January 26, 2007 on 3:15 pm | In Games | No Comments

My friends at IGDA London have teamed up with the Science Museum to put on some great talks next Friday evening – a good way to find out more about the history and future of UK Games development, as they are open to the general public.

Game On Events: Level Two

What will games of the future look like? Who invented the first video game? How do you go about making a modern computer game? Why do we enjoy playing them?

These are just some of the questions that will be answered in the Science Museum’s second series of exclusive gaming events, which are being held to complement our fantastic Game On exhibition. On four nights in January and February visitors can gain a deeper understanding of video games from experts and industry insiders. The Game On exhibition will also be open until 21.30 (on 2 Feb) so visitors can experience the exhibition after normal opening hours.

2 February, 19.00–20.30
Games Gone By: A history of video games
Join us to look back on the history of the video game from a UK perspective.

Eighties Games You Might Still Play
Dave Green, Editor, Channel4/games
The 1980s and 1990s saw a massive explosion of innovative games and games design, especially in the UK. But as technology progressed these games were relegated to rubbish bins and second-hand shops. Dave Green looks at these retro games and asks, do we still want to play old classics – and do we sometimes play them without even realising?

Game Makers: Then and now
Andrew Oliver, development director, Blitz Games
Discover the game developers’ side of the story with Andrew Oliver, once a bedroom coder, now a development director at Blitz Games. How has the industry in the UK changed and what is it like to work in gaming now compared with 20 years ago? Can you make a successful career in gaming and not be a geek?

Game and Able
Iain Simons, gaming author and Director of the GameCity festival
The UK video-games industry has generated some of the most exciting, innovative and esoteric titles. One particular trend from the UK is that of the game-designer brothers. Why were so many companies formed by brothers, who really should have been arguing like normal teenagers? Iain Simons traces this trend across three decades, attempting to explain why it might happen.

For more info see the Science Museum’s “Game On Events” website.