Giant Bomb UK Meet Up

OK, well I appreciate that I'm probably not that well known around here because I tend to lurk rather than actually post. There are probably already other posts relating to this onetoo, but I haven't seen any and a quick search turned up nothing. Mods, please point me in the right direction if I'm wrong.

To get to the point, I was watching the video of the Giant Bomb 1 year party and I thought "hey, we should do that in the UK". It would be cool to put faces to names,  plus it's not often that you're presented with an oppurtunity where you're surrounded by complete strangers who you know for a fact have a common interest, so we might all make some friends. I don't think it would be too hard, unless you live in Northern Ireland or the remotest parts of Scotland, most parts of the UK are no more than 6 hours away on a train and the fare can be found cheap if you know what you're looking for. Also, it's the summer holidays right now, so university and college students are all available, and we could do it on a Saturday to help out people with full time jobs.

Like I said, the idea has probably been bandied around before, but I've seen nothing concrete. Well, if we can get a reasonable number of people that would definitely come, I'll organise it. I recently got 4 of us on a 4 night holiday to the Isle of Wight for £60, so you can trust that I can do this stuff :P What I want basically is a show of interest, and possibly some ideas on where people live and where they think would be good. I would vote for Birmingham since it has good rail, air and road links and is relatively central. However, I live just 40 minutes away so it seems incredibly biased to say that, and I'm sure someone can can up with a better idea. It's a shame that Omega Sektor in Birmingham shut down, that place was ideal.

So there it is UK people, tell me what you think. If people want this, we can make it happen. I made a Facebook group called "Giant Bomb UK" too if people want to pop on there and make themselves known. Thanks.

I vote amsterdam

Pretty sure that isn't in the UK :P Maybe you need your own European thread?

Not a bad idea, though as a small piece of advice, you might want to avoid trying to organise things like this at half past one in the morning.

I vote Stockholm...I'm not Swedish, but I hear that the female video game devs in Sweden are really lovely.....AND FUCKING HOT!!!

I'd be up for it, assuming the timing was right. Birmingham sounds good because it's in the middle of the country. Although London would also be good, because the rail links are so good.

I think we should meet up in yorkshire . Therefore i dont have to travel

I live in the UK, and I say hella go for it. I'm also 15 (16 in November), yet really want to meet everyone in a meet up, so I'd suggest *NOT* doing it in a bar like the GB party, and anyway, who'd want to clean up after something like that. Location wise, I'd say london, due to it being the capital and all, with it easily accessible via trains from all over the country. Birmingham is in the middle, but public transport wise, its quite hard to get to compared to london.

Thats just my two pennies (see what I did thar, UK?) on the matter, but I'd totally be up for it, providing that I'd be allowed in.

I don't know. If this idea came up 6 months ago, then maybe, but I don't know half the people on these forums any more so I wouldn't benefit from meeting up with any of them. I'd definitely go if the Giant Bomb crew went, but there's no way that will happen.

Sounds cool though I live near Glasgow so it's probably not going to happen for me but good luck to getting this thing together

That sounds cool. I live south of London so that would be my preferred location.

I'm 15 years old though, so getting permission could be an issue,

" Pretty sure that isn't in the UK :P Maybe you need your own European thread? "

I would, im in oxford for uni so london again is preferable.

depending on timing of course.

" I vote Stockholm...I'm not Swedish, but I hear that the female video game devs in Sweden are really lovely.....AND FUCKING HOT!!! "

" I live in the UK, and I say hella go for it. I'm also 15 (16 in November), yet really want to meet everyone in a meet up, so I'd suggest *NOT* doing it in a bar like the GB party, and anyway, who'd want to clean up after something like that. Location wise, I'd say london, due to it being the capital and all, with it easily accessible via trains from all over the country. Birmingham is in the middle, but public transport wise, its quite hard to get to compared to london.Thats just my two pennies (see what I did thar, UK?) on the matter, but I'd totally be up for it, providing that I'd be allowed in. "

Yeah definitely need to cater to under 18s so don't worry about that. Ideally I'd like to find a LAN centre to go to if people agree. Birmingham used to have an awesome one that opened all day and all night Saturday and had a bar, but under 18s were still allowed in. That kinda thing would be good.

@krazychris said:

" Sounds cool though I live near Glasgow so it's probably not going to happen for me but good luck to getting this thing together "

Thanks! Check out megatrains though, I got from Birmingham New St. to Edinburgh with them for £8 return :)

@jonnyboy said:

" Not a bad idea, though as a small piece of advice, you might want to avoid trying to organise things like this at half past one in the morning. "

Seems like consensus is on London then. Anyone know any cool stuff to do there?

I live in Rutland- about a 20 minute train journey to peterborough which takes me straight to london pretty easily - so i'd be down with that :) as for cool stuff- ummm apart from the big ol' market and the usual markets, just chat shit, see films and get drunk!! i'm pretty sure the creative minds of the giant bomb forums will be able to come up with some kind of awesome plan though 

I like the idea, i'd definately try to attend, but without booze, and copious amounts of it, the prospect isn't as appealing! :D Although seeing as I lack ID despite being 21 (What's up with that? I gotta get my ass in gear and get some) i'd totally be up for going somewhere that doesn't require ID to enter.

I'd also totally be up for some sort of tournament action, I might even be able to find some prizes to contribute. Preferably it would be later in the year though, as until october I literally cannot afford to do anything at all. Maybe a GB UK Xmas EXXXtravaganza? :P But yeah, even if it's only a space copy of HL2 and Ep1 over steam, i'm sure I can find something in the way of prizes to give out.

Edit: As much as I dislike lan parties, I feel some sort of lan friendly location might even be the way to go, drag some Xbox down there and some arcade sticks and get some 2D fighter action going, if the place has PCs get some battlefield action going, get some kind of competition going, get some booze in there, have some fun, hell yeah.
 
Any further north than London and you'd have to count me out i'm afraid, it costs me like £38 to get to and from london depending on the times, and if it's an overnight dealio even more. I live in southampton y'see so any further is totally pushing it for me.

you guys should shoot some video... i'm pretty sure the staff and everybody on the site would appreciate it

If this ends up in England sure.

I'm up for it, I live in Northampton. xD Nothing to be proud of, but it's easy and cheap enough to get to London. So count me in. :)

Here's a suggestion, there's a pretty big arcade in London ( I've had to link to a different site because their official one is being rebuilt.) Maybe we could all meet up there and play games all day, I can bring a camera too to try and get some of the action but I want to be able to get some gaming time in. ;)

Cant we do it somewhere that doesn't take me hours to get to .

" Cant we do it somewhere that doesn't take me hours to get to . "

How about a giant bomb street fighter 4 tournament . Or something along those lines 

I'm liking the tournament idea, and the lucky dip seems interesting but maybe slightly unfair. for example I have no experience with the king of fighters series.

If it's anywhere in Scotland I could probably make it but otherwise I severly doubt it, still an idea for games might be Rock Band/Guitar Hero. They're always good for get togthers I think you shouldn't play too my FPS's because people won't be talking as much whereas a fighting game will have lots of onlookers and general buzz, probably the same with rythem games.

Haha, i'm willing to help out what I can to make this a reality, but I cannot spend one single penny (literally do not even have any money) until my uni loan comes through mid october. I can understand if people want to do this thing sooner though.

I even have a great idea, obviously it's a hgue distance to travel, so the GB crew won't be able to make it, but. I know a place that makes cardboard cutouts ;) I was thinking of getting them to produce a cardboard cutout of the crew. Maybe it can be a tournament prize lol.

I think that GB's UK contingent is generally one of the more sane ones. Good luck. Don't get shot.

21+?

I live down south (near Bournemouth) but would definetly be up for a UK meet of the Giant Bomb Community.

" I think that GB's UK contingent is generally one of the more sane ones. Good luck. Don't get shot. "

Im a lurker, but id definitley be up for it too - simply so that i can start putting faces to names when i read posts. I go to university in chichester, so London is better for me, but hey ho, i can do birmingham too.

Oh but where's the fun in revealing what I look like to you all? I mean, since you all care so much.

" I'm up for it, I live in Northampton. xD Nothing to be proud of, but it's easy and cheap enough to get to London. So count me in. :)

Here's a suggestion, there's a pretty big arcade in London ( I've had to link to a different site because their official one is being rebuilt.) Maybe we could all meet up there and play games all day, I can bring a camera too to try and get some of the action but I want to be able to get some gaming time in. ;) "

London.

London is good.

I don't even know why I am posting this, I am not that much into video games and I am not really a regular here at GB.

Lets do it in a pub in Manchester

London is so far south. :(

If it's not in London, I'm not interested. The only reason I go to Birmingham is for a decent Balti. If we were to meet in a Balti house I might be interested.

London would be good, i live in Portsmouth and its easier to get to than birmingham if i remember rightly. but i guess thats down to the overall majority over where we meet

" @FlamingHobo:We have a Carlsberg brewery and average Cricket, Football and Rugby teams. I think they're pretty much the highlights. Oh, the new Doctor Who is from here too. That's something... "