Now Play This, Somerset House

Now Play This returns to Somerset House in a blaze of gaming glory. Get a tantalizing glimpse at the potential future of everything playful thanks to a series of fascinating interactive installations. The exhibition allows adults and kids alike to get involved in a diverse range of innovative and engaging games, created by a range of international designers.

The projects fuse cutting-edge design and technology with more old-fashioned forms of entertainment. What looks like a traditional multiplayer console game, for example, actually features innovative programming. One player is given the role of ‘Game Remixer’, allowing them to constantly modify the rules for a funky fresh take on a classic.

It won’t just be all fun and games – the activities have an educational basis. The theme this year is the idea of place, so festivalgoers can expect to learn about the world and technologies around them in new ways. Designer Yara El-Sherbini will be showcasing her new project Roadmap to Peace ­– a Scalextric track emulating two intersecting roads in Israel and Palestine.

The unconventional, needless to say, will be a central aspect of the exhibition, which promises to challenge our very perception of what constitutes a game (and an exhibition).

Whilst standard tickets allocate an ample three hours inside Now Play This, particularly avid gamers can go the extra mile by purchasing an unlimited entry pass for £35.