Games Booth

London's City Hall hosts its first ever videogames art exhibition

Rare and never-before-seen videogame art showcased by Ukie as part of London Games Festival

A free week-long exhibition showcasing the very best videogame art was opened at City Hall today. The Games Art Exhibition will be the first time that the videogames have appeared at the home of the Greater London Authority and will offer the public the chance to enjoy a uniquely curated art exhibition open completely free to the public until Friday 26 October.

Organised by Ukie as part of this year’s London Games Festival, the event will feature exclusive visuals from some of the best games ever made – with the collection being auctioned for charity.

London-based developer Rocksteady Studios has donated some stunning Batman: Arkham City canvases, whilst publisher Bethesda has commissioned its Dishonored artists to produce an exclusive London vista. Other work on display includes pieces from Mind Candy, Sports Interactive, Lionhead – with a special appearance from Konami as part of the Metal Gear Solid 25^th anniversary celebrations.

The games industry was valued at close to £3 billion last year, thanks to the success of companies like Rocksteady, Sports Interactive, Mind Candy and MediaTonic, to name but a few.

"The UK's digital economy is clustered in London and the emergence of Tech City shows there is capacity for growth," says Munira Mirza, Deputy Mayor for Education and Culture. "The games industry makes a huge contribution to the London economy, with a wealth of creative and entrepreneurial talent, whose work and influence often goes beyond the games sector."

The City Hall exhibition is one of dozens of events featured in the London Games Festival, which range from massive consumer exhibitions and game launches to careers fairs and educational summits. The festival celebrates and promotes the culture of games and interactive entertainment to the wider public and showcases the creative talent and skills that we have in the UK games industry.

From console blockbusters to innovative web and smartphone games, London leads the way in interactive entertainment, which is a real British success story. It is big business and earns enormous revenue for London and the UK, and creates jobs and growth.

"This prestigious art exhibition at the home of the Mayor of London is an illustration of how the city is embracing the London Games Festival," adds Dr Jo Twist, CEO, Ukie. "It’s brilliant to see gaming being recognised and celebrated as a valuable cultural contributor, and we hope as many people as possible take this unique opportunity to head to City Hall to see this wonderful collection."

Pieces from the collection will be available to buy via auction throughout the exhibition, with all proceeds going to SpecialEffect, a unique charity doing whatever it takes to help everyone with disabilities to have a better quality of life through games, art and technology. For more information visitwww.londongamesart.com and www.specialeffect.org.uk

The Games Art Exhibition opens at midday on Monday 22^ndOctober 2012 until 6:00pm, Friday 26^th October. Opening times for the rest of the week are 9:00am – 6:00pm. It is free to attend.