A few weeks ago I visited The Insomnia games festival in Birmingham. The festival is the largest UK run celebration of video gaming since its first event in 1999 where it started out as a LAN party. The festival now spans a combination of a large exhibition hall where developers such as Microsoft can show off new games and hardware while also promoting new ideas and programs such as Microsoft’s Imagine program which aims to promote programming and help young people get started in the world of software and game development.
The LAN party element of insomnia is still going on as this year’s BYOC (bring your own computer/console) event was extremely popular with gamers coming together to play games such as league of legends, Hearthstone and Call of duty, while many of all of the gamers in attendance were there for the fun of the game, there was also many prizes up for grabs in the tournaments.
There was also a section of the festival dedicated to the indie game scene, where independent were allowed to show off their work in order to gain publicity and feedback which is often difficult for those just getting started in the industry so it is fair to say that this show presented a great opportunity for indie game developers who are likely just getting started in the industry and need somewhere to gain brand awareness.
Games weren’t the only thing celebrated or shown at the festival, the YouTube gaming scene was also a big part of it, was YouTube personalities such as Jacksepticeye, Dan TDM, Daithi De Nogla and many more all appeared to interact with their fan bases. I myself waited in line roughly three hours to meet Jackseptieye, in those three hours I also got a general feel for how the crowd was feeling. It appeared a majority of people were enjoying the festival, it was also clear to me that festivals like these have a very positive effect on the games industry as a whole, as one Jacksepticeye fan was telling me he’d love to go into games development when he was older which then led to me pointing him the direction of various resources as well as giving him some of my own advice, and that is what this festival was all truly about, the gaming community coming together and celebrating the things we love while also inspiring and teaching a new generation of gamers. The festival also brought to light the unfortunate lack of self-awareness when it comes to the games industry and the scale of it to the public eye, as one father I talked to told me that “coming here was a real eye-opener to the world of gaming” also saying that he “Hopes to support his son’s interest in pursuing a career in the games industry”
As my time drew to a close at what was my first games festival not only as an attendee but as a member of the press, I reflected on what a great community we are all part of and while in the past year there have been a number of controversies, arguments. I feel strongly that this festival has made me realize that perhaps it’s time as a community we get back to doing what we love, playing video games. And that is why I am proud to be part of one of the most diverse cultures in the world, where things like race and gender doesn’t matter and where the only things that do truly matter is that everyone is having a good time and doing what they love, playing video games.
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