Kent’s New Games Festival Powers Up

It’s about time the garden of England got shaken up with some hot gaming action that doesn’t involve pheasants or chasing foxes, and we were surprised as much as pleased to discover that the county is to be the staging ground for a new games festival that, if successful, is hoped to become an annual event.  GEEK (Game Expo East Kent) 2012 will be held at the picturesque Winter Gardens in Margate this half term week, running from Wednesday 15th – Sunday 19th February, and promises an impressive lineup of events and titles to titillate and draw in gamers from across the South East.

The event will feature two halls packed with games, both old and new, an Indie Arcade, retro gaming fest., numerous talks and presentations and, in a move guaranteed to draw crowds, tournaments.  These will be run daily by Replay Events and will feature games such as Halo 2, Street Fighter 2 Turbo, and King of Pong.  On Saturday and Sunday, the Queen’s Hall will be transformed into ‘The Zone’, where gamers can get their hands on recent and popular titles from some of the big name publishers across all platforms – yes, even the Wii.  So, expect Soul Calibur V, Fifa 12, Halo Reach, Gears of War 3, and Gotham City Impostors to name but a few.

In support of the new expo, it seems that the seaside town itself, famous for its long standing arcade attractions, is throwing itself into the spirit of things, with cafes, shops and pubs offering GEEK Deals for those with entry wristbands, and even some of the more famous attractions, such as the Shell Grotto, offering money off deals.  With a rocky ride in recent years, thanks to out of town developments siphoning off high street business and footfall, a vibrant gaming event could be just the shot in the arm that the town needs and a potentially new, long standing event in the making for gamers across the South East.

GEEK will run from Wednesday 15th February – Sunday 19th February inclusive, 10am-6pm at the Winter Gardens, Margate.  Tickets cost £12.00 or £8.00 for concessions.

For more details and ticket booking, check out the official site.

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