The UK’s biggest gaming festival is about to fire into action at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
Taking place for the first time in Scotland, the fourteen year old Insomnia has now expanded from its usual home at the NEC, Birmingham into regional events. There will be little sleep during an action packed long-weekend, offering not just the opportunity for gamers of all backgrounds to get together and play irl, but also for developers and retailers to meet the customers face to face and gain feedback.
The event includes live interactive stage shows with special guests in the 1,100 seat auditorium and a large exhibition showcasing the latest games, equipment and merchandise. Feature zones will cover everything from tabletop to indie gaming. As well as meeting some well known broadcasters from YouTube and Twitch, gamers will also have the opportunity to star themselves in e-sports tournaments. Games include Counter Strike, League of Legends, Rocket League and Hearthstone with prizes of up to £1500. Since the event started nearly £400,000 has been awarded in prize money.
It’s sure to be a popular and well attended event. Scotland has for more than twenty years punched above its weight in the global games industry with developers such as 4J Studios and Rockstar North making significant impact. Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V is the most successful entertainment product of all time, eclipsing even Hollywood blockbusters by grossing $1bn in just three days. It’s estimated that 42% of the UK’s population (aged 6 to 64) play games and the growing global market is predicted to reach $113bn by 2018. Something that the Scottish Affair select committee heard in evidence that could “make North Sea oil look like a drop in the ocean”.
An important event for the city then and hopefully one that will become a regular fixture. Game on!
See websites above for details and to book tickets.