Weekly video games events agenda: Games Beyond Entertainment, MCM Expo, E3

(All rights reserved - MCM Expo Group)

Among the video game events, expos and conferences of May and June 2010: Games Beyond Entertainment in Boston explores the use of video games as therapeutic and learning tools, the 17th MCM Expo once more opens up its Games Village in London, and attentions turn to one of the year's most significant calendar dates as the Electronic Entertainment Expo comes ever closer.

Games Beyond Entertainment
May 24-27
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

The GBEW is an umbrella for seven other conferences and events taking place in Boston: The Games for Health Conference (May 26-27) which investigates the role of video games in physiotherapy and exercise; The Serious Games Festival & Conference (May 24) and its offshoot Out & About: The Mobile Serious Games Conference (May 25) examine the use of commercial and bespoke video games as learning tools; The Emerging Markets in Videogames Symposium (May 25) looks at new opportunities amongst emerging countries, demographics, and technologies, while there are also the Games Accessibility (May 25) and Virtual Worlds & Health days and practical bootcamps for those wanting to learn more about Serious Games Design & Development and iPhone Design & Production (both May 25). Registration costs from $199 up to $849 depending on the combination of events chosen.
http://www.gamesbeyondentertainment.com

Monetising Mobile
May 26
London, UK

Intent Media's Mobile Entertainment news service has booked out the British Academy of Film and Television Arts' Piccadilly address for this conference focusing on getting the most out of the mobile market. Speakers from Pearson (Penguin, Financial Times, Dorling Kindersley), Sky, and Samsung are scheduled to talk, as well as those from the Shazam music identification service, advertising platform AdMob, the Ustwo design company, the Scoreloop mobile gaming social network service, business analysts GamesBrief, and the cross-platform app store GetJar.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/events/219/Monetising-Mobile

Games Village, London MCM Expo 17
May 29-30
London, UK

The ExCel center at London's Royal Victoria Docks plays host to the twice-yearly MCM Expo, for this its 17th iteration. The Expo as a whole encompasses anime, manga, and other aspects of popular Japanese culture such as cosplay (dressing up as a favorite cartoon or video game character), and plenty of actors, artists and writers from sci-fi and fantasy franchises. The Games Village track usually manages to pull in playable demo pods for some of the hottest upcoming games and at MCM 17 there will be a Guinness World Record attempt as Nintendo DS owners congregate for what is hoped to be the Largest Handheld Game Console Party yet. The Dance Dance Revolution UK team will be there with a large selection of arcade and console games. Standard tickets to the MCM Expo cost £10 (€11.43) for adults (over 15s), £5 (€5.72) for 11-15s, and free for accompanied children. Early entry tickets allow the holders access to the show floor up to two hours before the general public and cost £13 (€14.87) regardless of age.
http://www.londonexpo.com

Festival of Games
June 3-4
Utrecht, The Netherlands

Part conference, part expo, part careers fair, the Festival of Games held at
the Jaarbeurs convention center also features networking events and parties on both nights of the festival. Confirmed speakers include Alan Yu (iPhone game Rolando), Martin de Ronde (charity game foundation OneBigGame) David Perry (Earthworm Jim, the Gaikai web-based game portal), and Professor Toru Iwatani, the inventor of video game granddaddy Pac Man. The conference's first day focuses on the past and present of video games, the second on business issues and future tech.
http://www.festivalofgames.nl

Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)
June 15-17
Los Angeles, California, USA

One of the biggest video game press events of the year, and back on steady footing, this year's E3 promises to be as dominant as ever. Microsoft are preparing to wow punters and pundits with its take on motion control, Natal, and have already earmarked June 13 and 14 for press conferences ahead of the main E3 affair. Sony will be showing off their version with the PlayStation Move and advances in 3D gaming technology. Nintendo has a glimpse of the new Zelda game for fans to look forward to, and a host of publishers and studios will be touting their wares. Expect the goods with regard to Medal of Honor, Batman: Arkham Asylum 2, Gran Turismo 5, Halo: Reach, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, Marvel vs Capcom 3, Civilization V, and Lego Star Wars III among many, many others.
http://www.e3expo.com