Southampton Game Fest is close to being upon us once again. In just over a week, on Saturday the 6th May the third annual game fest will be held at The 1865, Brunswick Square – a stone’s throw away from Ocean Village.
Southampton Game Fest 3: Live Fest, Die Young. That’s the official name! (not) We can say that now because this year we’re actually part of the organisational team. That’s right! 100XP will be taking over the stage! (possibly) You’ll be able to see us panic our way through our first experiences running a live show – let’s hope we don’t accidentally set the projector on fire. (probably)
Unlike last year which was held at the rather bourgeois Grand Harbour Hotel, The 1865 is one of Southampton’s newest music venues. It’s a slightly smaller space, so remember to wear deodorant fellas. Anyone carrying too much of a musk will be forced into obscure anime cosplay and sent to the fetish room. Actually, I must check with Hampshire Gaming Hub if that’s still going ahead…
Anyway, showing up and showing off at the event we have:
- Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality
- Prey (releasing on May 5th)
- Laser Drift: Over Drive, by Martin Jenkins
- Swords and Shadows, by friend of the site Joe McDonald.
- Local developers Bitmap Bureau, presenting 88 Heroes and a brand new game called Ninja Showdown
- In Transit, by Ethan Bruins
- Eagle Island, currently being Kickstarted by another Southampton resident.
- Hive Mind Studio, presenting Axe of Kings
- Scrufflelots presented by, er, Scruffelots? Scrufflelots!
- Team Mango, again presenting Jarheads
- Clutchware are back too, presenting Star Janitors
- Substream by Ben Bradley
- Jubbernaut, presenting Where Did All The Humans Go?
- Delta Dawn Games with a new project.
- Obverse Studios with Timebreaker
So, yeah… There’s plenty to sink your teeth into, and who knew there were so many local developers in Hampshire? Following that, we also have a range of tournaments you can sign up for:
- 11am. Fifa 17 (free entry, winner gets a SGF Trophy)
- 11am. 1 2 Switch (free entry, winner gets a SGF Trophy prize)
- 1:30pm. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (1v1 cage matches, free entry, winner gets a SGF Trophy)
- 1:30pm. Laser Drift: Over Drive (free entry, winner gets a SGF Trophy and a free copy of the game)
- All day. Street Fighter 2: Anniversary Edition (£2 entry, winner gets a trophy, all proceeds to Piam Brown Ward)
- 12pm. Cosplay Competition
On top of all of that good stuff, also at Southampton Game Fest this year are:
- A quality assurance workshop from Testology
- Portsmouth’s Game Over Cafe, bringing a selection of retro consoles
- Retro Hut Southampton
- A virtual reality showcase, including the HTC Vive and the Playstation VR
- Kyashi Cosplay prints
- Jynxy Dragon Cosplay prints
- Kaida Cosplay prints
- Kendal James, video game merch
- Console Wars
Much like in the past, SGF is a charity event and the lion’s share of the earnings will be going to Southampton Hospital Charity. Their aim is to “enhance the world class services provided at Southampton General Hospital and Princess Anne Hospital through fundraising activities and events, charitable donations, legacies and voluntary support. The charity can complement and enhance services and facilities, so that the very best can be provided for all.” It’s a great cause so let’s hope we can raise even more money than we did last year and call the entire day a success all round.
And if charity doesn’t get your juices flowing, all ticket holders will be given a free Steam game provided by Black Shell Media. Tickets can be purchased here in advance for £7 or on the door for £8. Children under eleven are free with an accompanying adult ticket.
Here’s a gallery from previous years:
