GamesAreForEveryone Returns to Edinburgh
Fast becoming a regular staple on the Edinburgh gaming scene, GamesAreForEveryone is gearing up for its third event this month. We spoke to its organisers about seeing gaming from new perspectives and breaking down barriers between gamers and creators.
GamesAreForEveryone is a gaming event which puts the subversion of stereotypes at its heart. It confronts the notion that gaming is becoming ever more insular, as budgets bloat and online multiplayer increasingly becomes the exclusive draw for new releases.
Instead, GAFE focuses on gaming as a social hobby, establishing itself in the middle of a busy club and curating games with far wider appeal than those targeted at hardcore gamers – highly visual, socially engaging games, with either an intentionally light competitive element or outright encouraging audience participation. These are games you don't feel out of place simply watching, nor will you be daunted by the prospect of finally getting to play them.
This is the other side of gaming, a social endeavour which facilitates easy communication and connections, and its organisers are trying to share this alternative narrative on gaming with everyone, from lifelong fans of the medium to absolute newcomers trying to learn more about it. “Even down to the name itself, the night’s about trying to open games up to as many people as possible.” says Andrew Dyce, who created GAFE back in March, and curates the event. “The idea behind the whole evening is to show that not only are there an incredibly diverse range of games out there, but that they’re also things that everyone can enjoy and appreciate. That’s a huge part of the night for us.”
Music at GamesAreForEveryone
A typical GAFE night might be a little strange to explore if you haven’t the slightest interest in games, but with a band, a DJ set and different, beautiful games in action all around the room, it’s an audiovisual treat, and an excellent way to introduce someone to the hobby. Focus on music was something that came across very strongly at their last event in September. For a start, it serves as a bridge between a gaming event and a normal club night, but even then it was carefully chosen to enhance the games exhibited.
“Something we've been trying to do to music content is shed a little light on the other elements that go into making games," begins Luci Holland. "And it's not just music, it’s art and design. There's the programming side, showing a little awareness of what goes into it, and the great creativity that's happening, especially with developers in Scotland and locally. What amazing things people are making together, and how many people are involved in it.”
Holland is a composer and musician from Mantra Collective, exploring her passion for gaming in this instance with live performances from game scores. Their live performance was a highlight at September's event, with lively, serene, even cerebral renditions from esteemed indie gaming soundtracks.
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The games were well chosen by organisers Andrew Dyce and Craig Fairweather, though the mere idea of playing procedurally generated horror game Monstrum while wearing virtual reality headset Oculus Rift in the middle of a club sounds like a horror game itself. It fit the setting though, which Andrew confirms was far from coincidental, “A lot of thought goes into which games would work well in the spaces and which games would complement each other as well. So we do have single player experiences, but there's as much room for that as there is for local multiplayer.”
For Craig, the focus is on games that captivate their audience from the first moment. ”They can give you really poignant experiences within five minutes, or not even that. It can be a matter of seconds and you've made a connection of some kind, whereas I think a lot of people's preconceptions of gaming is that you need to sit down, you need to play it for four hours before it even makes a little bit of sense to you.”
Footprint, a sprawling exploration game set in a vibrant but desolate desert certainly fit the brief; a few seconds of gameplay glimpsed in passing drew The Skinny back regularly throughout the night to get lost in its austere beauty. Multiplayer games were most prevalent though, with top down isometric views as opposed to the more conventional split screen approach. A couple were Wild West themed but otherwise distinct shooters, and a couple of competitive sports(ish) games focused on quick but immersive rounds.
Friendship Club had the makings of a classic arcade game. Four players in an impractically shaped room start off with three rounds each in their guns, and the ability to collect bullets out of the air with their dodge/shield ability. Simple enough, except for the twist: bullets bounce off walls. Forever. For every perfectly aimed shot, ten more ricocheted around the room. More games ended in hilarious disaster than brilliance, which was endlessly entertaining.
Gyrodisc Super League likewise proved a hit throughout the evening, and The Skinny's shot at the game was a frenzied adrenaline rush thanks to our teammate. It took barely a minute before we were dividing the court like seasoned pros. The game itself is mix of volleyball and Pong with players able to bounce the ball off the walls, hold it to pass, or lob it high and win by grounding the ball or scoring goals. Every game we played proved quick to pick up and just as easy to pass on to the next player, and the developers were eager to showcase their work.
Helping Developers and Publishers
These events are intended to serve the developers too, after all, and Craig is adamant that both parties have to get something out of it. “I'm interested right down to the nitty gritty details, even just the words that people are saying to these guys and how much it means to them.” They’ve seen successes from previous events too: “Gyrodisc Super League was at Armagedinburgh and it's since been greenlit on Steam so they're making really good headway. And yet they've still made changes to that game to what they believe is a much better product.”
Obviously, feedback is essential to any game, but even more so for indie publishers at GAFE, whose marketing budgets are a drop in the ocean compared to major studios. Instead they rely on word of mouth, on showing a capacity and willingness to adjust to suit their small but devoted playerbase. GAFE is an opportunity to boost visibility, but also to take pride in projects nearing completion. With a long night of hard use from enthusiastic gamers, it’s also a crucible both for the game itself and the game’s representatives.
For the attendees, this all means something exciting: an ability to influence the direction of locally produced art and help it flourish. GAFE can just be about a good night out with a bit of gaming in the background, but if you love games it’s also a chance to learn more about how they're made and even leave your mark upon them in some small way.
GAFE manages to recapture the childhood spirit of multiplayer gaming and merges it with the joy of music discovery, of sharing your little-known favourites. The event concept isn't unique, though you would be hard pressed to find a regular event like it in Scotland; Craig has experience running Rushdown Edinburgh, a competitive gaming event for fighting games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. GAFE, however, is about sharing or discovering a love of gaming, injecting them into an ordinary social setting, and exploring the richness (and weirdness) of games beyond the mainstream market.
GamesAreForEveryone Volume 3, Wed 18 Nov, 7pm, The Mash House, £6 + fees (tickets available at gamesareforeveryone.eventbrite.co.uk)