London Games Festival kicks off

The UK's new game expo started today with events for industry insiders and everyday gamers; BAFTA game awards coming later in the week.

LONDON--The week-long London Games Festival began today and will be the home until Sunday to events such as the Game Developers Conference London, the HMV Games Showcases, Game/Play, and the Artful Gaming Exhibition.

For those in the games industry, the first day of GDC London featured an all-day IBM tutorial on "Delivering a World of Choice With Cell Broadband Engine Application Processing." The GDC seminar sessions begin tomorrow, and the London Games Summit kicks off on Wednesday.

A number of events for gamers will take place throughout the week, including Games Showcases in HMV's Oxford Street store. Starting on Thursday, Pro Stroke Golf and PDC World Championship Darts will be playable. On Friday, Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (known as Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 in the US) will be available for the public to play for the first time in the UK, with West Ham's Bobby Zamora joining in the action from 3 p.m. Finally, on Saturday, Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis will join the roster. Other playable games include Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent, and Rainbow Six Vegas, as well as gaming classics such as Pac-Man and Street Fighter II. HMV Games Showcases will run each day between midday and 6 p.m.

Game/Play is based at the London Trocadero near Piccadilly Circus and is described as "a networked national touring exhibition focusing on what it means to play." It includes artist installations, independent video games, and online network artworks. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and is free to enter.

The Artful Gaming Exhibition is a showcase of gaming art and design specially brought together for the London Games Festival and includes all kinds of gaming art from "modifying game engines; devising new interactive interfaces; subverting traditional gaming paradigms; exploring new platforms and new technologies; using nontraditional R&D and production methods; and distribution via new networks." The exhibition will be running until Friday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. at the Science Museum's Dana Centre in South Kensington and is also free to enter.

The London Games Festival ends on Saturday, and the highlight of the week looks likely to be the video game BAFTA awards on October 5, where UK television celebrity Vernon Kay will hand out a number of trophies, culminating in the Game of the Year. GameSpot will have highlights and news from that and all of the major sessions and events throughout the week.

The London Games Festival is the first major UK trade show event since 2004, when former game show giants ECTS and EGN held their events at the same time, and then both spontaneously combusted. LGF has the backing of not just the industry in the UK, but also the London Mayor's Office.

31 Comments

  • Alcotamaysees

    Posted Oct 6, 2006 3:31 pm PT

    I wonder if there were any gamespot staff that went from Tokyo to Barcelona, then London.

  • ragin_massaih

    Posted Oct 4, 2006 1:47 pm PT

    NO NINTENDO???

  • aRcad33

    Posted Oct 4, 2006 9:09 am PT

    360 should be showing some good stuff for the Uk gamers

  • Britesparc

    Posted Oct 4, 2006 5:15 am PT

    All very groovy that the UK gets a convention of sorts, but it certainly isn't recieving the coverage other recent events have got (lower profile, etc). But how about having an annual UK games expo that moves about the country? Bloody southerners get everything!

  • UltraWoody

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 10:19 pm PT

    About time the UK gets something good. They deserve it.

  • _Sam_

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 7:19 pm PT

    gamespot isn't there?

  • jimbob9999

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 10:55 am PT

    Hmm, I have tomorrow off, I may pop down there.

  • mighty_shark

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 9:14 am PT

    I was going to go but I saw that Zamora is going to be there. West Ham scumbag

  • HXCDEW

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 8:54 am PT

    No PS3? F THAT.

  • TWOC2689

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 8:36 am PT

    I'm going to LGF from Cardiff on Sataday I'm so excited!!!

  • tidus_swain

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 8:15 am PT

    I would go if it wasn't for the train journey into the center of London, and the fact i have to go to college.

  • derangedphoenix

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 7:57 am PT

    There's only like 2 playable games that i would be bothered to play but i would take a 30 minute bus journey just to play them. If there were some Wii games, I'd definately be there.

  • PMC11

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 6:56 am PT

    its a good thing, really good thing, but the backing of ken livingstone means nothing lol

  • hemakm3

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 5:40 am PT

    Sounds like fun.

  • Razoroo

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 5:34 am PT

    So no playable Wii? Screw this.

  • anamnawshad

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 4:45 am PT

    Good for 360!

  • jk80

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 3:10 am PT

    Err West Ham is two words!

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Oct 2, 2006 11:19 pm PT

    nice

  • Pablo620

    Posted Oct 2, 2006 8:45 pm PT

    Game festivity? Nothing but good can be a possibility

  • blackthegame

    Posted Oct 2, 2006 7:33 pm PT

    GOOD!

  • DarkArgonanth

    Posted Oct 2, 2006 7:29 pm PT

    *prays for the splintercell demo*

  • UrlacherMLB54

    Posted Oct 2, 2006 6:37 pm PT

    new XBL marketplace stuff???

  • STEALTH5000

    Posted Oct 2, 2006 5:37 pm PT

    great!

  • -Twilight-

    Posted Oct 2, 2006 5:35 pm PT

    Lodon Games Festival, X06, TGS, who needs E3 ? Good update. I hope some more news comes of this.

  • scootswc3

    Posted Oct 2, 2006 5:22 pm PT

    i think this will be more along the lines of showing off some DX10

  • Brutalus7

    Posted Oct 2, 2006 5:12 pm PT

    Do you think any devs still have anything up their sleeves for this conference? With all the announcements lately, I don't really expect any.

  • The_Sniper_9

    Posted Oct 2, 2006 5:12 pm PT

    Yeah i hope they do release the demo for Splinter Cell on the marketplace, it would be about time they get that demo out.

  • ConManWithGun

    Posted Oct 2, 2006 5:09 pm PT

    i hope they release a Splinter Cell demo on the marketplace
    or coverage for the event like they did with X06 and TGS

  • kinncolts

    Posted Oct 2, 2006 4:57 pm PT

    i hope they hav a game convention or festival in New York someday

  • SilV3RSix

    Posted Oct 2, 2006 4:53 pm PT

    Little Love for the UK!

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