Anywho, recently I've been venturing up north to visit Play Expo Manchester, a video game/Sci-fi/comic convention event held twice each year. I visited the Blackpool expo earlier in the year which was a blast, and now this one, which is considered to be the larger and more vast of the two. Vast being the optimum word as it was just that, in fact far to much for my Novabug brain and legs to handle in a single day. I really will make time to attend both days next year as I always seem to miss some stuff and/or people. Doh!
Visiting these type of events means different things to different people. Many go to grab rare games, even if they do hike the prices up. Bargains are seldom given. Some just go for the classic arcade units or to experience new retro systems they have never seen. For me, the fact that I get to meet the You Tubers I watch, the people I talk to on forums and social media and to feel a real welcomed part of the gaming community is what I really attend for. Of course, seeing the old arcade cabinets, the multitude of retro consoles and computers, and of course what the traders have to peddle is a huge boon too. But without the excellent company, it would loose a lot of it's meaning to me, and just become a massive amusement arcade. Mind you, that still would be pretty cool.
Held at the Event City venue in the Trafford Centre area of Manchester, it's a large daunting place but easy to get too and navigate around. Finding your fellow You Tube and forum friends however is always a task in itself due to the masses of people in attendance, not to mention the distractions of the cosplayers! You do have to admire their effort sometimes, and silence a giggle to those who, shall we say, haven't really tried. However, if you love your science fiction, fantasy, comics and video games, it's a must visit for all things rather geeky. To put the final cherry on the giant cake personally was the chance to meet a certain Arnold Judas Rimmer from Red Dwarf. This was a case of me getting a little starstruck, and that was a surprise as I thought I would be more level headed enough not to become a little nervous and flustered. Still, it was great to shake the man's hand and have a brief chat with him. This summed up my day in one picture. Awesome.
 |
| Novabug meets the one and only Chris Barrie |
I could blabber on now about all the top class peoples I met, but this would take forever and I would probably forget some names because my memory is lax, but instead you can watch my summary of the event and my highlight reel. It will hopefully give you a taste of what to expect should you attend a future expo. If you do, I hope to see you there!
So, that's me out for the time being, don't forget to check out The Pixel Empire. Halloween is approaching so as always we have several gory delights of game to talk about, not to mention the recent stealth game month we just had and the upcoming car combat features.
Thanks to everything who made the weekend a total joy...
Novabug.... 'Out!
