From June 24 to 26, Barcelona will host Gamelab 2015

Great interactive narrative gurus such as the creator of the 'Prince of Persia' franchise will be present at the international video game and interactive entertainment congress.

Every year the most important digital creators, visionaries and gurus in the world of video games meet at Gamelab to shape the future of interactive entertainment. From June 24 to 26, Gamelab will once again become the meeting point and knowledge exchange forum for the international video game industry, one of the most vibrant and innovative cultural industries today.

The most important and prestigious professionals in the sector will comment and analyze the present of the video game at a creative, economic and technological level, with the aim of defining what the next trends in interactive entertainment will be like. The international congress of video games and interactive leisure will hold its 2015 edition on June 24, 25 and 26 in Barcelona at the central Barceló Hotel.

Gamelab 2015 already has a list of illustrious speakers of great significance who will draw in their talks and conferences the master keys to the future of interactive entertainment.

The fair has confirmed the presence of a true video game legend: Jordan Mechner, author of one of the longest-running and most beloved game sagas, the The prince of Persia, which has given rise to a global franchise that has sold more than 20 million games to date, but also graphic novels, toys, Lego sets and a Disney film that grossed more than $300 million.

Mechner is also a versatile artist: he wrote the script for the film The prince of Persia, has directed documentary films and is the author of a graphic novel nominated for the prestigious Eisner awards; In short: a passionate storyteller who found the ideal vehicle to express himself in video games. Another essential name will be Goichi Suda, one of the most cutting-edge and controversial developers of the moment for his work leading games like No More Heroes, Lollipop Chainsaw or the next release Let it Die.

The interactive narrative

This year one of the axes of Gamelab will be interactive narrative, the language that video games use to tell stories and express themselves through their interaction mechanics.

More and more developers want to take their work a step further and use video games as an artistic and expressive medium, in addition to offering a rich and deep background to the experiences their creations offer. With this approach, attractive names such as Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, director of the long-awaited The Witcher 3, y Alistair Hope, creative director of Alien: Isolation. The Witcher 3 is one of the most anticipated games of the new generation of home consoles, an epic fantasy adventure set in the world created by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowsky. Alien: Isolation, for its part, is considered the best adaptation of James Cameron's horror film ever created. Another star guest will be the visionary Chris Crawford, a legendary video game creator in the 80s who abandoned development in 1992 to dedicate himself to research and innovation in the field of interactive narrative, in addition to working on several occasions for NASA designing computer systems and astronomical observation.

The success of the indies

Independent development is the spearhead of avant-garde and creative innovation in video games. As representatives of the indie scene, Gamelab will feature big names such as Rami Ismail, one of the most successful and respected young developers in the world for titles such as Super Crate Box y Radical Fishing, in addition to Tom Jubert, a video game writer highlighted among Forbes magazine's “30 under 30” for his talent for combining game and philosophy in titles such as the applauded The Talos Principle o Faster than Ligh.

In addition to them, Steve Gaynor, designer of Bioshock 2 and author of Gone Home, one of the most successful indie games of recent years, will attend this edition of Gamelab; and Whitney Hill, freelance narrative designer.

Interactive experience

The second major focus of this edition of Gamelab will be the new forms of interactive experience that the technology of the near future has in store for us. Devices such as wearables, smart watches, the rise of virtual reality, holography or the use of Big Data will create new ways of understanding and enjoying digital leisure. Important figures in technology, development for new devices and innovation such as David Helgason (founder and CEO of the Unity video game engine), Rami Ismail (business manager of Vlambeer), Gonzalo Frasca (CEO of Okidoko), Juan Gril (founder of Joju Games) and the Russian Efim Voinov, creator of the successful Cut the Rope.

After eleven editions, the international congress is one of the most prestigious and important of its kind on the international circuit, a reference event for the world of video games. Some of the most important names in the history of the sector have passed through the Gamelab stage, such as Hideo Kojima (creator of Metal Gear Solid), Tim Schafer (Monkey Island, The Day of the Tentacle), Peter Molyneux (Dungeon Keeper, Fable), Tommy Palm (Candy Crush), Patrice Desilets (Assassin's Creed), Trip Hawkins (founder of EA) and many others.
In each edition, Gamelab has had the support of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, the Generalitat of Catalonia through the Institut Català de les Empreses Culturals, the Department of Business and Occupation and Acc1ó, the Spanish Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism through Red.es, FICOD and the Barcelona City Council through the Institute of Culture.