Fortnite tournaments, VR rollercoasters and coding tutorials bring Guildhall Games Fest alive for 2020

By 3pm, organisers of the Guildhall Games Fest had already welcomed more than 900 players in to enjoy action over three floors – with more than 1,500 expected today.

A big draw for the event’s third outing was a new partnership with the Birmingham-based Insomnia Gaming Festival, which dominated the auditorium’s stage with competitive tournaments.

Challengers previously unknown to each other flocked here to show off their skills in a variety of games, with the potential to win prizes if they emerged victorious.

Dylan Munday, 12, won a round of the battle royale game Fortnite surrounded by a gripped crowd of more than a dozen people.

‘It’s the first time I've ever won a game by myself and it was in front of that many people – it was amazing,' said Dylan, from Hamble.

‘Since the last Games Fest we actually went to Insomnia, so the fact both of them have collaborated here is brilliant.’

The adjacent auditorium floor was brought to life by a sea of board games, from staples like Monopoly and Hungry Hungry Hippos to lengthy strategy games.

Meanwhile another room run by Reign Gaming, of Portsmouth-based firm Novatech, was dedicated to gaming PCs and virtual reality.

It was here Southsea dad Jay Berry, 41, pulled on a pair of VR goggles that transported him to the hot seat of a mock-up rollercoaster – complete with a moving chair and fans blowing as the ride sped up.

Mr Berry, an RAF pilot, said: ‘I fly helicopters but even the motion of this gets your stomach going – it’s really impressive.’

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He added: ‘We limit the amount of time my son Charlie is allowed on games, but we’ve allowed him to immerse himself in that world for the festival and I've never seen him more excited.’

Upstairs people even got the chance to learn how to make games, as Dr Neil Dansey of the University of Portsmouth carried out a live coding exercise.

He said: ‘Coding is a really accessible, transferable thing to do and we’re here to show off how important it is as a skill.'

Katherine Scott, development manager at the Guildhall Trust, added: ‘We’ve tried to put active participation at the heart of this event and it’s really brought the magic alive for people.

‘It’s collaborative, interactive and the seeing spectatorship is wonderful.’