What’s fun about GEEK-play 2018?

GEEK 2018 has just taken place on February 16-18 and it was a complete success, which is why we want to review the fun activities that were made available to participants. If you couldn’t make it this year due to financial reasons, don’t worry. Let’s see what’s been going on at GEEK 2018.

About the event

For those of you who don’t know what GEEK is, we must say that it’s a festival of Play & Games, as described by the organizers. The first edition occurred in 2012 and is since held annually in Margate, Kent. The event took place over 3 days, from Friday to Sunday.

GEEK takes on themes like Mario and Minecraft but it’s not limited to video games. The programme also includes various activities like storytelling, zombie makeup, science, drawing and even poetry. The event is family friendly and you are encouraged to bring your kid along.

This is a place where artists, developers and educators test new games and ideas in front of a live audience to obtain genuine feedback. All sorts of tournaments are organized for children and adults alike.

The Lab

There’s a so-called GEEK-lab where participants can interact with game makers and ask questions or play with 3D printers. This is where many workshops and demos are held, including the Cosplay Armour workshop by Luna Star. People also had the chance to meet 3 teams that make escape rooms and share their ideas. Those who like Minecraft had the opportunity to print their own designs using one of the available 3D printers.

Learning opportunities

There was a Q&A session with UCA staff that talked to students about how to make a career in the gaming industry. This was particularly helpful for developers who want to get involved in video game creation but also for gamers who want to know who does all the magic.

Other educational activities from GEEK 2018 included a talk sponsored by the UCA about life as a digital painter as well as a lecture focusing on women in the tech industry, which we all know are a minority in the field.

The demo about MoCap, the new wireless Rokoko smartsuit was also a great watch. There’s an interesting conversation named The Power of Play where Emma Bearman, Dan Thompson and Rebecca Ellis discussed the topic with the audience.

Other fun activities

Participants definitely don’t regret taking part in the Cosplay Masquerade from the GEEK Arena and a demonstration about how to build your first cosplay prop. There’s also the Cosqueenie’s Horror Fx Workshop about zombies and how to make a low budget horror film that focuses on this theme.