rAge set to dazzle Joburg

This year’s rAge expo kicks off on 9 October at the rebranded ticket pro Dome in Northgate. rAge 2015 will boast a collection of console and PC video games, computers, technology, computer hardware for sale, virtual reality peripherals and exclusive preview events for upcoming games.

Gaming isn’t child’s play. Around the world more than half-a-billion people spend a whopping three billion hours a week playing computer and video games for at least an hour a day. According to game designer Jane McGonigal, the author of Reality is Broken, 99% of boys under 18 and 94% of girls of the same age play regularly. Gaming may not contribute the largest portion to a country’s GDP (not yet anyway), but McGonigal believes it helps build problem-solving and resilience, enhances complex learning, creates strong social bonds and improves quality of life.

Looking to test this theory? Then plunge into this dynamic world at the annual rAge mega-event, otherwise known as the really Awesome gaming expo. South Africa’s most hotly anticipated annual gaming and technology expo, and the biggest gaming gathering on the continent, rAge covers all the bases by appealing to newcomers, hard-core enthusiasts, casual gamers, young and old, futurists and fundies. For three days the world of tomorrow takes flight at the recently rebranded Ticketpro Dome at Northgate from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October 2015.

This year rAge will be pulling out all the stops to dazzle and enthral after claiming the title of Consumer Exhibition of the Year at the annual EXSA (Exhibition & Event Association of Southern Africa) Awards in November 2014. The Ticketpro Dome, meanwhile, picked up its 14^th consecutive accolade as the Best Concert Venue in Johannesburg as well as being named Best Exhibition Venue South Africa at the EXSA 2014 Awards and Best Venue South Africa at the PMR Africa 2014 Awards, confirming that the venue is firmly entrenched as Gauteng’s best in terms of size, location and overall offering.

Organised by the creators of NAG  magazine and NAG Online (www.nag.co.za), rAge 2015 will boast a unique collection of console and PC video games, computers, technology, computer hardware for sale, virtual reality peripherals, exclusive preview events for upcoming games, behind-closed-door sessions, local game development studios, an epic 2500-seat 52-hour BYOC LAN, gaming apparel and accessories, competitive eSports events, international game developers, local artists, comics, cosplay, a packed-all-weekend-long stage schedule, and promises to cater to thousands of like-minded geeks, gamers, technology enthusiasts and everyone in between.

It’s not just about the gaming: planet rAge is the world of tomorrow. As economist and author Edward Castronova puts it: “We’re witnessing what amounts to no less than a mass exodus to virtual worlds and online game environments.”

rAge 2015 offers a chance to escape, to play, to experience and to immerse yourself in a world which is expected to push past the US$80 billion mark in global revenue in 2015. In South Africa the video games market alone generated R2.5 billion in 2014. It’s more than just a gaming event; rAge 2015 is a must visit, a portal into the reality of tomorrow.

www.rageexpo.co.za