One event well worth having designs on

Gaming festival and awards combine across various city venues

A celebration designed to show Dundee’s position as a world leader in gaming and design will launch on Thursday

THIS Festival and the Games Design Awards will come together at city venues from next Thursday.

Social media star Arron Crascall – best known for his self-shot viral videos showing him “pranking” unsuspecting shoppers with outbursts of public singing – will host the inaugural Games Design Awards at Duke’s Corner.

A dinner will be provided by Main Ingredient and attendees will be able to dance until the early hours of the morning after the trophies have been handed out.

On Friday, West Ward Works – the former DC Thomson printing factory which has been transformed into a design destination – will showcase up-and-coming games designers with the Dare Academy exhibition.

There will also be workshops with Raspberry Pi boards – devices which teach basic computer programming to youngsters – as well as demonstrations, a street food court and discussions held throughout the day.

On Friday evening, the Works will transform into a warehouse party featuring live bands, drinks and games available to play.

A tournament featuring arcade favourite Street Fighter will also take place on Friday evening at Abertay University.

Two of Dundee’s most prominent games design studios, Ninja Kiwi and Tag Games, will go head-to-head in the competition, which will run from 6.30pm.

On Saturday, Dundee University’s Dee Con comic celebration will return – for the second time this year – at West Ward Works.

Talks and workshops from some of the top names in comic book culture and animation, including Neil Slorance, Morris Heggie and Ian Kennedy, will take place throughout the day.

Ian and Morris are two comic stalwarts, whose guiding hands have made DC Thomson titles like The Broons, Oor Wullie and the Commando series worldwide household names.

Attendees to Dee Con will, as ever, be encouraged to dress up as their favourite pop culture characters.

Game Design Awards tickets are £45 and include entry to THIS fest on Saturday September 9.

They can be bought from dctevents. com/event/this-festival alongside Dee Con tickets.

Tickets for all festival events are also available online, with £1 from each ticket going to Dundee charity Help for Kids.

Picture: Steve MacDougall. David Hamilton, left, executive vice-president of Ninja Kiwi Europe, facing off against Paul Farley, CEO and co-founder of Tag Games, ahead of the event.