This weekend, I visited PC Gamer Weekender in London. It is an annual convention with talks from developers and industry professionals, as well as demos, and new releases of countless games, both AAA and indie. It lasts over 2 days, and there is always something to see or do.
This year's schedule was focused more on strategy games, turn based or otherwise, which I have to admit, I have not put many hours into as of yet. All the better, as this meant that everything was new and shiny! But what exactly was there to see?
There were quite a few indie titles, which is always nice to see. As for the bigger games, there were plenty new releases in the strategy genre, like the Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia, or my personal favourite on the show Sid Meier's Civilization VI.
The highlight of the day was most probably meeting Julian Gollop, the father of the XCOM genre, and lead developer of Phoenix Point, a spiritual successor to the XCOM games.
Apart from modern computer games, there is always a corner to go to if you want to experience some nostalgia, with old consoles, such as the original PlayStation, or the Super Nintendo, dated PC releases, the likes of Battlefield Bad Company, or Half Life 2, and Arcades. These are always fun to compete with some friends.
Last but not least, there is a growing number of tabletop games at these conventions, which can provide a breath of fresh air, away from technology, and they are often really good fun, despite not being virtual. My recent favourite was 'Dobble", a card game, where quick perception is the key to win. This is definitely a game I'd recommend to friends or family, as it is such a simple concept, yet it can be endless fun!
Overall, PC Gamer is a really fun experience for a good few hours, or even more if you're open enough. There are talks going on constantly on 4 stages, and plenty of games to play. Would recommend turning up to one of these, as it is a nice way to spend time with like-minded people.