Now Play This

Now Play This / as part of Matheson Marcault / 2015-2019

Now Play This is a festival of experimental game design which runs at Somerset House in London as part of the London Games Festival. The festival began as a small-scale prototype in 2015, and since then has expanded into a longer event with a different theme each year.

Now Play This shows old and newly-commissioned work from artists working with play and games in any field: videogames, board games, interactive installation, playful poetry, performance, architecture and more.

At the heart of the festival is a ticketed exhibition. Around this exhibition sit talks, workshops, a focused weekend with a conference looking at the making process of different playful work, and a range of free outdoor installations across the Somerset House site.

I co-founded Now Play This in 2015, and directed it for five years before handing over to Marie Foulston (guest director 2020) and new director Sebastian Quack. I continue to support the core team and Now Play This as a board member.

Now Play This has been supported by funders including Arts Council England, Games London, Ukie, the British Council, and Somerset House. All photos from the 2019 festival, taken by Ben Peter Catchpole.