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A GAMES-THEMED WONDERLAND OF FANTASY AND PLAY IS COMING TO MELBOURNE THIS OCTOBER AT BIG GAMES NIGHT OUT

From twilight to late on Thursday 5 October Big Games Night Out invites Victorians and visitors to come together in Melbourne’s iconic Fed Square and surrounds for an immersive night of digital games, music and cosplay.

Presented by Creative Victoria in partnership with Fed Square as part of Melbourne International Games Week, Big Games Night Out is a free, accessible and all-ages event welcoming families and gamers from all walks of life – curious, casual, social to hardcore – to come together and celebrate amongst a spectacle of games, technology and play.

The full program line-up – to be announced soon – includes the not-to-be-missed Big Games Night Out Cosplay Parade and Runway Experience hosted by Myf Warhust and pop star and Twitch streamer Montaigne. A celebration of the fantasy of inhabiting our favourite games, the event is open to all cosplayers to participate, regardless of skill level, whether you make or buy your costumes – all are encouraged to sign up now.

Indie arcade games, 80s games, and exciting local releases will also be available to play, plus a special intergenerational arena for young and mature gamers to play and learn together in partnership with the Victorian Seniors Festival. The Swap Meet gives gamers a chance to find their next challenge by swapping their old games for something new and revelling in some old-school nostalgia.

There will also be special events with some of Australia’s biggest games, including 2022 smash-success Cult of the Lamb. Presented by ACMI and Melbourne Fringe, Cult of the Lamb: The Ritual features large-scale puppets and performers, a DJ performance by River Boy and giant animated projections featuring your favourite characters from the game created by Massive Monster, and featuring Goldens Scissors Puppets and Jean Poole Projection Mapping. The event is supported by Fed Square and Panasonic, and made possible with the support of a RISE grant.

To mark the launch of the homegrown sensation Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical, from Victorian-based Summerfall Studios, Big Games Night Out will also present the Stray Gods Fashion Showcase – a multi-disciplinary event highlighting the game’s incredible blend of games, music, and fashion. Eight Melbourne fashion designers will showcase Stray Gods character costumes alongside their own unique creations, inspired by the game’s epic story about gods, magic, and a thousand-year journey to rediscover one’s purpose.

The full Big Games Night Out program will be announced soon, and will feature games arcades, open access game tournaments, live music performances from Tripod and Montaigne, immersive audience participation experiences, prizes, games-themed fashion runways, and much more throughout Fed Square venues.

Whether you play games once a week or once a year, Big Games Night Out is a special opportunity to experience Fed Square like never before as it transforms into a playful paradise.

Big Games Night Out and MIGW are part of a Creative October – a bigger-than-ever series of creative events taking place across the state across the month with the support of the Victorian Government.

Big Games Night Out is funded by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a partnership between the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne.
Big Games Night Out is on Thursday 5 October from twilight to late, as part of Melbourne International Games Week delivered by Creative Victoria – full line-up, maps and timetables coming soon!

Visit gamesweek.melbourne/big-games-night-out to learn more

Melbourne International Games Week is an initiative of the Victorian Government, delivered by Creative Victoria in partnership with VicScreen, ACMI and IGEA. Events will be held from 30 September – 8 October 2023. For more information visit gamesweek.melbourne

Goto.game is partnering with the Australian Esports League (AEL) for Australia’s inaugural GIRLGAMER Sydney Festival at this year’s Vivid Sydney.

The first GIRLGAMER Festivals took place in Macau in 2017 and Portugal in 2018. In 2019, GIRLGAMER Festival is expanding to South Korea, Spain and Brazil, as well as Sydney.

Goto.game will bring influential leaders in the gaming industry, including streamers, hosts and speakers such as Jessie ‘GeekGG’ James and Amy ‘HelloMissPotter’ Potter, to the GIRLGAMER Sydney Festival, and will manage and measure the performance of social media and promotional support across owned, earned and paid media using Digivizer’s real-time platform.

According to the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association’s Digital Australia Report 2018, 67% of Australians play video games and 46% of those are female. In an industry that grew 25% in Australia (IGEA) in 2018, women of all ages who play games of all genres are an important audience for gaming software and hardware companies, the esports sector and commercial sponsors.

Yet according to both Phid McAwesome of goto.game and Darren Kwan of AEL, women remain under-represented in the esports world with large scale events historically highlighting the talents of men. GIRLGAMER Sydney Festival is an event to celebrate and shine a spotlight on women and those who identify as such in gaming.

GIRLGAMER Sydney Festival details:

The GIRLGAMER Sydney Festival is part of Vivid Sydney at Chatswood. The live tournament will see players battle it out on stage, competing in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Blizzard’s Overwatch, and Super Smash Bros.

Venue: The Concourse, Chatswood
Date: 9th and 10th June, 2019
Schedule: 10am – 7pm
Prices: Normal Ticket – $20; Student Ticket – $15; Family Ticket – $40. Tickets available at https://www.girlgamer.gg/register/sydney/