Play Again

Most events and exhibitions that I attend and photograph generally only take place once. It’s rare that they return, so I was excited for Now Play This, which was back at Somerset House for the second time. Perhaps because of its success the first time around there was a lot of interest from parties who had previously been, and from others who had missed it the first time. It is definitely high on the list of things to see with regard to how people perceive gaming and how they interact with their environment and others.

This year, Now Play This was held in an undecorated part of Somerset House, in the corner nestled between the river and bridge. It would appear that there are still some parts of the lavish building which are yet to be updated, but I think for this event it added a little more charm to the whole situation.

Board Game Showcase was the first room we entered, with a range of new and unique board games from independent creators, artists and Esdevium Games. I found an interesting take on Snakes and Ladders on the floor. It mainly consisted of a giant coiled snake; players were coloured ducks and instead of the generic board spaces were cards printed with a wide selection of dates, cards coloured entirely black and cards depicting what appeared to be famous oriental political people (though perhaps they were simply high-profile historical celebrities). On the back of each card were instructions like, ‘Go back one’ or ‘Go forward a few steps’, just like the normal Snakes and Ladders game.

There were quite a few rooms, just like the first event, and some were more geared towards the digital side of gaming, such as the digital version of Pinball called Inks, while others were just meant for children having some down-time. Stands were created from cardboard. Wherever there was table space, computer screens and chairs had been placed. With each game there would be a bit of information describing the idea behind it and how to play, including numbers of players and the length of time required.

One of my favourites was the retro snake game, one of the first games found on mobile phones. This classic game was translated into a projected two-player game, where players competed against one another whilst still maneuvering a line growing in length, and with the line as the primary obstacle between the players. The game would end if a player collided with another player’s snake, their own line or the wall. In this interactive version players were required to run round and hit their coloured switches positioned on the floor, which allowed them to change the direction of travel of their snake.

The Darkroom, though not entirely dark, brought out a play of light and shadow, with games inside that utilised both. It was quite a small room and I really only saw one game which attracted my eye in the Darkroom — a rather lengthy and involved one.

Another game required players to wear a laser cut headpiece, which had self-rotating sheets of coloured perspex. Players would then stare at a computer screen and try and navigate their way through the game; to onlookers the screen would appear blank, with only glimpses of what could be behind the screen visible at specific angles. As a wearer, you could move to different places but you had to view the game through the right colour, which you rotated on your headpiece. You moved through the game with a controller in one hand and the other hand free to rotate the colours. It was difficult to navigate sometimes as there wasn’t really a specific route for playing.

On the River Terrace, there was a strange version of hopscotch, where two people would play as a couple against each other. This was interesting to watch as we had lunch: so many people unabashedly playing a childish game where everyone could watch was entertaining. Battleships was played on either end of the River Terrace.

I didn’t take as many photographs as the first time because I wanted to participate more — however I felt like there weren’t enough little surprises. Tom’s Kitchen, the restaurant on the Riverside of Somerset House allowed us to watch people hopscotch as we waited for Battleships to start. I would definitely recommend the eggs benedict and the pasta with mushrooms.