Ukie turns 30 this year, making it the oldest games trade body in the world, and to celebrate we officially launched our major campaign, 30 Years of Play, today. The campaign will celebrate the past, present and future of the UK’s games and interactive entertainment sector through a year long calendar of content, events and activities.
We want to shine a light on the hidden stories of the UK games industry, from its early roots, through the 1980s when Ukie (then ELSPA) was created, to the present day.
To achieve this, we will become the hub for previously unseen archival materials revealing the past few decades of the political environment for games, as well house key events celebrating the major achievements of the sector and the people who have made it. We hope that the story of how our sector will help inspire the next generation of diverse, representative and influential creators.
Beginning today, 30 Years of Play will have various content and activites throughout the year. This includes:
- A dedicated micro site – 30yearsofplay.uk – hosting content detailing the history and stories of our sector, as well as information about events and other campaign news.
- A podcast series that explores the stories behind leading UK made video games – such as Rome: Total War, Football Manager, Monument Valley, Fable and more – and the wider critical or cultural impact they had.
- Key events throughout the year, including an event to highlight best-selling games in the UK over the last three decades, a gala dinner to celebrate Ukie’s birthday and appoint a new generation of video game ambassadors at the Westminster games day.
- Opportunities for industry partners to contribute content, events and activities through an official partnership scheme.
- Creating a digital archive for important interactive entertainment documentation to help preserve the history of our genre.
For more information on the campaign, visit the website: www.30yearsofplay.uk
If you are as excited as we are about the campaign and want to get involved you can contact: leon@ukie.org.uk or george@go-editorial.com