I was recently contacted by one of my super-secret media insiders (it’s Megan Hughes, she’s pretty cool) who sent me some information about the upcoming A MAZE festival. In previous years I’ve been aware of A MAZE, but have never had the chance to follow it too closely. I want to change that for this year, so I’m starting by sharing the information Megan gave to me.
A MAZE is a festival dedicated to gaming and interactive media. Megan describes it as a “celebration of games and digital experiences as a cultural phenomena”. Yep, sounds pretty cool. The festival started in Berlin in 2008, and has spread across Europe, South America, and parts of Asia. A MAZE Johannesburg will be returning for its fifth year in a row, and promises to be bigger than last year.
The festival will take place in Founder’s Square, Braamfontein, and will run from 31 August – 3 September. It’s open to the public, and includes game development workshops, an arcade with VR titles made in South Africa, and a music line-up that has been described as “ear-melting”.
Local developers and artists are encouraged to submit their works, be it a game, workshop, or a talk. Submissions run until 1 July, and anyone interested can follow this link to the submissions page for further details.
All in all, it sounds like it’s going to be a fun time, and good for the growth of the local gaming and technology scene. Be sure to check out the A MAZE Johannesburg website for further details, although it hasn’t been updated for the 2016 festival just yet.