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Caithness News Bulletins June 2003
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| Edinburgh Links & News | Edinburgh Festival | Edinburgh Fringe Festival |
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THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL GAMES FESTIVAL August 11 th to 18th 2003The Future of Entertainment is Interactive THIRTY GAMES� ONE WEEK� EIGHT FINGERS� TWO THUMBS� NO BRAINER Edinburgh International Games Festival�s �Go Play Games� event to offer visitors a unique opportunity to enjoy hands-on experience of the best of contemporary gaming.Visitors to Edinburgh�s Royal Museum during the month of August will find themselves in the unlikely position of being asked to touch the exhibits, as the world-famous visitor attraction throws open its doors to the �Go Play Games� exhibition. As part of the first ever Edinburgh International Games Festival (EIGF), Go Play Games will see an exclusive area of Edinburgh�s Royal Museum dedicated to interactive entertainment. For eight days, visitors will be able to experience some of the finest examples of contemporary video games on PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox, alongside the cream of current and forthcoming PC games from NVIDIA�s �The Way it�s Meant to be Played� campaign. �As the Edinburgh International Games Festival is all about celebrating the culture of games and gaming, we thought it only right that we should allow the general public an opportunity to sample some of the best examples of the art that are currently available,� says Festival Chair Tom Stone. �As well as being great fun to play, the examples chosen demonstrate the enormous breadth of game styles which gaming offers.� In addition to getting hands-on experience on some of the best of today�s games, visitors will also be able to get a glimpse of how games are made through a series of lectures and workshops which will take place throughout the week. Visitors will also be encouraged to vote for their favourite game (the winner of this poll will be awarded the �Gameplayer�s Game of 2002-2003� award) and to enter a competition where their performance could win them a state-of-the-art games PC (courtesy of NVIDIA). Entrance to Go Play Games will be competitively priced, with children of 12 and under (who must be accompanied by an adult) admitted for free, adult admission priced at �2 and concessions at �1. The event will run from Monday August 11th to Monday August 18th and will be open to the public from 10.00am to 1.15pm and from 1.45pm to 4.45pm from Monday to Saturday and from 12.00 to 5.00pm on Sunday (there will also be a special late evening session on Tuesday from 5.00pm to 8.00pm). All games will be clearly marked for their age suitability using the PEGI rating system. The Royal Museum has a good track record in interactive entertainment, having attracted more than 45,000 visitors to the Game On exhibition which was staged at the venue between October 18th 2002 and February 2nd 2003. Go Play Games is sponsored by NVIDIA, with support from some of the biggest names in interactive entertainment, including Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. The provisional list of games
which will feature in the Go Play Games exhibition is as follows�
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| EDINBURGH GROWS A NEW FRINGE Interactive entertainment takes its place alongside the more traditional arts with the announcement of the first ever Edinburgh International Games Festival Edinburgh in August has traditionally been a melting pot of classical musicians, stand-up comedians, street entertainers and executives from the worlds of film and television. From this year, however, this pot will have an extra ingredient as the first ever Edinburgh International Games Festival (EIGF) will see computer and video games take their place alongside the more traditional arts. The EIGF, which will run in parallel with the other Edinburgh Festivals during August 2003, has been devised to increase the awareness and understanding of interactive entertainment and to highlight the growing bond between video games and other entertainment industries including music, literature, television and film. The event is being managed by a committee drawn from all areas of the business, including publishers, developers and two industry trade bodies; The Interactive Game Developer Association (TIGA) and the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA). The committee is chaired by Tom Stone, Worldwide Managing Director for LEGO Interactive. Commenting on the event, Stone says: �This Festival will be a celebration of the art form of video games. It will expose the heart and soul of what we do � make compelling interactive experiences that are enjoyed by millions. The event will focus on the quality of our industry�s product and is designed to encourage debate about games in the same was as film, TV and literature are widely discussed.� Running from August 11th to 18th, the EIGF will consist of two separate, but related events: an eight-day public exhibition (taking place at the Royal Museum of Scotland) and a one-day conference for members of the industry and other interested parties (at Edinburgh�s International Conference Centre). Further details on both events will be released in the near future. The climax of the Festival will be the inaugural presentation of an award for excellence and innovation at a ceremony on the evening of August 18th. The recipient of this award will be chosen by a worldwide panel of judges drawn from all areas of the interactive entertainment industry, who will make their choice from an initial shortlist of 25 nominees drafted by the staff of Europe�s most influential games magazine, Edge. The event is being financially supported by Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian and by sponsorship from some of the biggest names in interactive entertainment, including Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and NVIDIA. Event Supporters and Sponsors The inaugural EIGF is supported by following bodies: � The Independent Games Developers Association (TIGA) � www.tiga.org.uk� The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) � www.elspa.com� Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian - www.scottish-enterprise.comEvent Sponsors include: � Microsoft� Sony� Nintendo� NVIDIA |
Background The Edinburgh International Games Festival (EIGF) is the latest addition to the fringe of the world-famous Edinburgh Festival, which has earned a reputation as being one of the world�s greatest celebrations of the arts since its inception in 1947. The EIGF, which will run in parallel with the other Edinburgh Festivals during August 2003, has been devised to increase the awareness and understanding of interactive entertainment and to highlight the growing bond between video games and the more traditional arts of theatre, music, literature, television and film. This event is designed to heighten the profile of the interactive entertainment industry and celebrate the craftsmanship and professionalism of the many talented individuals who are driven by the desire to create innovative and compelling gameplay experiences. Event Format The EIGF will consist of two separate, but related events: a week-long public exhibition and a one-day seminar for members of the industry and other interested parties. The event will culminate with the inaugural presentation of a single award for excellence and innovation at a ceremony on the evening of August 18th. The Industry Event Edinburgh International Conference Centre (August 18th 2003) A one-day event featuring a full programme of presentations and round-table discussions presented by an international cast of luminaries from the world of interactive entertainment and beyond, including broadcasters, writers and composers. The Public Event The Royal Museum (August 11th to 18th 2003) An eight-day event which will allow visitors hands-on access to a range of the cream of modern games across all hardware platforms (including a selection of those games nominated for the excellence and innovation award). In addition to sampling the exhibits, visitors will also be encouraged to test themselves in a competition and to take part in a variety of activities including a game design workshop. Visitors will also be invited to vote for their own favourite game, with the winner of this poll announced at the event�s closing ceremony. The Award The festival organisers have joined forces with Edge, Europe�s most influential gaming magazine, to create the industry�s first award for excellence and innovation. This award will be judged by a panel of industry notables, who will make their choice from a short-list of 25 nominees chosen by the staff of Edge magazine. To match the cultural focus of the festival, the award will reflect the creative contribution of the nominated games, rather than be dictated by current commercial realities. As such, nominated games will demonstrate an innovative use of technology, breadth of design vision, a rich and distinctly styled aesthetic and a willingness to prioritise creativity over a narrowly-focused commercial appeal. The Interactive Entertainment Industry The global computer and video games market has grown rapidly since it emerged more than 20 years ago. In recent years, UK receipts from video games have overtaken those of cinema and video rental (reaching a high of over �2 billion in 2002, prompting many in traditional media to predict that interactive entertainment is the entertainment medium of the new century. |