Weekly video games events: Developers Conference, BAFTA awards, PAX East

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Among the upcoming videogame events, expos and conferences of February and March 2010: The Game Developers Conference and its child event the Independent Games Festival, the British Academy Video Game Awards, and Penny Arcade's expo opens its east coast iteration in Boston.

Microsoft Gamefest (London)
February 24-25
London, UK

A conference and workshop for XNA developers, those interested and involved in making games for the Xbox 360's online marketplace, which will feature the latest technical details for the new Project Natal motion sensor device.
http://www.microsoftgamefest.com

Game Developers Conference
March 9-13
San Francisco, California, USA.

An extremely wide-ranging umbrella conference which also incorporating a series of other video gaming and digital industry events around San Francisco, such as the Independent Games Festival, the Serious Games Summit, and a One Button Games showcase. PlayStation's new motion controllers are due to make an appearance, Nintendo are expected to make an announcement about new hardware or accessories, and there'll be lectures from the people behind Metroid, Deus Ex 3, Silent Hill, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Psychonauts, Civilization, and Fable.
Tickets: From $75 (€55) for a student pass to $2,000 (€1,465) for an all-access pass bought on the door.
http://www.gdcconf.com

ScreenBurn at South by Southwest
March 12-16
Austin, Texas, USA

Part of the South by SouthWest (SXSW) festivals, the interactive strand brings together video game demonstrations and hands-on sessions with a game design competition and seminars.
Tickets: $500 before February 12, $550 on site
http://sxsw.com/interactive/screenburn

British Academy Video Games Awards
March 19
London, UK

39 of 2009's top games jostle for awards in 14 categories, while 10 of those titles face a public vote for the GAME Award. The ceremony will be broadcast live on the BAFTA website from 8.45pm GMT. The nominations are led by Uncharted 2, Modern Warfare 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Assassin's Creed II, and Left 4 Dead 2.
http://www.bafta.org

PAX East
March 26-28
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

With the the Penny Arcade Expo usually held in Washington on the west coast of the USA, PAX East launches as a companion event for the east coast. The three day pass sold out in early February due to the popularity of the original PAXes and excitement surrounding upcoming games and hardware, the possibility of freebies, and several concerts planned. On the door tickets cost $5 more than the online prices, but tickets aren't expected to be available by that point anyway.
Tickets: $30 per day
http://www.paxsite.com

Armageddon Expos, New Zealand
March 27-28, Christchurch
April 2-4, Wellington

The Armageddon Expos cover the realms of comics, TV, film, anime cartoons and gaming with these two family days out. This year, there will be screenings of the Ponyo and Storm Riders animated films, guest appearances with actors from Dr Who, Police Academy, Star Trek, Heroes, and anime and video game voice-over artists, British author Robert Rankin, a Street Fighter IV video game tournament, and a video games area run by NZGamer.com. In addition, there will also be an organised pillow fight, ice-cream and sweet & sour candy eating contests, a competition to replicate DragonBall Z's most famous special move, the Kamehameha.
Tickets: $8 NZD (€4/$5.5) for a one-day children / senior's pass, $45 NZD (€23/$32) for a family pass. VIP options available.
http://www.armageddonexpo.com/nz