The UK games industry is gearing up for London Games Week, the country's biggest computer gaming event, running from August 25 to 31 at Earl's Court.
The show is a mixture of industry and consumer events, including the annual European Computer Trade Show (ECTS), where publishers from all over the world gather to show off their latest titles, and the Game Developer Conference Europe (GDCE), where talks and discussion grounds abound about the future of European games development and, more significantly, how to make games better.
For the second year running, ECTS is playing host to Sony's PlayStation Experience, a mad carnival of consoles that gives the public their first opportunity to play over 100 new titles from the PlayStation and PlayStation2 line-ups. Gamers will be able to shake their booty to the new Dancing Stage Fever rhythm action game, assume the role of deadly invertebrates in Worms 3D, and get some adrenalin pumping in Gran Turismo 4. And if you've always wanted an excuse to flap around madly like you're trying to communicate Shakespeare in semaphore, get yourself down to the show and try Sony's Eyetoy, a gadget which promises to make you the star of your own computer game. Alongside these shows, London Games Week is also introducing the very first independent awards for the creative side of European games development. The awards will reward those who have long gone unrecognised - the people who provide the talent, innovation and imagination in our favourite titles. Nominations include Sick Puppies for Ghost Master, a game that allows you to take on the role of an undead civil servant in charge of a team of ghosts, and Rock Star North for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, a game that needs no introduction.
London Games Week has also been given the backing of the capital's mayor, Ken Livingstone, who said: "Trade shows and conferences like London Games Week have a major role to play in developing industry, creating an environment where deals can be done and new ideas are generated."
He went on to praise the games industry as a whole, saying: "Creative industries like the games sector contribute enormously to the buzz that attracts people to our city, and are London's second biggest earner after financial services. The computer games and software sector alone employs around 64,000 people in challenging and stimulating jobs."
The mayor has not indicated whether he'll be joining in at the events. After all, there are very few computer games starring newts, and the industry is undoubtedly the poorer for it.
Competition
Warcraft III was the fastest selling PC game of all time, and the expansion pack, WarCraft III: the Frozen Throne has just been released. It features new heroes, new units and new buildings, and we've got copies of the game plus matching mouse mats to give away. Three lucky winners could be sitting atop a Frozen Throne, and all you need do is email us at Online.Competitions@theguardian.com with your name, address and the answer to this question:
Name the two races that battled against each other in the original WarCraft games? (Hint: you can still play as these races in WarCraft III).
Charts
Official UK Leisure Software Charts (c) ELSPA compiled by Chart-Track
1) Pokemon Ruby (GBA) Nintendo - £29.99
2) Pokemon Sapphire (GBA) Nintendo - £29.99
3) Eyetoy: Play (PS2) Sony - £39.99
4) Tomb Raider: the Angel of Darkness (PS2, PC) Eidos Interactive - £34.99
5) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PC, PS2) Take 2 - £29.99
6) Enter the Matrix (PS2, GC, XB, PC) Atari - £39.99
7) The Sims (PC, PS2, Xbox, GM) Electronic Arts - £32.99
8) Aliens Vs Predator: Extinction (PS2, Xbox) Electronic Arts - £39.99
9) Formula One 2003 (PS2) Sony - £34.99
10) Harry Potter: The Chamber of Secrets (GBA, PS2, PL, PC) - £17.99
