Returning to Bradford from the 6th – 10th February 2019 is the Yorkshire Games Festival, at National Science and Media Museum in the heart of Bradford. This will be the Festival’s third outing and not only will there be a new BAFTA partnership competition held during the event, but this year see’s the legend that is Jeff Minter – founder of Llamasoft – take to the stage and talk about his life in gaming for over thirty-five years.
Jeff Minter of Llamasoft fame – the UK developer behind the classic 1980s games Gridrunner and Attack of the Mutant Camels, Xbox Live Arcade’s celebrated Space Giraffe, the mesmerising PlayStation Vita game TxK and most recently the mind-bending PlayStation VR title Polybius – will be attending and speaking. Jeff will be taking to the stage to talk about his incredible 30+ year career, the landmark games and technology and the making of his forthcoming game Tempest 4000 for publisher Atari.
During the festival BAFTA will host a range of events to promote the BAFTA Young Game Designers competition, which aims to inspire the UK’s game creators of the future by giving young people the chance to design and make their own game. Activity will include game concept workshops for 10-14-year-olds and 15-18-year-olds, guidance workshops for parents and teachers, and panel discussions about careers in the games industry.
Jeff Minter is the first major name inked in for the event, with further announcements unveiling other fellow industry legends planned for the months ahead. According to Festival Director, Kathryn Penny, 2019’s event is going to build on the foundations of last year’s extravaganza, which saw 9,000 attendees head for National Science and Media Museum
“It’s amazing what the Yorkshire Games Festival has achieved in just two years – 2017 really felt like a landmark year, with the line-up of acclaimed speakers helping to cement the festival as a crucial event in the games industry’s calendar,” offers Penny. “We want to continue inspiring people just starting out in their careers – or, indeed, students still studying their craft. I know the new partnership with BAFTA, plus talks from Jeff Minter and many other industry luminaries means we’ll be doing just that.”
In short, 2019 will see the Yorkshire Games Festival build upon its remit to celebrate games culture and introduce a new generation to the science and art of games development. Look out for further details on confirmed speakers and additional tracks in the coming months.
