It's that time of year again folks! By the time you read this, at least half of team Everybody Plays will be on their way to the German city of Cologne, for almost a week of hands on time with the games we'll be playing over the next year or so - plus oodles of cheap German ice cream, steaks and sausages too. Suffering through the likely 30 degree plus heat, as a particularly sun-sensitive strawberry blonde, does have it's upsides though, as we'll be taking in kooky Japanese games from NIS America, some point and click action in the form of Syberia, finding out what's next for our beloved LEGO games, and finally getting some hands on with Skylanders Imaginators, amongst many, many other games.
Only at Gamescom would a goth playing a didgeridoo on a World of Warcraft stage be totally normal.
But arguably the biggest news is that we'll be sitting on the Gamescom Award Jury for the third year running! A prestigious industry accolade, the Gamescom Award selects the very best games from a number of categories, drawing on the opinions of a diverse pool of judges sourced from all across Europe. And, as the leading voice on games for families and the wider audience, we help ensure that it's more than just the 18 to 35 hardcore male demographic that get their voices heard, so the final results reflect a much greater proportion of the game-playing public than before.
We'll be voicing our opinions on the games in the following categories in particular:
- Best Family Game
- Best Puzzle/Skill Game
- Best Role-Playing Game
- Best Console Game: Wii U
- Best of Gamescom
And so, that's us signing off for the next week or so - if you have any questions you want to ask, or games you want to find out more about, let us know via our various social media platforms (here's our Facebook and Twitter), and we'll do our best to get answers for you! In the meantime, #PrayForEverybodyPlays in the scorching summer heat, and stay tuned for all our exciting Gamescom coverage upon our return!
