Check out FRIDAY’S FULL SCHEDULE for the full story, but all you really need to know is that it’s HALLOWEEN! And what does that mean for GameCity? Here are some highlights…

For ticket holders!

Nothing is as you expect today, as the wonderfully weird and weirdly wondering converge on GameCity. While the armies of darkness assemble, you might want to sit down with Martin Hollis and David Doak as they talk us through just how they made Goldeneye and unassailable classic. Or how about hearing straight from Harmonixʼ mouth how they went about revolutionising the music industry with first Guitar Hero and then Rock Band? Famed shooter darling Stephen Cakebread will also be on hand, to talk us through the evolution of Geometry Wars, and weʼll have sessions from an actual magician exploring how videogames work to charm us and from cyberpsychologists examining how games portray evil. Starting to sound a bit spooky? Never fear. Oddworld creator Lorne Lanning, live from his desk in California, will be on hand to answer your gaming questions. The lovely, Lego-y chaps from TT Games will also be in the house to explain their path to world domination, and local heroes Monumental will stand ready to show you how to make a virtual world of your own.

And all that’s just a warm-up to the big event of the day: GameCity’s world record zombie gathering attempt. There’ll be singing, they’ll be dancing, there’ll be serious quantities of fake blood. And, by the time the day is done, there’ll be a thousand new world record holders looking for a party. Which, by happy co-incidence, we’re in a very good place to supply, as we launch our all-night, all-rock Halloween party, with full sets from Harmonix and Jonathan Coulton, a Resident Evil speed-run-tag-team-marathon, and a rather special live gaming event. You may want to line your stomachs with another of our celebrated lunchtime curry sessions, this time with Jim Cliff, the man from the BBFC,  in preparation for what is guaranteed to be a monster night.

Head on over to our ticket-u-like to grab a pass for Friday - or the whole festival - right now.

For everyone!

Today’s the big day as we launch our world record zombie gathering attempt in Market Square. After a morning of rocking out to Rock Band on the big screen (and maybe winning some prizes while you’re at it), teams of make-up artists will be on hand to zombiefy the whole family from 2pm onwards, as we try to gather more than a thousand zombies and topple the world record. There’ll be singing and dancing while the zombie army assembles, and Guinness adjudicators on-hand to record our inevitable moment of triumph. Some come along and let us sort out your Halloween costume for you (and your friends and your kids and their friends…), and bag a world record while you’re at it.