The Gaming content group covers play and playful thinking, be it digital, physical, tabletop or inbetween. We're also running the Nine Dice lounge for all-day tabletop gaming. This year though we also want to branch out to fill more rooms with diverse, inclusive takes on physical, face-to-face play and gaming.

The Nine Dice Lounge

Cognac Friday and Saturday 11:00am-8pm, Sunday 11:00am-5pm
Nine Dice Games Lounge is open all weekend! Come and find games to play and people to play with them. We'll help you find something, new, and learn how to play, or find you space to bring along a game and find groups. Come talk to us during library opening hours and we'll help you with anything playful you need!

• Games Library: Open 11am to 8pm Friday and Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sunday within the Nine Dice Lounge. We'll have a huge selection of games for you to borrow and play! And most of the time we'll have people on hand to teach!
• Looking for group
  Cognac Friday and Saturday 11am-8pm, Sunday 11am-5pm: To help people find other people to play with, we're suggesting that people come to the library on the hour, every hour the library is open, so we can matchmake and find you playmates! You can sign up for particular things and particular times and we'll shout about it on the twitters.
• Creator demos: The fabulous Beasts of Burden, kickstarted by Sensible Object, will be being shown off in early form in the Games Lounge on Saturday, just come and play. James Wallis and Grant Howitt will be running some of their games on Sunday. Come talk to the games library for more information and to sign up for slots (and to find out about any other special treats we manage to squeeze in)

The Great Arcade

Cremant 1:30pm-4:15pm
For a brief, glorious few hours on Friday afternoon, the Great Hall will become a vast space hosting games of all kinds, for all kinds. From parlour and paper games to multiplayer button mashing, we’ll have all sorts to bring out your playful side!
Join our crowdsourced Hearthstone run, take part in our Click Clack Lumberjack tournament, play plenty of solo and group games, or do your own thing in our comfy handheld hangout zone - game on!

Video games

We're interested in the impact of video games on any and all avenues of life. How they’re evolving, how diversity, representation and accessibility are being tackled (or not) by creators and communities, and what video games really mean - to us, and to you. These are our scheduled sessions for this year:

Friday

• Parenthood in Undertale
  Alsace 10am-11am
  Helen Gould, Hazel Monforton, Paul Gregory, Claudia Haberberg
  Join us for a discussion of the importance of parenting in the popular indie game Undertale. Where did Sans and Papyrus come from? Where are Monster Kid’s parents? Is Toriel sweet or clingy? And could a lot of trouble have been avoided if parents didn’t let their children climb mountains?




• Accessible Gaming For the Neurodiverse
  Epernay 1:30pm-2:30pm
  Alwin Nijsen, Katherine Cross, Maki Yamazaki, Helen Gould, Jesse Xander
  This panel will be exploring accessibility issues in videogames with a focus on neurodiversity. Players and designers discuss the flaws and failures of designs focused purely on neurotypical audiences, solutions and shining examples than show accessibility in action, and the creative and compassionate resources crafted by neurodiverse fans and communities.




• Philosophy In Dragon Age
  Mouton Cadet 3:15pm-4:15pm
  Steph Rennick, Alice Bell, Daniel Nye Griffiths, Hazel Monforton, David Selfe
  The panel discusses the deeper side of Dragon Age, including its treatment of sex and sexuality, gender, fate, time travel, oppression, language, possible worlds, and religion. Is it morally acceptable to kill a dragon? What is it to be a god? What is the difference between demons and spirits? Are werewolves people? Bring your questions, and let’s get to pondering.




• Short Talks: Players, Creators and Games
  Chalon 5pm-6pm
  Seb Atay, Thryn Henderson
  A selection of short, solo talks on the relationships between creators, the audience and games. Topics will include games where the role of the designer is important to the expereince and how the role of the audience affects the experience of a game.




• The Value of Digital Objects
  Alsace 6:45pm-7:45pm
  Thryn Henderson
  Items and inventory follow us everywhere. Giving sea urchins to goths in Stardew Valley. Putting all your epic weapons on shelves: a Morrowind story. All the cheese: playing Skyrim in an age of abundance. Have you SEEN these FABULOUS clothes: Guild Wars 2 and the aesthetic goal. Black Desert Online: what on earth even is that doing. Hat simulators. Our lives, even virtually, are full of Stuff. When items are digital, though, what are the values and significance that we attach?

Saturday

• Playing with the Past
  Alsace 1:30pm-2:30pm
  EK McAlpine, Hazel Monforton, Olivia Wood, Alex Johansson, Joseph Garvin
  From assassinating JFK to hanging out with Leonardo da Vinci, historically inspired video games form a solid part of both mainstream and indie gaming. A panel of gamers and history enthusiasts alike discuss how these games interact with popular history.




• #GamesSoWhite - exploring race in the context of diversity in games
  Reims 3:15pm-4:15pm
  Chella Ramanan, Ranjani Natarajan, Frank Voss, Kish Hirani
  This panel looks at the portrayal of PoC in games, the stereotypes perpetuated by the stories they tell, and the lack of representation and struggles for diversity within the industry itself.

Sunday

• How Games Work
  Reims 10am-11am
  Seb Atay, James Wallis, Lydia Nicholas, Racheet Dave
  Games provide more than just play - but how exactly do they make us think, react, and feel so effectively? By bridging the gap between aesthetics, storytelling, and mechanics, can we unpick how a game really, truly, works? Our panellists share memories of the moments that made the game for them, and look at just what about it made the experience unforgettable.




• Lessons for Academia from Games
  Mouton Cadet 1:30pm-2:30pm
  Steph Rennick, Katherine Cross, Sean Roberts, Matthew Barr
  How can Minecraft teach us about language evolution? Why think RPGs reveal our intutions? What is games-based learning? In this session, you’ll get answers as our panel discuss their research and the potential of video games to shape, inform and improve academic practice. Academics often theorise about video games, now see how video games talk back.




• Short Talks: Theatre, Music and Games
  Alsace 3:15pm-4:15pm
  Helen Gould, Tim Skew
  A selection of short, solo talks on the intersection of theatre, music and games. Topics will include parallells between Mass Effect and Hamilton, and how games are more like a live performance than a static movie.




• Cultural appropriation in games music
  St Julien 3:15pm-4:15pm
  Claudia Haberberg, Jade Leamcharaskul, Chris White
  An examination of games audio and the use of traditional cultural music in games. Our panellists will highlight the uses and influences of traditional music, suggest points to improve authenticity, and discuss the possibilities of cultural representation through sound.

Cardboard and tabletop games

The Cardboard and Tabletop side of us explore new voices and unexpected takes on the world of tabletop, social, LARP, role playing and any other flavour of non-virtual gaming.

Friday

• Doctor Magnethands
  Mouton Cadet 8:30pm-9:30pm
  Grant Howitt, Lydia Nicholas, Nate Crowley, Alexander Newell, Ben Meredith
  Join us for a live session of Doctor Magnethands, The Stupid Drunk Game for Stupid Drunk People. Will our intrepid superheroes, entirely made up from audience suggestions, be able to defeat the wicked machinations of Doctor Magnethands, which are also entirely made up from audience suggestions? Will they be able to build a coherent narrative? Who knows. We'll have fun finding out, though. Gamesmaster Grant Howitt will lead OVER HALF of the Rusty Quill Podcast team, seasoned roleplayers all, in an adventure the likes of which have never been seen before, and god willing, will never be seen again. (ADULT CONTENT: There will definitely be swearing. First three rows may get drunk.)

Saturday

• Leaving the West
  Mouton Cadet 10am-11am
  Helen Gould
  After a brief talk and discussion of why Africa is often neglected as a game setting, this workshop will focus on a collaborative creation of a fictional African setting.




• Adorn Yourself Accordingly!
  St Julien 10am-11am
  Ash Le Calloudec, Olwen Bodica, Russell Smith, Jeanette Ng, Emma Newman
  Whether you are adding a little something extra to your tabletop sessions, or going to your first full-blown LARP, costume is key. A group of gamers discuss how costume helps shape their characters, their interactions, and their experiences in roleplaying.




• Storium Live!
  Bordeaux 11:45am-12:45pm
  Erin Hardee, Morag Hannah
  Is it a tabletop? Is it collaborative fiction? No! It's Storium! Taking inspiration from the best of both worlds, Storium allows people from all over the world to build rich, imaginative stories together in every genre you can think of. This workshop will introduce you to the basics of Storium before whisking you into an interactive session where you will decide the fate of three hapless explorers with some help from experienced narrators and players.




• Haberdashery Social gaming
  Bourg 1:30pm-2:30pm
  Do you want to play a game? No, not a video game or a table-top game, but games where you’re part of the action? (And also a change from sitting down listening to people talk?!) Then the Haberdashery Collective’s Social Gaming sessions are right up your street! Our games usually involve some combination of talking to each other, moving around, laughing quite a bit, firing Nerf guns, being a little silly, wielding foam swords, wearing blindfolds, and much more! Note: Our gaming sessions are spaces for adults ot have fun, so participants should be aged 16 and over.




• Cosplayers: LARP!
  Bourgogne 1:30pm-2:30pm
  It's a fact: Give a man a mask and he'll tell you the truth - but give him a Darth Vader helmet and he'll start doing The Voice and vrooooming with rolls of wrapping paper. Costumes come with their own persona so why not take it a step further and roleplay? In this session you can play as your cosplay character in a low-rules, no numbers, non combat setting suitable for curious beginners and experienced larpers alike. 18+ due to potential language, flirting and pretend alcohol consumption.




• Zombies! Run - Beyond Fitness
  Epernay 1:30pm-2:30pm
  Ciaran, Adrian Hon, Matt Wieteska, Phil Nightingale
  The popular story-based fitness app by Six to Start is now in its 5th season and causing just as many feelings as always. We get together with some of the creators and actors to talk about virtual races, becoming a board game, and the future of the fitness app. Don't miss it, Runner 5!




• Roll a knowledge check…
  Mouton Cadet 3:15pm-4:15pm
  Ash Le Galloudec, Liss Macklin, Nick Bradbeer, Russell Smith, Jeanette Ng
  When roleplaying or gaming, there are many different things that can bring a place or person to life for your players. Enthusiasts from several disciplines talk about history, academia, the arts, and how their real life research helps them create fictional worlds.




• Haberdashery Social gaming
  Bouzy 5pm-6pm
  Do you want to play a game? No, not a video game or a table-top game, but games where you’re part of the action? (And also a change from sitting down listening to people talk?!) Then the Haberdashery Collective’s Social Gaming sessions are right up your street! Our games usually involve some combination of talking to each other, moving around, laughing quite a bit, firing Nerf guns, being a little silly, wielding foam swords, wearing blindfolds, and much more! Note: Our gaming sessions are spaces for adults ot have fun, so participants should be aged 16 and over.




• Doctor Magnethands
  Mouton Cadet 8:30pm-9:30pm
  Grant Howitt, Mary Hamilton, Helen Gould, Ruth Ball, Ailsa Floyd
  Join us for a live session of Doctor Magnethands, The Stupid Drunk Game for Stupid Drunk People. Will our intrepid superheroes, entirely made up from audience suggestions, be able to defeat the wicked machinations of Doctor Magnethands, which are also entirely made up from audience suggestions? Will they be able to build a coherent narrative? Will they remember the plot? Who knows. We'll have fun finding out, though. Gamesmaster Grant Howitt will lead an all-female panel in an adventure the likes of which have never been seen before, and god willing, will never be seen again. (ADULT CONTENT: There will definitely be swearing. First three rows may get drunk.)

Sunday