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Urban Pac-Man from last year's GameCity event in Nottingham. Photograph: GameCityWe all know that the British summer is a mass of wannabe music festivals, but frankly after you've seen Coldplay performing in one field filled with middle-class teenagers and right-on families, you've seen 'em all. But the video game festival is still a burgeoning concept, with each new event on the calendar bringing a fresh take on the concept.
Here's a selection of upcoming game fests, all worth a visit if you're at all interested in playing games, or even making them...
The Radisson Blu Hotel, Edinburgh, August 11-12
Okay, you've missed the first day, but if you can, get down to Edinburgh on Friday for the final day of this well-established and interesting event. There's a busy programme of public sessions, looking at games in education, getting in to the industry and other pertinent topics. Friday kicks of with an education session featuring Square Enix president Ian Livingstone and Channel 4 Education commissioner, Jo Twist. Later in the afternoon, Disney will be showing off its massively-multiplayer action game Disney Universe, while Nintendo is previewing Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
Caird Hall, Dundee, August 12-14
Another hugely promising festival happening north of the border, this time organised by the University of Abertay which runs some of the best video game degree courses in the UK. The event is launching with a keynote from legendary designer David 'Elite' Braben, currently working on forthcoming Kinect title, Disneyland Adventures. You'll also be able to okay all the finalist games in this year's Dare to be Digital design competition, as well as new titles from Cobra Mobile, Crytek and Tag Games. There will be game design talks, a BAFTA career workshop, game jams and a pro-gaming tournament. Basically, if you're at all interested in entering the games industry and can get to Dundee this weekend, get to Dundee this weekend.
Birmingham NEC, September 16-18
The well-known games retailer is hosting its inaugural consumer video game show in Birmingham this year and has attracted heavyweight industry support. Headline sponsor Sony will be showing off Uncharted 3 and Resistance 3, while Sega, THQ, Disney, Nintendo, EA and Bethesda will all be providing demos of their Christmas wares. Perhaps the big news, though, is that Activision is bringing military shooter sequel Modern Warfare 3 along – it'll be the first time UK consumers get to play the game. The event is exclusive to reward card holders, though, so you may need to pop into your local store before applying for tickets. It's £10 for over-12s and a fiver for children.
Earl's Court, London, September 22-25
The excellent video game site Eurogamer has been running its consumer games show as part of the wider London Games Festival for a couple of years now, and although the festival itself is having 2011 off, the expo certainly isn't. Aimed squarely at the public this is a chance to play some of the biggest titles of the winter including Battlefield 3, PES 12, Dark Souls, Rage and Saint's Row The Third. The event will also host the UK premiere of the OnLive games service, and apparently they'll be giving away thousands of OnLive consoles on the showfloor. There's also an indie games arcade, a retro corner and gaming tournaments. Keep an eye on the official Twitter feed for regular updates.
Haskins Retail Centre, Shepton Mallet, October 6-8
The first of two extremely interesting West Country festivals. DigiFest is billed as a celebration of digital art and media produced in Somerset, Bristol, Bath and the wider South West, and centres mostly on photography, film and performance. However, the event will feature a roundtable discussion on the UK games industry, hosted by Sean Dromgoole of industry research company, GameVision. There's an official Twitter feed with updated info.
Various venues, Nottingham, October 26-29
Ah, GameCity. If I had it my way, it would be compulsory for all British gamers to attend this lovely, imaginatively programmed event. And not just because I'll once again be running a daily discussion show there (the organisers love it when I plug my own trifling involvement above their headline signings). As well as me, you'll be able to catch legendary games designer Eric Chahi, Naughty Dog chief Richard Lemarchand, offbeat studio thatgamecompany and industry father-figure Ian Livingstone. There are discussions, keynotes, workshops, evening events and interesting things to see and do in a big tent on the market square. What more could you ask for?
Old Billingsgate, London, October 29-30
This community event for the hugely popular massively-multiplayer online game is a lively get-together of like-minded runiacs, mixing parties, quizzes, gaming and sword-fighting classes with chances to meet the developers and find out about future Jagex projects. Prices start from £59 for a day and go up to £179 for a VIP weekend pass. This year the event is celebrating the tenth anniversary of the game, so should be even more fanatical. And don't forget to come in costume for the Halloween party.
National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth, November 3-5
Billed as the South West's first and only digital festival, Extended Play is a two-day event, concentrating on the theme of 'games as a service' – in other words, the idea of MMORPGs, downloadable content, persistent online games and so on. Details are scarce at the moment (they're sending out press info next week), but the event will include industry speakers and sessions as well as a game jam, and it's aimed at start-up studios, students and the public. There is a possibility I'll bespeaking at the event on games journalism, but don't let that put you off. I'll provide more details as they come in, but this is a great chance for budding game designers in the West Country to meet insiders and like-minded talent.
National Media Museum, Bradford, November 8-12
Another long-running favourite and a great event for students of game design. The first two days of the festival feature a dedicated BAF Game strand, which offers talks, discussions, screenings and workshops as well as hands-on gaming sessions. It's also worth staying on for the animation programme too, which features inspirational work from around the world. We recorded an edition of the Tech Weekly podcast on stage here last year, and we'll be back in some capacity this year – if they'll have us. Follow the museum's official Twitter feed for info on the evolving schedule.
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