It will be run along the lines of BarCamp - tickets are free and in return you agree to PARTICIPATE. No hanging around at the back absorbing information. You should come prepared to run your own 30 minute session on any topic you want or, at the very least, actively engage in other people’s sessions.

GameCamp is a one-day event for people interested in games, and for interesting people in gaming. That covers everything from computer and video gaming, ARGs, tabletop games, pervasive games, RPGs and more.

If none of that makes sense to you, then don’t worry – the objective is simple: to talk informally with like-minded people and get excited about stuff involving games and play…

…GameCamp is free to attend, and will be held between 11am and 5.30pm on Saturday May 3rd at 3Rooms in the Spitalfields area of London.

Tickets will be released on Monday, April 21st at EventWax. There is a strict limit of 120 attendees, so sign up early. Sony and Nintendo are supporting the event. I shall be there and as if that’s not enough of a draw ;) there will also be Rock Band!

More info on the Guardian’s Games Blog and the official GameCamp pages.

It was… packed. Absolutely bloody rammed with people and not really designed to cope with such a high level of interest. Check out the queue for people with standard tickets, as of 10:30 am.

And the VIP queue.

We were in this queue :)

The Games

Once inside, we discovered quite how poorly-laid-out the venue was:

Guitar Hero III and Lego Indiana Jones were probably two of the most-anticipated family-friendly games at the show. What did the organisers do? They put Lego Indiana Jones in a tiny, enclosed booth so that you could neither spectate, nor queue properly to have a go. I couldn’t even get near Guitar Hero III which, as you can see above, was squashed into the corner behind Kung Fu Panda. On the left is the green and white competition stage which is, again, enclosed so you can’t really see what’s going on.

Upstairs was slightly more spacious but didn’t have a whole lot of playable games. The Square Enix section was four TVs showing the same video montage loop. The Mac stand was nice but didn’t garner much interest. Haze and Gran Turismo 5 were popular, the latter having a very nice set of Recaro chairs hooked up to PS3s. Rock Band had a good following. I can only assume that playing it is a lot more fun than spectating. The contrast between a real band and Rock Band was just too obvious in that public setting. It was very much like watching a bunch of school kids playing an unknown piece of music for the first time - all furrowed brows and fervent reading, yet no sense of passion or enjoyment.

The other thing we noticed (and Xino pointed out) was that a lot of the games weren’t exactly new. The 18-only section had such gems as Kane and Lynch (demo already available on Xbox Live), Gears of War (ditto), Oblivion (on PS3, okay) and Halo 3 (being monopolised by people who have clearly played it before). We were amused to find a 360 proudly displaying the Red Ring of Death. ButtonBandits also had a good giggle.

There was some new stuff like Far Cry 2 Condemned 2 and Dynasty Warriors 6 (released in early March) but the most exciting games were barely represented. Here’s everything I could find for Star Wars: Force Unleashed.

Yup, it’s a poster. A large poster. A well-designed poster in 5 parts. But ultimately, a poster. Ghostbusters fared marginally better with a video. Very disappointing.

I did like the look of PDC World Championship Darts on the Wii but it was right up against the tables for the eating area. I’ve played a review copy of the PS2 version but so far have held back from reviewing it on grounds of “If you have nothing nice to say…” I really wanted to try the Wii version for comparison but it was far too much trouble to join the queue without constantly being jostled by people carrying ketchup-laden hot dogs. Speaking of which… a cheeseburger, chips and coke set me back £7.50! A beer was £4.30! I was expecting the prices to be high, but holy crap! On top of the £16 VIP tickets for a show that wasn’t big enough to justify visiting on both days, it was an expensive weekend.

Outside the stadium was a giant Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man and one of those moving pod ride things that you get for simulating roller-coasters and the like. The queue was short so we hopped inside for a wobbly preview of the Iron Man game. Don’t buy it! It looks shabby and plays like the cheap movie tie-in that it is. I hope the film is better, because the trailer looks very promising.

There were some good things about the show. The Bourne Conspiracy demo was fun. Combat was a bit simplistic - block, punch, alternate until the finishing move icon appears, then hit B to (hopefully) finish off the assailant on a handy bit of scenery - but it worked for a ten minute trial. The Quick-Time-Events were even appropriate. They appeared mainly at points where you’d have to react very quickly, like being spotted by a sniper, and the reaction time was very, very short. I would have preferred more direct control, being given the choice of where to run, for example, but I suppose if you’re designing for morons who just want to twitch on buttons and not have to think, then at least they had a good premise for QTEs.

(Yes, I am being uncharitable. Quick Time Events are godawful, lazy game design and anyone who enjoys them should be thrown in a stinking pit with a continuous loop of Uwe Boll films for company.)

The other enjoyable game was Army of Two. This had its own small-yet-roomy booth with two PS3 and two Xbox 360 versions. Even though the game is already out and I was already interested (I really enjoyed co-op Gears of War), I’m not about to drop £40 on a game without having played a demo first. It’s a good co-operative shooter with a not-really-necessary USP, known as the aggrometer. Whenever you shoot or otherwise cause mayhem, you raise the aggro level of the bad guys. If one of you keeps the aggro for a while, they tend to focus entirely on you and forget about your partner, who then turns “invisible” and can run around the behind them and do his murderous thing. As far as I could see, having this visually represented on the HUD was entirely redundant. The ubiquitous tracer rounds used by the enemy do a perfectly good job of indicating who has their attention. Army of Two would be a much more immersive game if aggro was simply a hidden property and TBH, I don’t see how it makes the gameplay significantly different from the enemies’ behaviour in Gears of War. Sure, there are a couple of visual effects and “Overkill” mode but this sort of teamworking and distraction technique has been a staple of shooters for years, no? No matter, there were other fun features that made it enjoyable, despite the overwhelmingly white male cast (with token hot radio female). Co-op parachuting is a nice change from driving+shooting sequences and the back-to-back slow-motion fighting technique is a laugh.

The Shows

I was there for the games. I didn’t care about the shows, which is just as well because there wasn’t a whole lot of space to watch them. I suppose other people might have enjoyed the bands or the obnoxious MC who kept shouting “Xbox 360 is better than PS3 yeah?” despite getting no response, but to me they were oppresive noise. We got a good view of the dancing Vegas showgirls by virtue of being upstairs at the time. Their shows seemed rather pointless to me, having very little to do with Rainbow 6 Vegas, but in a 95% male crowd, there was probably enough of an audience to convince some marketing exec that it was a worthwhile idea.

In summary:

The show was disappointing for those of us who remember the spaciousness of PlayStation Experience or Game Stars Live. It was awkward to queue for the few games we wanted to try. In swag terms, it was dreadful. The great thing about Game Stars Live (2004) and PlayStation Experience (2003) was coming home with a bunch of extra demo discs to play at my leisure from the comfort of my bed. At Play.com Live we got a bunch of flyers, DVDs of Ice Age and Knocked Up (WTF? truly awful film), a fake Stuntman Ignition license plate, some keychains and lanyards, a cheaply printed Fifa Street baseball cap, a pen that lights up and an EA drawstring bag. TheFluffyFist managed to bag himself a 4GB MicroSD card from the SanDisk lucky dip and we breathed the same air as Tom Baker, for those of you who might be impressed by such things.

We thought that having VIP tickets would mean that we could get some time on the more popular games during the “shift-change”, when they booted out the 10am-2pm ticket holders and let the 2pm-6pm ticket holders in. Nope, they kicked everyone out and then let us back in after ten minutes of standing around in the rain. Really crappy treatment and just served to underline how much of a rip-off the “VIP” tickets were.

OTOH, we bought Army of Two from HMV on the way home so we could spend Sunday playing it. Score 1 for the EA booth.

Essential show information:

• Tickets - Phone 0845 270 1669 (9am - 5pm)
• Times - Morning session - 10am - 2pm, Afternoon session 2pm - 6pm on both days
• Location - Go to the Club Wembley entrance next to the Bobby Moore Statue
• Restrictions - Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult

Also if you order tickets at this late stage, then Play.com say:

COLLECT YOUR TICKET AT WEMBLEY STADIUM: Please bring a print out of your order confirmation and the credit/debit card for proof of purchase to the Play.com Live information desk at the show for entry. For lost tickets please call Customer Support at 0845 270 1669.

Now some more show information. According to ThreeSpeech (semi-official Sony blog) the following games will be on show:

• GT5 Prologue - playable code
• Everybody’s Golf: World Tour - playable code
• Time Crisis - playable code
• Echochrome - playable code
• Killzone 2 - trailer
• LittleBigPlanet - trailer
• Play TV - trailer
• Buzz - playable code
• God of War: Chains of Olympus - playable code

It’s a real shame that we can’t get to play LittleBigPlanet or Killzone 2. Ho hum. As long as I can play Ghostbusters I’ll be happy. Also ButtonBandits are reporting that there is no boothbabe ban, if you needed any more incentive!

See you all at the show.

It’s very soon - 15th and 16th March 2008 - and will be in Wembley Stadium. Yes, once again, it’s in the South.

According to MCV, Microsoft, THQ, Ubisoft and Activision will be there. Play.com itself doesn’t have a dedicated site but I did find the following description on the VIP ticket page:

Packed full of top titles including Lego Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, Soul Calibur 4, Condemned 2 and Rock Band you’ll be able to get hands-on time with this year’s biggest game releases before they hit the shops. There will also be live music, celebrity appearances and massive competitions, plus a whole lot of surprises!

Upcoming also has a tiny bit of info: goodie bags for all attendees! :) Hopefully there will be new playable demos and fun stuff. I’d hate to be paying money for a bunch of videos and stuff that’s already available on Xbox Live. Wish I could tell you more but the supposed Play.com Live PR contact didn’t respond to my email a few weeks ago.

No matter. Lego Indiana Jones and the concept alone are reasons enough for me to go. I am very happy to tell you that tickets are now on sale. Hooray! Buy Play.com Live tickets from Play.com (No! Really?) There were VIP weekend tickets available but as of today, it says “Currently unavailable, please check again soon.” No word on whether or not they’ll be on sale again.

If the trickle of info suddenly becomes a deluge, I’ll be sure to post it. Otherwise, see you at Wembley!

Update 6th mar 08: TVG has a Q & A with the head of games at Play.com, which contains a few more bits about what you’ll be able to play and see at Play.com Live!

The competition theme is Ancient Civilisation and the rules are simple and unrestrictive:

• The game must be created with Game Maker, version 6 or later (Pro or Lite).
• The game must comply with the terms and conditions of YoYo Games as indicated on the website.
• The game should be your own original work and you should own the rights to all resources used in the game.
• The game should run through the Instant Play mechanism at the YoYo Games site.
• The game should not change the screen resolution and should run in a window (rather than full screen).
• You can submit a game you created in the past but only if it is not already published on YoYo Games.
• The game must be submitted by an individual member, who will receive the entire prize in the event of a win. Please note this does not exclude team entries. Entrants may accept assistance from a team, but any prizes will go only to the submitting member.
• A member is allowed to submit at most two games in each competition.

So far, only 2 games have been entered and there’s plenty of time left. The competition deadline is April 27th. Their previous competition had over 200 entries, so plan your game carefully. There’s more info at the competition page. Check out the YoYoGames Winter Competition Winners to see what you’ll be up against. You’ll find some great casual games to play.

(One side comment: I am more than a little perturbed that the YoYoGames player cannot be closed using the X button in Windows Vista.)

According to Codemasters this event will:

showcase all the current and upcoming titles that Codemasters Online have to offer. With exclusive announcements, competitions, Developer Q&A sessions, community meets and many exciting events, Codemasters Online Connect is set to be one of the most exciting gaming events of 2008!

Ticket prices (available to buy here):

• Friday only - £30
• Saturday only - £30
• Weekend pass - £55
• VIP Weekend - £100

Also this event will see the unveiling of Codemasters latest “blockbuster” MMO to be released at the end of 2008. Connect 2008 also has its own myspace group and facebook page.

* It’s a Friday. Also known as a workday! What’s wrong with holding it on a Saturday and Sunday then?

Others couldn’t care less about plot. They thrive on challenge, being knocked back again and again but refusing to give up. They derive some sort of sick pleasure from suffering under capricious whims of evil game designers who like to change the rules with no warning, rhyme or reason. In short, they play games like R-Type.

I don’t get it. (Obviously.) The idea of playing something over and over just to memorise the patterns and reach the end of the game bores me to tears. Perhaps there’s something physiological at work there. Perhaps these achievers get the same buzz from reaching the end of a level, that I get from learning something new about a fantasy world.

At the end of this month, the Dana Centre in South Kensington will be hosting In The Game (supported by Nintendo). They’re claiming to show how our bodies react to games by measuring excitement and stress levels. It’s even topped off with live physiological demos! (o_0)

Here are the details:

When?
21 November 2007, 7pm to 9pm

Where:
The Dana Centre
165 Queen’s Gate
South Kensington
London
SW7 5HD

How Much?
Free!

The Upcoming listing says you need to register beforehand. Drop an email to the address given at the Dana Centre’s In The Game page if you’re interested.

Maybe see you there!

Microsoft say that there will be lots of cake events, competitions and exclusive downloads. For existing Xbox Live Gold members there will be “headline acts” apparently. Quite what these acts are, we can only wait and see.

Hopefully this will only be the tip of the Microsoft loves Europe iceberg heading our way for Christmas.

I shan’t spoil it for our overseas readers but here are a few safe comments, good and bad:

• The Video Game Pianist is, indeed, impressive.
• I love Nobuo Uematsu’s music even more when it’s performed live.
• Volunteer for everything. You still get good prizes for losing.
• Performances definitely leant towards a mellow, relaxed interpretation and pulled it off surprisingly well.
• Video was… a bit pointless. Clips were synchronised in time but not content. Mashing up gameplay footage from PS1 and Xbox 360 games was more distracting than enhancing.
• Despite that, I was still disappointed that Square Enix wouldn’t let them use Final Fantasy footage. Their rendered sequences still look incredible.

Here’s a nice photo of the lit stage.

You have probably never heard Sonic’s theme played quite so soulfully. I barely recognised it. You should definitely consider the show if it’s in your area. See the official site (linked below) for the listings.

Before the show, there was also a cosplay competition. There were some truly great costumes there, including a fantastic Link in Wolf Form, a rather soggy-looking Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey, and Lulu from FFX-2. Sadly for the wolf, the stage was completely stolen by a diminutive yet undiminished Purple Tentacle.

Thank you, naive human. Now, I can finish taking over the world!

- Purple Tentacle, Day of The Tentacle

Related Links

My VGL London Flickr set - contains mild spoilers for some of the show’s surprises
E for All and VGL - Brinstar’s opinion of the show in LA
Video Games Live - The official site

The website is slightly better laid-out than last year. You can browse the event listings and or find events by location.

Here are a few that I’ve picked out:

• Computational Brain - Will brains and computers be able to work together to eliminate disability, or even enhance a normal human brain?
  I’d consider going but I have no idea if it’s pitched to the layperson or biologists and AI researchers.
• Will Wright - BAFTA Annual Lecture - The subject of the lecture, chosen by Will himself, will be ‘Interactive Entertainment - the Oldest Art Form’.
  I hear Will Wright’s lectures are always worth attending. Tickets are very limited and may be already gone.
• Working with Games Writers - Our panel of top games writing experts covers in-house, independent freelance and group freelance perspectives and will explore everything you’ve always wanted to know about games writing, games writers and exactly what goes on in the shadowy world of interactive narrative.
  As long-time readers will know, writing and storylines are rather important to me.
• Dare at the Festival
  - The exhibition features concept art, finished characters, games trailers, playable demos and a documentary film plus some games will be available for free download on a first come first served basis – bring a laptop.
  I’m glad to see that they’re bringing the games down here. Dare to be Digital is a great way to scout for talent and innovation. Since it’s based in Dundee and I’m in London, I never actually get to see what comes out of it.

There’s also the London Games Fringe. The fringe deals with the less commercial side of gaming, including a Women in Games mixer (what’s a “mixer”?), skills sessions, Sense of Play and other sociable events.

We’ll be at Video Games Live tonight. What events do you think look worthwhile?