#marinestudios

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Seasons greetings! My first comic collaboration w/ Tom earlier this year for a competition titled: ‘The Waltzer’. More to come from us in 2016! Have a great Xmas and New Year <3

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Week of Geek: GEEK 2014 - Straight from the GEEKS Mouth ( A Interview with GEEK Event Organiser Kimberly Steward)

"We do everything we can to help the local community... We attract people from all over the UK and even Europe and America, it shows that if you build it the people will come."

  Last year we attended Kent's premier celebration of retro games and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on a chilly February weekend.

With the annual Seaside based Gaming Convention once again open its doors to Gamers young and old alike this weekend we here at Team SMP are back to sing the festivals praise.

At the aptly named Winter Gardens we bunkered down away from a chilly winter weekend with some fine games both new and old. We blazed our way through Serious Sam, ‘got the knife’ in Ghosts and Goblins, sliced our way through Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, survived our way through Zombie U, Raced through Super Mario Kart, Throw down our Hadoukened our way along Street Fighter II, rampaged our way through Rampage and planted our way through Plants vs Zombies. You can see how broad a range of both retro and contemporary games we played, but we also enjoyed our first look at FIST OF AWESOME, then still in development, a personal highlight in a showcase of superb indie developers.

Last year at GEEK we enjoyed gaming, but there’s tons more to do than play games. We saw a first trailer for the eagerly anticipated documentary Bedrooms to Billions, the true story of the genesis of the games industry in the UK told through interviews with a long list of legendary British games developers, including some that took a heartbreaking turn for the worse. We managed to catch up with the filmmakers in an exclusive interview.

I Fight Bears crowd sourced Fists of Awesome was one of the highlights of lasts years expo

There were coding workshops, a wallet lightening market bulging with amazing local traders, competitive tournaments and a game themed pub quiz.

We had an amazing time in Margate last year, and there was even more to do, but we struggled to fit everything in, not to mention put off venturing outside for the real life role-play adventure game on a day I describe as being ‘colder than I have ever been in my life’, so for us its a must attend event.

Tom caught up with Kimberley Stewart, GEEK Event Organiser to chat about the upcoming event

Tom) Hi Kim, thanks for taking the time to talk to us! So for those who are uninitiated what is GEEK?

Kim) GEEK initially started as the uks largest retro game expo, which started as a chance to help our little town Margate. It was a chance to extend the tourist season. Since then it has become a hub for everyone who is creative and has the technological skills to get together and see that gaming is a great thing. Along side we extended out from Retro and added modern and even the future of gaming with raspberry pi’s and the Indie Zone. It is an event that suits EVERYONE!

Tom) It’s not just the video games that make GEEK though- Crafts, Cos-play, Card Games, Guest Talks! You certainly have a number of events on offer?

Kim) Some people had this misconception that gaming did not interest them even though most probably spent their evenings tending to their farms or playing Candy Crush. We like to show all the elements that have stemmed from gaming or which has helped. We mainly love the creative side, the things to make and do as well to learn. Its not all screens and violence as some believe.

Tom) With such a variety of activities organising the event must be pretty hectic. When does the planning start each year and how does it go about from there?

Kim) Planning starts the day after the previous event finished to be honest. We always need to hit the ground running, we are such a small team and so much work goes into it, We really get heads down to just GEEK when we reach the 6 month countdown.

Tom) Margate is definitely an interesting choice of venue. Do you think the local touch and community aspects give you a unique position to other expos?

Kim) I like to think it does, we do everything we can to help the local community, to get shops and other venues to open longer and celebrate this event with us. We attract people from all over the UK and even Europe and America, it shows that if you build it the people will come. We love to see people in the Winter Gardens but we also love to see the visitors explore the town and enjoy all our hidden gems!

Tom) How has the reaction been locally? Have people taken to it instantly since the start or has it taking some convincing over the years?

Kim) It took a bit of convincing, some locals welcomed it with open arms and have supported us from the very start but now we can say that we have almost got the whole town behind us, again its just the misconception of gaming that put most people off, but seeing the event develop they have realised why we do it.

Tom) One of the major highlights of previous years was the indie games on show and the opportunity to chat to some of the developers. How do you find the response to this side of GEEK compared to the bigger titles / retro classics on offer? It certainly seems like an area of growth recently?

Kim) Our Indie Zone this year is massive compared to previous years with 8 studios joining us, the response from both the indies and the visitors has been massive and it is something i have always wanted to develop more and more. I would like to create a GEEK Game Jam at some point. I have massive respect for what they do and last year i had indie developers come up to me and say that GEEK was the best event they have showcased at. What more can i say.

Tom) GEEK seems to pride itself on a host of activities appealing to all ages, especially the younger gamers / gamers of tomorrow. Is this something you feel is important? Do you think it’s an area other events neglect?

Kim) Most events you go to you do generally see the young and middle aged men, but we think its important not just for the kids to enjoy events like these but for the parents. To show them video games is not bad and infact really beneficial to children for development. I mean look at me video games have done no harm and infact landed me a job that i love, people sometimes get surprised that GEEK is organised by women. We also think its important to show that fun and games is not just on the screen, its in your mind, on a piece of paper or with a selection of fruit and a bit of code!

Tom) As well as local schemes and initiatives GEEK will also be promoting Special Effect; for those who don’t know can you tell us a bit more about the charity and what they do?

Kim) WE LOVE SPECIAL EFFECT. Special Effect adapt games and controllers so people with severe disabilities can enjoy them. Why is this so important? Being disabled you feel left out, you cant just enjoy the simplest things that everyone takes for granted. But the most important part with video games it brings everyone together, friends and family can play along and the joy it has spread to everyone is amazing. More on Special Effects can be found here 

Tom) What are you personally most excited about this year’s expo? Do you have a favourite highlight from years gone by?

Kim) Personally i am most excited for the indie zone as always, but also getting my hands on the Oculus Rift. How exciting is that? It is still being developed properly but we get to test it out. I am also looking forward to awards ceremony, as we have trophies this year! I must say they look amazing, it will be a shame to have them leave my desk! One of the awards will be going to a showcasing Indie, after people vote for their favourite game they have played during the event.

Tom) If you were to give one piece of advice to those attending GEEK this year what would it be?

Kim) PLAN! There is so much happening and i dont want anyone to miss out on anything, give everything a go, even if you dont think a workshop will be for you, you will be surprised, we managed to get people knitting last year!

Tom) Finally for those who want to come where can they still get tickets?

Kim) Tickets are available on-line at www.geek2014.co.uk and at the Winter Gardens - http://www.margatewintergardens.co.uk/

Gaming Expo East  Kent 2014 takes place at the Margate Winter Gardens THIS Friday - Sunday : February 21st - 23rd. Full details can be found on www.geek2014.co.uk