MiniGEEK is off to Singapore

We are packing up our boxes and some of our favourite highlights from GEEK and taking them off to Singapore to be part of the Singapore Science Festival. Originally booked for August the festival has been rescheduled for November because of the air pollution affecting the region. Mini GEEK highlights will include Punch the Custard, the Video Game Carnival including the wonderful Fruitcade and Replay Event's Classroom of the 80s. As well as a pile of GEEK boxes the team of six are heading off with a supply of Raspberry Pis, Arduino and Makey Makey kits so visitors to the festival can Meet, Make and Play. For more about GEEK visit www.geek2013.co.uk - more news about 2014 coming soon.

GEEK Phew! - First Friday Invitation

GEEK Phew! is a chance to catch up, meet up and say Hi.
6.30pm - 9pm 5th April 2013, all ages welcome. Donations Bar or BYO.

If you helped at GEEK…Phew! you need a bit of R&R – come along meet friends and toast your hard work. If you missed it...want to know what you missed? Be part of next year? Got some great ideas of how to make it better? Or want to find out more? Come along.

GEEK Phew! has a unique soundtrack thanks to our guest curator Robert Urquhart!

“Aside from writing, music and sound have always been an interest, from my first job making whale noises for Channel 4 learning to produce an album for Adaadat Records and DJ'ing for independent record label SEED records under the moniker of the (tongue in-cheek but some would say apt) title of DJ Required, I've always enjoyed the impact that computer use has made on the way we create.

At the GEEK 2013 after party I'll be playing a soundtrack that doesn't just include the blips and beeps of music made by using computers but also music and lyrics that have been influenced by us using computers in our everyday lives – from portents of Orwellian doom to celebrations of social media, as well as movie soundtracks and archive recordings.

I look forward to clicking through and scrolling down to GEEK 2014 and helping out in whatever way I can” - Robert Urquhart

GEEK 2013: Hide&Seek to curate launch event; order your limited-edition ticket vouchers

Picture credit: Mike Massaro

We’ve signed up a guest curator for opening night…

We’re beavering away like, well, beavers to make GEEK2013 bigger and better than GEEK2012. So we’re delighted that Alex Fleetwood of game design studio Hide&Seek has agreed to guest-curate the opening event.

Hide&Seek believe that play – as a theme, a way of being, and design tool – is integral to understanding how culture will develop in the 21st century. And they’ve done some fascinating things, like their 99 Tiny Games for the 2012 Olympics, and their Drunk Dungeon game for New York University’s Game Center. We don’t know what to expect, but we know you’ll want to join in.

…and you can buy Xmas GEEK vouchers now

We’re releasing bespoke ticket vouchers to 50 lucky gift givers – and just in time for Xmas. Just call +44 (0)1843 282 219, tell us what you need, pay for it, and we’ll send you a voucher with your gift-ee’s name on it.

Bigger, better, geekier – we’ve won Arts Council funding for GEEK 2013

We’re delighted that we’ve been awarded Arts Council funding for GEEK2013, the second-year edition of our festival of gaming.

Last year’s GEEK2012 was a white-knuckle ride – if it had flopped we’d have had a nasty financial bump. Fortunately the hard work of all those involved – and the support of the ticket-buying public – made the festival a success.

The Arts Council funding will help us take GEEK2013 to even geekier heights – stay tuned for more news as we’re busy hatching plans.

We want to hear from more sponsors, games people, and fringe eventers

There’s still much to be done and there are opportunities – and potentially Arts Council funding – for games people and fringe eventers. We want to hear from:

• Sponsors. We’d love to hear from further sponsors – we want to put your name up in lights (well, on a banner and in adverts at least). Maybe you can help us fund a free-ticket day.

• Games people. Get in touch if you’re a developer who wants to test a game, a game-maker who wants to demo or sell your game, or if you have an idea for a workshop.

• Fringe eventers. Last year’s ranged from games-themed poetry to a theatrical mystery and chip-tunes disco. Tell us your idea and we’ll try to find a way to get your game-face on.
So don’t keep your geek-tastic thoughts to yourself – get in touch.

GEEK2013 Public Meeting save the date

We are busy playing, dreaming and scheming but now its time to call on people to come and help us to build GEEK into a great festival of Play and Games.

We are working with friends here in Margate to sort out a venue then we will be inviting people to come along to find out more about what is being planned and how people can get involved.

Save the date 11th of Oct - email us to make sure you get an invite.

Visit GEEK2013.co.uk or  GEEK2013 facebook for more information.

Leaving the Beach, off to play in the City

Annual Picnic - with games

We are off to play on the South Bank in London this weekend at the The Hide&Seek Weekender.

Look at all this fun  http://weekender.hideandseek.net

There is also a conference on the Monday - which looks amazing - its a great honour to be part of it. http://weekender.hideandseek.net/conference/

Sales pitch ...There will be showcases from artists, producers and technology companies, networking sessions, its going to be a great day come along.

We are looking forward to learning lots and meeting some interesting people and discovering new works and Artists. .... and if you are thinking about being part of GEEK next year come and say Hi!

GEEK 2012 was a record-breaking success

When we set out to start a retro-gaming festival we were low on time and money but long on ideas and enthusiasm. Sometimes we thought we might have bitten off more than we could chew, but the gaming gods were with us and GEEK2012 (Games Expo East Kent) was a joystick jiggling, pixel-pumping success.

We had over 2,000 visitors, got great visitor feedback (‘fun’ was the most popular word on feedback forms), and gained the confidence and resources to plan a bigger and better GEEK2013.

To cap it all we’ve made it into the Guinness World Records. The officials were on hand to certify that 256 players took part in the world’s largest Pong tournament.

Want to know more? See the GEEK Facebook page here, and the GEEK2012 website here.