Sense of Play Detailed For London Games Festival

Organizers of the upcoming London Games Festival, a week-long celebration that begins October 2, have announced details surrounding the event's Sense of Play 06, a day-long symposium headed by University College for the Creative Arts, Farnham to debate the nature of computer game design. Looking beyond the current generation, the focus of Sense of Play 06 is to promote lively debate on the nature of game design and what it means to different people – both inside and outside the industry. The event is co-sponsored by the University College for the Creative Arts and will include Patrick O'Luanaigh (nDreams, ex-creative director at Eidos/Sci), Charles Cecil (Revolution Software), and Rob Cooper (Interactive Drama & Entertainment, BBC) as well as range of games industry and academic experts. Patrick O'Luanaigh will follow on from his Leipzig Games Convention talk with a discussion on how to improve the quality of storytelling in games, while Charles Cecil's will offer his take on the future of the industry by discussing the so called ‘content crisis’ within the games development and publishing communities. Cecil will also offer insight into why game designers are vital in securing the industry’s creative and cultural sustainability. Finally, Rob Cooper will look toward various projects within and beyond the broadcast communities which are destined to bring interactivity and gameplay to these areas. In addition, the symposium will be rounded off with a showcase of work by recent graduates of the MA Digital Games Design program at UCCA Farnham, as well as postgraduates from other universities offering Masters level game design related courses. Commented O'Luanaigh: “Game design is a key area for the future of the industry. As graphics, audio, physics simulation and animation move closer to true realism, it’s game design which will increasingly set titles apart. Sense of Play will be an exciting and important part of the games festival, as we’ll be exploring what it means to be a games designer, looking at where interactive storytelling is going, and how the industry is trying new ways to create deeper levels of emotion and immersion.” Sense of Play 06 will take place on Friday, October 6. The Symposium will run from 9.30am – 5.30pm at London's Soho Theatre, with the Showcase taking place 6.00pm – 9.00pm at 01zero-one. Organizers note that Sense of Play 06 will be free to enter, but will feature limited seating. For more information, visit the event's official website.