Organizers of the UK GameCity video game festival announced that the inaugural version of the yearly video game culture event will take place in Nottingham, England from October 25-29. GameCity will be "a street-level cultural celebration of video games and interactive entertainment", and will represent an opportunity for the video game industry and public to meet and explore economic, social and educational opportunities within interactive entertainment. A further objective of the event is to provide a platform for exploring the development of the East Midlands as a center for the interactive games industry. Organizers have confirmed that the festival will include debates, seminars and workshops exploring all aspects of the interactive entertainment industry. There will be entertainment and cultural events for families of all ages including digital arts, European premiere film screenings, game screenings and art exhibitions. including the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts’ esteemed exhibition ‘Into The Pixel’ which will be making its European debut at the event. “With the arrival of next generation consoles and handhelds more people of than ever before will become involved with games of one sort or another,” commented Iain Simons, Director of GameCity. “GameCity will entertain, inform and educate individuals, industry and the public sector on the value and the potential of interactive entertainment for everyone. With the phenomenal growth in this sector, we believe it’s the right time for the industry to start challenging itself in this way.” Jonathan Smith, co-founder of TT Games believes the event will encourage more diversity within the industry. “The GameCity initiative brings together the broadest possible group of people who can shape the future of interactive entertainment,” commented Smith, “from industry professionals to young children; the game-makers of tomorrow.” He added: “Making this exciting digital world accessible to such a wide audience, in a fresh and imaginative context, creates a real platform to extend opportunity and catalyse innovation. Most importantly, it’ll be a huge amount of fun for everyone involved, showcasing the power of gaming in an engaging and energizing way.”