London Games Festival shows off Fringe lineup

London? Never heard of it. But should you find yourself in the capital city of Engerland between March 30th and April 9th, you might fancy checking out the London Games Festival. Its schedule includes some cracking games-related events, from exhibitions to concerts. Today the organisers confirmed a rag-tag load of smaller events for the accompanying London Games Festival Fringe so coo, let's look at a few.

A board game jam at the V&A with the lovely James Wallis (of Baron Munchausen fame) sounds a lark. I've enjoyed the game jams I've attended, and this doesn't sound at all like those weird ones which reproduce and celebrate crunch. And while there's plenty of game-making software even fools like me can pick up over the course of a jam, making games on papers seems instantly accessible.

Bonus Stage, a big showcase of games from London indie developers, sounds neat. I don't know what's in there but it should be nice and varied.

That "discussion on the relationship between video games and architecture" could be a goodun with the right panel.

Marioke, the singalong with pop songs rewritten to be about video games, is always enthusiastic, loud, and welcoming. No one can explain the name to me, though.

A fair few events have folks running around playing games in the outdoors and streets. Then there are tournaments, parties, and those sorts of things.

Outside the Fringe track, I hugely recommend going to Now Play This. It's a huge show at Somerset House with an exhibition of great and interesting games, displays, and talks and sessions and so on. Last year I sang to control a shmup, made music by drawing on a paper strip, and got to play Hidden Folks early. This year's lineup looks smashing.

EGX Rezzed is also part of the London Games Festival, and we will be there hosting our own selection of games, some chats with developers, and a night in the pub. I say "we", I mean some of us. Probably not including me. I've vowed only to return to London for births, marriages, and deaths, and I might ditch the first two.

But London be damned! Everyone knows London ended when I left. So while I'm writing this, a couple of other upcoming great games events elsewhere spring to mind.

Games Are For Everyone returns to Edinburgh on April 21st, filling The Caves with games, music, performances, and drinking. At the last one, I played Devil Daggers projected huge onto a bare stone wall at a dark altar, I watched a game controlled by furious drumming, and they let Cara and me play Britney records, which covers most things I want in life.

And down south in Yorkshire, those southerners have Feral Vector (formerly Bit of Alright, formerly World of Love) back in Hebden Bridge from June 1st to 3rd. Last time I went, I went on a foraging walk through the fields, led by Ed Key of Proteus fame. I still snack on several plants he pointed out and I haven't died yet.

This isn't meant to be a remotely comprehensive of upcoming games events, mind. We've got games events up the wazoo these days.

[Disclosure: People I'd classify as friends, pals, and/or chums are behind most of the events I mention here, and I've talked or otherwise officially done things at several. Turns out, I often have a bit in common with people who make things I like. Funny, that.]