One of the partners of the Summit, GameX (Games & Media Expo) is  scheduled for October 23-25, 2009 in Philadelphia.  GameX is shaping up to be a high impact game consumer show and pop culture festival, designed to draw from local, regional and national audiences of game players, film and TV fans, comic book buffs and tech enthusiasts.

Presented by NBC Local Media in Philadelphia, GameX is a high-visibility entertainment, tech and media show with games as its main attraction.  GameX features video game exhibits, demos and high stakes game tournaments, as well as pop culture elements such as advance film and TV screenings and trailers, celebrity guest appearances, live video game music, robotics demonstrations, an animation festival, competitive art exhibit, and much more.  

Major game publishers already include Electronic Arts and SEGA, both introducing brand new products due to be released in early 2010.  Game fans will have the opportunity to try out game play on these titles before they are available in stores.  EA will feature their new title, Dante’s Inferno^TM, which recently debuted at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

Dante’s Inferno^TM is a highly-anticipated third-person action adventure game based on Part One of the medieval epic poem, The Divine Comedy, commonly referred to as Dante’s Inferno, written by Italian author Dante Alighieri.  With stunning graphics and unparalleled action, EA is breaking barriers with Dante’s Inferno, pushing the envelope of traditional action game art, design and themes. 

SEGA is also presenting one of the top new future releases shown at E3.  Bayonetta is a stylish and cinematic extreme action game directed by the renowned Hideki Kamiya.  Bayonetta pushes the limits of the action genre, bringing to life fast-paced, dynamic climax combat. The main character, Bayonetta, has magical hair that she uses to summon colossal monsters, guns attached to her hands and feet to defeat her foes, and the ability to shape shift into creatures.  Game consumers will have the chance to play Bayonetta at GameX before the game’s release.

Presented by MAGFest, the east coast’s preeminent video game music concert promoter, the GameX main stage will feature a varied line-up of video game music bands over three days, plus chiptune artists and an open jam area.  National favorite The OneUps are booked to perform several shows during the 3-day game consumer show. 

Jennifer Halpin, executive vice president of show production for GameX, adds, “The OneUps are a crowd pleaser and we know that game consumer audiences throughout the northeast are going to be amazed by their talent and on-stage charisma.  This band takes video game music to a whole new level that game fans will never forget after seeing the band perform live at GameX.”

Special VIP guests will be attending GameX to meet with fans and participate in panel sessions.  For example, Webby award-winning online video gaming destination The Escapist, the exclusive game media partner for GameX,  is bringing in video game review icon and creator of its groundbreaking series Zero Punctuation, Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw, to attend this year’s event. As a VIP guest, Yahtzee will meet and greet with fans, sign autographs and participate in GameX’s red carpet activities at the event.  (http://gamexpo.us/yahtzee/).

Yahtzee, an Australia-based writer, video game designer and journalist, is best known amongst the video gaming community for his work in Zero Punctuation, a weekly online web video series reviewing the latest video games, starring a British-accented stick-figure.  What began as two video reviews uploaded to YouTube by Yahtzee out of boredom, has since, following The Escapist’s acquisition and development of the series, become the most viewed video game review series on the web, acclaimed by both the industry and gamers. 

“I’m excited to be taking the trip out to the U.S. for GameX and to rub shoulders with the industry,” said Croshaw.  “The success of Zero Punctuation continues to be as gratifying as it is frightening, but I’m looking forward to meeting up with everyone from the site. Most of them, anyway.”

 GameX also features activities for aspiring game makers.  Co-hosted by IGDA Philadelphia, The Philly Game Jam is a 48-hour game building marathon where game professionals, students and amateurs alike compete to build new game concepts based on a theme announced at the start of the contest.  The event returns in 2009, this time as part of GameX Industry Summit, two days of games-focused lectures, panels, roundtables and keynotes from the best and brightest minds in the games business.  

Philly Game Jam invites game developers from all over the Northeast to bring together teams of 3 to 10 developers for 48 hours of game building excitement.  Game developers bring their own computers and equipment to create original games as teams. Philly Game Jam runs form 12 pm on Friday, October 23 and ends at 12 pm on Sunday, October 25, concluding with a special lunch reception and awards ceremony co-hosted and sponsored by GameDev.net, a featured media partner of GameX Industry Summit.

Daniel Hettrick, Philly Game Jam producer and director of Serious Game Solutions at IP Keys in New Jersey, states “The first Philly Game Jam was very much a grass roots event – very low profile and community driven.  This year we really have an ideal environment to make this event as grand as it deserves – a large venue, easy access, 24-hour support and an enthusiastic crew ready to take care of us.  The GameX Industry Summit allows us to accommodate a much larger number of teams than before.  We are thrilled at a chance to create more great games with all of our game developer participants.”

GameX has something for everyone, with more event attractions, activities and special guests being added every week.  To learn more about these event features, including the latest info on game tournaments and competitions, visit www.gamexpo.us.  Single-day, three-day and family packs of tickets are now available for purchase online.