PLAYTOPIA: An Indie Games and Playful Media Festival

As usual Cape Town seems to miss out on all the fun, Comicon and rAge, even though we have EGE (which was skipped by myself since the previous year was so rather underwhelming).
But prepare yourself, PLAYTOPIA is coming to the Mother city and is being held in the Castle of Good Hope.

PLAYTOPIA is a 3-day indie games and playful media festival, showcasing local and international independent computer games, interactive and digital art, talks, panels, workshops and an awesome music line-up.
Taking cues from international alternative games festivals, PLAYTOPIA marks South Africa's debut homegrown celebration of games and interactive art. Producing a series of surprise global hits, South Africa's game makers (and their unique creations) have landed up on the international map, and PLAYTOPIA stands to celebrate the country's diverse game development community, and inspire the next generation of creators, gamers and enthusiasts. Collecting the best of local art and games alongside international contemporaries, Playtopia promises to be one of a kind African gaming celebration.

The how of it:
Free Lives (creators of Broforce, Genital Jousting and Gorn VR) were inspired to start PLAYTOPIA as a platform to bring together the gaming and digital arts community to further education, enthusiasm and interest in this growing industry. Largely inspired by A MAZE./Berlin (and its offshoot A MAZE./JHB), the Free Lives team (in collaboration with Make Games South Africa and Africa Games Week) has drawn on the organizational and creative talents of Dominique Gawlowski (Festival Director Grietfest & Playtopia), Limpho Moeti (Free Lives & Deputy Festival Director Playtopia), Ben Rausch (Super Friendship Arcade) and others, to create PLAYTOPIA here in Cape Town as the first locally brewed festival to focus on indie game development and experimental media.
We are also honoured to host our inspiration, A MAZE./Berlin, who will be showcasing their 'Digital Gardens' exhibition, curated by Thorsten S. Wiedemann (Director, A MAZE.).
The generous support of MWeb, Devolver Digital Publishers, Friends of Design, SOZO Labs and AVA have helped make this event possible.

What you can expect:
Gamers, developers and event goers will have a plethora of games, music, food and experiential art to enjoy. Exhibitions by some of South Africa’s top interactive artists, 30+ alternative, art and party games, a Super Friendship Arcade room with games played on custom controllers, VR rooms and the international exhibition 'Digital Gardens' created by A MAZE./Berlin.
Play with Ralph Borland’s robots, engage with the sensory art of Miranda Moss, marvel at the projection art of global artist Inka Kendzia and walk through the yarn art of embroidery artist Danielle Clough, along with various other artists showcasing custom designed playful objects.
Delegates (limited tickets, R820) have additional access to exclusive talks by local and international game developers and experts working in the industry, participation in workshops and access to a private Delegate and Speaker bar. ( I will have to see if I can swing a ticket because I want to meet up with Semblance makers who will be speaking at this event.)

FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
PLAYTOPIA starts on Friday evening with a Kick Off Party. Super Friendship Arcade, Cape Town's premier game punk collective, invades PLAYTOPIA for a night of unique creations, custom controllers and home-brewed party games!
A fully interactive exhibition featuring over 30 games and interactive art installations, with creations by Miranda Moss, Inka Kendzia, Danielle Clough and more.
An awesome music line-up boasts DJ Invizable, Sassquatch, Haezer and more TBC!
Added to the madness is a beer garden and food trucks to keep you fueled.
SATURDAY & SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
The interactive artists exhibition continues, along with a Virtual Reality room demonstrating the latest locally made VR games, and an exhibition room filled with both local and international curated indie game gems, celebrating everything from wild multiplayer party games to intimate artistic expressions.
A MAZE. Pop up!
Global champions of games and playful media, A MAZE. bring their magic from Berlin to Cape Town! A MAZE director Thorsten S. Wiedemann curates a unique experience called 'Digital Gardens'; a selection of games celebrating flora, fauna, beauty and peacefulness.
The A MAZE. pop up will also include a 'Green Thumb Panel' - a talk featuring an inspiring collection of international artists and experts from Europe's indie game underground.
A diverse collection of local and international artists, designers, thinkers and renegades, working in the vibrant world of games and play, fill the Talks, Panels and Workshops Programme. Exciting speakers to look forward to include Anita Sarkeesian (feminist icon, creator of US blog “Feminist Frequency”), Lauren Beukes (radical South African writer of novels, comics and games), Cukia Kimani (co-creator of “Semblance”), Wilhelm Nylund (game designer and CEO of Sweden’s Landfall Games, creator of “Totally Accurate Battlegrounds”) and many more! Talks and panels run from 10am to 6pm. Workshops sharing skills, tips and tricks, such as Colin Payne’s VR Introduction, will run from 9am to 4pm.
On Saturday evening you’ll be treated to another brilliant local lineup, including Hello Beautiful, Julia Robert, Uppercut and ANG.
Date: 30 November - 2 December 2018
Times: Friday 19:00 - 01:00 / Saturday 10:00 - 01:00 / Sunday 10:00 - 18:00
Venue: Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town
Tickets: R320 Weekend / R150 Friday Pass / R180 Saturday Pass / Sunday Pass R120 / R820 Delegate (Limited)
Playtopia
Tickets are availalbe from Quicket
Thanks to the guys from Playtopia for the information and press kit!