm
Stratford Circus
The show features original songs based on classic Nintendo tunes.
#SUPERWAREHOUSE
Saturday, April 9th
8pm – 1am
Shoreditch Studios
Joypad and VICE Gaming present the EGX Rezzed afterparty.
