On Sunday, all four of us headed to the Birmingham NEC for EGX 2015 – the “UK’s Biggest Games Event”. The event showcases games from huge developers and indie ones too, with sessions from developers and even an area where you can sit down and try out the latest board games.
We had press passes to the expo, and were on the hunt for games to play with the girls. At four years old, Georgie is just discovering the world of video games and consoles – she is a pro at the iPad, and is excited to join in with Mummy and Daddy on the family consoles.
We have a PS3, a PS4, and a Wii U in the house, as well as several laptops which we use for some casual gaming as well as work. Ever since we got the PS4 and Wii U we have been looking for games to play with the kids – whether they were joining in with a controller, or just by watching and talking about what is on the screen. Georgie loves to boss me about when I’m playing! They love to play Mario Kart on the Wii U and Georgie has mastered a few of the simpler platform games out there too.
As well as gaming with the kids, James and I have what we call our “after bedtime” games – anything that is unsuitable to play in front of children is strictly limited to those times when they won’t see or hear what is happening on screen.
EGX was a great experience – everyone was brilliant with the kids being there, and Georgie came home the happy owner of some Nintendo goodies of her own (“M is for Mario!”). Both the girls, Georgie in particular, really enjoyed the day and loved playing with all the games, watching some Rock Band performances, and cheering along with the crazy fun at the Nintendo stage.
At lunchtime we went to Wetherspoons for some burgers and Georgie was eager to eat up and get back to the action – “can we go play some more games after lunch?!” I ate quickly and snuck off to the over-18s area, leaving James to sit with the kids as they dawdled over their chicken nuggets.
The retro gaming area was a hit with all four of us; the girls really enjoyed watching us play a few of the games – being particular fans of Spyro! Georgie had a go at a joystick for the first time, and we had a family Mario Kart race on the wii.
Georgie & Lydia weren’t the only kids at the event; I saw a lot of minecraft addicts milling about, and even some younger kids like our two could be spotted. All four of us came home tired and happy, and Georgie proudly took her school bag to school with a Bullet Bill keyring attached.
It was a great day and we played loads of great games. My Christmas wish list has suddenly tripled in size, not to mention Georgie’s! I’ll be posting tomorrow about all the games we played; I have a nice long list to talk about.
This looks like a great day out, I love the sound of the retro games I bet that would remind me of my childhood I use to love playing paper boy and Mario. My eldest and partner would love this x
This looks like the sort of thing we would have gone to before the kids and I can’t wait until the kids are a bit older to take them too. Looks like a great day out x