Games Day
Enter a world of endless fun and adventure where strategy, skill, and luck come together in thrilling challenges and exciting competition.
Capitalize on Games Day's December timing and 50-year legacy to drive holiday gaming sales, convention attendance, and social engagement around tabletop and video game communities.
- Games Day 50-Year Anniversary: Celebrate the legacy of gaming culture since 1975
- Host a Games Night: Partner with retailers to promote multi-game bundles and family gaming packages
- Gaming Tournament Tie-In: Sponsor local gaming events or online competitions tied to Games Day
- Nostalgia + New Releases: Highlight classic games alongside new holiday releases for cross-generational appeal
Games Day is a gaming convention that takes place every year, with Games Workshop sponsoring the event. It has been running since 1975!
Games Day was founded by the British game production and retail company, Games Workshop, which started out producing more traditional games such as backgammon and later moved on to fantasy universe games, such as Warhammer.
This day of carefree whimsical frivolity was created rather abruptly in 1975 when another games convention got canceled, and the gap thereby created needed to be filled.
The very first of these soon to become extremely popular events took place in London on December 20, 1975. In a very short period of time, these events really took the UK’s gaming community by storm and brought many people together, which did a great deal to build up the nation’s gaming scene. Of course, this style of convention quickly sprung up and became enormously popular in the US as well, and acts as a fantastic showcase both for gamers and their skills and the gaming industry.
Visit a Games Day Convention
Although the convention itself related to Games Day takes place in Birmingham, UK, this does not mean you cannot get involved if you live elsewhere. After all, the best way to honor the day is by playing some games, right? This is something that we all enjoy, no matter our culture or where we live, and so really Games Day is a day that brings us all together.
Play Games with Friends
When was the last time you sat down with your friends or family for an evening of carefree fun? If you can’t even really remember, that means it is time to do just that, and Games Day is the perfect occasion. Invite as many people you like, and then conduct a poll on Facebook or some other way to find out what kind of games the people invited to enjoy the most, and use the results of this poll as your guide to choosing the right game or games to keep your guests entertained all evening and well into the night.
Chose a Variety of Games
If you have enough time, why not divide the night into several parts, each dedicated to a different type of game, so everyone taking part has the chance to challenge themselves on different levels and in different ways. You would not want anyone to go home feeling down because their Mario kept on getting killed in the exact same spot over and over, right? Remember that every person is different, and will therefore be good at something else—the same person who can’t maneuver an Xbox controller to save his or her life may well be astoundingly good at Scrabble, etc. In short, make sure there’s something for everyone at your Games Day party. If you should want to make things even more interesting, you could try organizing a vintage version of Games Day and have several of your guests bring over a 1985 Nintendo or an older version of Trivial Pursuit.
Enjoy Game-Friendly Food
And don’t forget about one of the most important things at every party: food. Nothing could be more dangerous to the atmosphere of your party than people getting “hangry” and frustrated. So don’t forget to stock up on snacks and soft drinks or beer, and maybe or a pizza or two. Or three.
Have Fun with Traditional Games
Traditional games that you can enjoy on Games Day include checkers, dominos, shogi, Mah Jong, and backgammon. You can also learn about the different games that are popular in other cultures around the world. It is really interesting to learn about family games played that you may never have heard about!