London Games Festival 2010
Thursday 11th November: The London Games Festival came to an end last Thursday with a speech from Ed Vaizey at the London Games Conference and a party for the launch of We Sing Robbie Williams in Mayfair.
It has now been confirmed that over the last five weeks no fewer than 76,000 people have taken part in the various events that have made up one of the industry’s most active and prolific festivals. Politicians, industry figures, journalists, PRs and consumers from all walks of life have been welcomed to take part in the 26 events that have spanned lectures, expos, exhibitions and award ceremonies.
“I’m so happy with how the festival has gone and I want to personally thank everyone involved,” says Kirsty Payne, Director, London Games Festival. “With such a wide range of things to see and do on offer, it’s no surprise that so many tens of thousands have taken part. We’ve seen people from all ages and backgrounds join in and help prove that the games industry in the UK, and indeed in London, is flourishing and has a lot to offer. Yet again it has been proven that the industry is a vital part of this country’s economy and I look forward to how the London Games Festival can continue to represent that in upcoming years.”
Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries (joint Minister with Department for Business, Innovation and skills), highlighted the importance of the festival in a speech that closed the London Games Conference on Friday;
“I’m pleased to have been able to take part in this year’s London Games Festival and show my support. The LGF has been a month-long celebration of video games, it’s a key part of the industry calendar and incredibly important in promoting the industry’s strengths. The games industry is hugely successful economically but I also want it to be recognised for its positive influence, its creativity and innovation and cultural contribution. Hopefully I will be invited back next year.”
With London as a firm centre of strength and importance within the industry, next year’s festival will no doubt be bigger and more successful again.
The full list of events for this year’s festival;
London Games Festival kicked off on 30th September, with a gala opening and VIP preview at the Eurogamer Expo, Earl’s Court. For the following three days (1st – 3rd October), the Eurogamer Expo hosted up to 20,000 consumers in the UK’s largest gaming exhibition. The Games Invest event took place on 1st October. A Eurogamer Expo party raising money for GamesAid was held on 1st October. Presentation of Ivy The Kiwi? and Q&A session with Yuji Naka, creator of Sonic The Hedgehog, took place on 2nd October at the Eurogamer Expo. Ben 10 event in Leicester Square was held on 2nd October. Just Dance 2 launch party took place on 7th October. The BAFTA Video Game lecture delivered by Media Molecule was held on 7th October. Duke Nukem Forever was exposed for the first time in the UK on 7th October. Sony PlayStation Game Runner Event took place on 8th October. The Nintendo Wii party at Chessington World of Adventures took place on 9th October. BoardGameCamp at Whittaker house happened on 9th October. The Citizen Game Review of FIFA 11 and PES 2011 took place on 9th October. The Power to the Pixel Cross-Media Forum ran from 12th-15th October. The Games Media Awards took place on 14th October. Britain’s Best Nintendo Gamer competitions took place on 16th and 17th October at participating GAME and Gamestation stores around the country including GAME, Oxford Street on Saturday 16th October. SpecialEffect hosted accessible gaming day at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital School on 21st October. Qantm College will be opening its doors to the public to showcase the gaming developments of their students on 27th October. TIGA will hold a developer focused event on 27th October. New multiplayer title Breach had a residency at Gamerbase, HMV, Piccadilly Circus on 27th and 28th October. GamesAid officially handed over generous donations raised for the 5 charities selected by GamesAid members on 28th October. The Golden Joystick Awards were held on 29th October. The PES Rankings event took place on 30th October. The MCM Expo returned and ran from 29th–31st October, bigger and better than ever. The London Games Conference will closed the festival on 4th November. The We Sing Robbie Williams event was the last party of the festival on 4th November.The London Games Festival is supported and funded by UKIE - The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment. It ran from 31st September - 4th November, in and around London. For specific information on the festival, please visit www.londongamesfestival.com or follow on Twitter @londongamesfest