GameCity 8 detailed, Mike Bithell to showcase Volume live & more

GameCity 8 is heading to Nottingham in October and it's bringing with it a slew of games, developers and friendly types to converse with, all in the name of gaming. Thomas Was Alone's Mike Bithell will be there, showing off his new game Volume.

In a press release sent to VG247, GameCity 8's organisers confirmed that the event will take place October 19 to October 26, at venues across Nottingham, such as Old Market Square.

There's also a public gaming experiment using Nottingham city centre's two big TV screens, dubbed simply 'Two Big Screens', and GameCity8 director Iain Simons said of the event, “With seven festivals behind us, we’re striving to make sure GameCity8 is the most exciting and interesting yet. Two Big Screens will undoubtedly be the public highlight, exploring different ways to play with games that have been developed especially for the festival.

“But it will be the scope and range of events throughout the week that will combine to make GameCity a real cultural highlight for anyone interested in videogaming and one of the friendliest and most fun festivals on the scene.”

Routine developer Mike Bithell added, "Gamecity 6 was the first time anyone but me played Thomas Was Alone. It was a big deal to me, and it started my love for everything these guys do. I am disgustingly excited to be taking part again this year. The event we're doing on the Friday is still top secret, but it's going to be fun and I'm looking forward to revealing stuff for the first time."

Other events include:

• An Antiques Roadshow-style event on October 22 – run by the National Videogame Archive – visitors can bring their old videogames and any related material and share their memories of videogames and gaming.
• GameCityLimits on October 23 and October 24 - a vibrant conference exploring the fringes and boundaries where videogames and interactive culture intersects business and media. It will feature media industry leaders such as Macmillian, Channel 4, EMI and Wellcome coming together for a round of presentations, talks and panel discussions. Business-focused sessions will explore new directions and commercial advice for businesses, helping them navigate and collaborate within the cross-sector commissioning landscape.
• Unveiling the winners of the Off the Map competition on Wednesday October 23 – a collaboration between GameCity, Crytek software and the British Library using historic drawings and maps of Stonehenge, the Tower of London and the Pyramids.
• The GameCityPrize – a shortlist for the annual award for the most exceptional videogame of the year will be drawn up at an event on Thursday October 24. Last year’s judging panel was chaired by Lord Puttnam.
• Leading developer Mike Bithell will be joining a discussion about mythology and how myths develop before revealing his latest game on Friday October 25. The venue and the subject of the game remain a closely guarded secret… for now.
• An exclusive director commentary of the classic Gone Home game and Minority Media will be unveiling its Silent Enemy project.

You can check out the GameCity event page here for more information. Have you been before? Are you going again? Let us know below.