What is London Games Festival?
If you’ve never heard of London Games Festival (LGF), we’ll forgive you, and consider this your club initiation. LGF is now in its 2nd year and backed by the none other than the Mayor of London. Sadiq Khan is into games? It sure looks like it!
It’s a massive festival spanning 11 days and over 40Â events. That’s a lot to take in so here comes mayamada with our top 5 reasons you absolutely must attend this year:
5. EGX Rezzed
What is it?
An interactive gaming event (see the video) where you can not only play upcoming games on PC and consoles but also sample some the best indie games around. Ever wanted to chat with the heroes who make your games? EXG Rezzed has it covered and there are some great talks for those of you interested in the gaming industry too!
Why should I go?
It’s the little brother EGX, you know, the UK’s biggest gaming event? You’re in good hands with this one.
When is it?
Thursday 30th March to Saturday 1st April 2017 at Tobacco Dock
How much?
£10+ , Details and tickets here.
4. Cinedouken!
What is it?
Perhaps the future of cinema as we know it.
An amusing combination of video games and so-bad-its-good movies. The game (and film) in question is none other than 90’s classic, Street Fighter. From the site itself:
Every time a fight is about to break out Joypad will be giving two members of the audience the chance to re-create movie magic by switching the projection over to Super Street Fighter II and getting YOU the audience to re-create the fights.–Â joypadbar.co.uk
Why should I go?
It’s Kylie Minogue and Jean Claude Van Damme… and classic Nintendo games, all on the big screen. You’ll also get to see how the fight scenes should have looked!
When is it?
Friday 31st March 2017, 5:30pm
How much?
£10+ , Details here and tickets here.
3. Evasion
What is it?
A spy adventure set in the streets of London with you as the star. Special missions, cryptic messages, high pressure, oh and real people.
Why should I go?
Maybe you’ve had your fill of video games and prefer something active, maybe you’ve seen too many Bond or Bourne trilogy films, maybe you just need to get out of the house and have some fun. It’s a hidden gem in the London Games festival roster and one-of-a-kind experience not to be missed!
When is it?
Sunday 2nd April 2017
How much?
£35+ , Details and tickets here.
2. Games Character Parade
What is it?
An invasion showcase of hundreds of cosplay gaming characters parading through central London. Mario, Pikachu, Solid Snake, maybe Sonic the Hedgehog too, you’re bound to recognise someone and you can take part too!
Expect this…. only with more variety. 1
Why should I go?
We all know about the London Mayor’s Parade (I hope) but this one is special, it will be, if nothing else,  a spectacle worth turning up for and recording. If you happen to be a Cosplayer, then it’s also worth registering as you will get the chance to have your picture taken with the entire parade and that is bound to be one worth framing. All in all, it’s a great way to finish up the London Games Festival.
When is it?
Saturday 8th April 2017
How much?
Free!  Details and registration here.
1. mayamada GamePad!
GamePad Fans Enjoying a friendly game of Super Smash Bros on Nintendo Wii U
What is it?
Okay, okay, this is our own event but it is officially part of London Games Festival 2017 so can you blame us? For those of your who haven’t heard of it, GamePad is our flagship Social Gaming event that is all about bringing people from all walks of like together to enjoy a day of face-to-face casual gaming. You get a healthy mix of video games and traditional games such as giant jenga.. actually, that’s not so traditional.
Why should I go?
It’s for everyone, it really is. Children, parents, teens, adults, boys, girls.. you get the picture. We have an incredibly fun and friendly atmosphere which is what has kept our fans coming back to GamePad since 2015!
Staying true to our Japanese manga /  anime roots, you can also expect to see Cosplayers (with some coming straight from the parade), a cosplay competition and for those who have a bit more fighting spirit, we’ll ve holding a Super Smash Bros. tournament (among others) with prizes!
You can get a feel for GamePad in the video below:
When is it?
Saturday 8th April 2017 (after the Character Parade, so you can go to both if you wish)
How much?
£10 per person (3 tickets for the price of 2) and you can buy your tickets now here.
So that’s it! Although to be fair, there are so many great events on, we had to include a few more below.
Honourable Mentions:
1. AI Summit
“Exploring technology and games in the era of digitised thinking” – It shouldn’t surprise anyone but the robots be in our games. This is great chance to peer into the future of gaming with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
2. Video Brains
“A monthly event hosting intelligent and entertaining talks on games.” The next event will feature among others, talks on local multiplayer, AI in AAA games and deception in video games.
3. London Gaming Market
Known as “THE place to buy retro video-games, board games and merchandise all in one place”.
You can see the full roster of events at the official London Games Festival website here.
