Carolina Games Summit returns to Goldsboro
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on February 1, 2017 10:07 AM
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Ernie Ruffin, dressed as Star Wars character Boba Fett, rearranges his helmet as he participates in the 2013 Carolina Games Summit at Wayne Community College.
Science fiction fanatics, video game enthusiasts and industry leaders will turn downtown Goldsboro into a video game haven this weekend during the return of the Carolina Games Summit.
Cosplay will be on hand, with locals and visitors dressing up in their favorite costume and competing in a Saturday contest.
The Carolina Games Summit, an annual event that can typically draw nearly 2,000 people, will be held Saturday and Sunday at several downtown locations.
Tickets, at $20 for the entire weekend, can be purchased at the Wayne National Building, at 139 W. Walnut St., or at the Paramount Theatre, 139 S. Center St. The tickets offer admission to all Carolina Games Summit events and activities and also offer the chance to reserve a spot in video game tournaments, such as Smash Brothers 4, Madden 2017 and Halo 5.
Maps and programs, with the list of gaming opportunities, guest speakers, bands and a host of other activities, will also be available. Information can also be picked up at the Wayne National Building or found online at www.carolinagamessummit.com, where advanced ticket purchases can be made.
"This event is designed for it to be impossible to do everything," said Michael Everett, founder and creative director of the Carolina Games Summit. "It has more things than you can get done in one weekend."
The event is geared to provide something for everyone, he added.
"I would hope downtown would be transformed into a sci-fi, video-game paradise," Everett said. "If I do my job, than 1,500 to 2,000 people are going to gather downtown to learn about video game development while exploring their favorite video game music, films and the computer games behind it all."
The summit will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Some events will last later, including a Tespa meetup from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday at Ed's Southern Food and Spirits. To get in, a university identification is required.
Also on Saturday, an afterparty will be held at the Arts Council of Wayne County 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., and a Carolina Games Summit meetup will be from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Goldsboro Brew Works, for adults age 21 and older.
The two-day event will have more than 20 gaming tournaments and more than 20 speakers, including two keynote speakers.
On Saturday, the keynote address, "Using Games to Cure Cancer," will be presented by Dr. Benjamin Sintay, chief physicist in the radiation oncology department at the Cone Health Cancer Center.
On Sunday, the keynote address, "A Study of Creature Animation in Films and Games," will be given by Jalil Sadool, co-founder and chief executive officer of Steamroller Studios. Sadool was a lead animator for "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and "How to Train Your Dragon 2."
Three bands will perform at the Paramount Theatre, including the Triforce Quartet, Saturday from 6 to 7 p.m., and SkyBlew, 4:30 to 5 p.m.,and Eight Bit Disaster, 5 to 6 p.m., on Sunday.
There will also be two film screenings at the Paramount on Sunday. "The Lost Arcade" will be at 11 a.m. and "World 1-1" will be at 2 p.m., with a film panel following at 4 p.m.
Carolina Games Summit activities will take place at multiple downtown locations that also include the ACME Theater, Top Hat Ballroom, The Laughing Owl, Terrace Room, Off Center Pizza, Jay's Sushi and Burger Bar and Torero's Mexican Restaurant.
Exhibition booths, educational sessions, trading card games as well as free-play gaming opportunities on consoles, computers and arcades will be available. A mobile gaming lounge will be set up outside the Terrace Room.
This year's cosplay contest will be Saturday night, with judging starting at 6 p.m., at the ACME Theater. Registration for the contest is at the FanDames booth inside the Wayne National Building exhibition hall.
Some of this year's plans involve participation from Red Storm Entertainment, Ubisoft studio, Spark Plug Games and Dark Unicorn Games. Blue Ox Games will also host card tournaments.
The Carolina Games Summit started in Goldsboro in 2006 and was held annually at Wayne Community College through 2013. The event has been in Raleigh and Durham in recent years. Local efforts were made to bring the two-day event back to the city.
"It's going to be fun," Everett said. "I'm super excited to bring this to downtown, and I can't wait until next year."
The summit is already booked for the downtown area during the first weekend in February next year.