igfest 2009 is nearly upon us! It comprises more than 30 games played in car parks and abandoned buildings, in the streets and shopping centres. It is a festival like no other and will show you the city as you’ve never seen it. As Bristol city centre transforms itself into a giant playground from Friday 11-13 of September, a profound and fearsome battle will commence between the best media minds of the west. Which agency will stake their claim to the mightiest of crowns – Bristol’s Biggest Player!?

The rules are simple. A festival sub-game has been specially designed so that Bristol agencies can collect points for playing igfest games. The more games your staff play, the more points your agency gets. The best bit is the bespoke software Simon Games have developed that allows people to send alerts to the group via SMS, Twitter or Email so everyone is kept up to date on the highest scores, most awesome kills and most daring escapes. On Sunday early evening the winning agency will be announced. Sign up for game shouts at http://bit.ly/igfestplayer.

Is it the size of the payroll, or the quick feet of the few that will establish which agency has got its finger on the pulse? Can the small and the agile triumph over the big-hitters or will the likes of E3 and Oakwood stamp out the bijou boutiques? A battle of the esteemed and the emerging fought across sneak-infested car parks, laser-strewn arenas, paint splattered parks and disease-infested shopping malls…

igfest is at the pinnacle of the emerging street-games field, designed to transcend the usual perceptions of play as the preserve of spotty teenage boys. It is about reclaiming urban spaces and creating genuine social interaction across the cityscape. Direct and meaningful consumer engagement have become an important part of modern marketing campaigns, as exemplified by brands like T-Mobile and Red Bull and igfest is a chance for Bristol agencies to get first hand experience of the most exciting and technologically innovative ways to play. Last year the festival was sponsored by Hewlett Packard, it was covered in The Guardian, The Metro, Venue, The Evening Post, on BBC points West and Radio Bristol and there were over 1000 plays. This year will be even bigger as a result of significant Arts Council funding.

Visit http://www.igfest.org/player for more information.

igfest 09 is programmed by Simon Games with support from the National Lottery through Arts Council England, along with HP Labs, Watershed, Pervasive Media Studio, RELAYS and South West Screen