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Forget music, it's video game culture you should be celebrating this summer. So here are a selection of games events you need to get along to

We all know that the British in the summer, a mass of would-be music festivals, but honestly, after you filled 've seen Coldplay gig in a field with mid-teens, and with the right mouse button on the families, you 've seen' em all, but the video game festival is still a nascent concept, with each new event on the calendar to bring a fresh perspective on the concept.

Here 'sa selection of upcoming game festivities, all worth a visit if you' re at all interested in playing, or what they ...

Edinburgh Interactive Festival

The Radisson SAS Hotel, Edinburgh, August 11 to 12
Okay, you 've missed the first day, but if you can get up to Edinburgh on Friday for the last day of this well-established and interesting event. It 'sa full program of public meetings, looking at games in education, always in the industry and other relevant topics. Friday starts with a training session with Square Enix president Ian Livingstone and Channel 4 commissioner for education, Jo Twist. Later in the afternoon, Disney is showing its massively multiplayer action game Disney universe as a preview of Nintendo The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

Dare proto play

Caird Hall, Dundee, August 12 to 14
Another highly promising festival takes place north of the border, this time organized by the University of Abertay, which runs some of the best video game courses in the UK. The event will start with a keynote address by legendary designer David 'Elite' Braben, is currently working on upcoming titles Kinect, Disneyland Adventures. You 'll also be able to ok games, all finalists in this year' s Dare to be Digital design competition, as well as new tracks from Cobra Mobile, Tag Games and Crytek. There is talk game design, a BAFTA career workshop, wild jams and a pro-gaming tournament. Basically, if you 're at all interested in entering the games industry and see if there Dundee Dundee this weekend you will learn this weekend.

Gamefest

Birmingham NEC, September 16 to 18
The well-known games retailer is hosting its inaugural consumer video game show in Birmingham this year and has attracted heavyweight industry support. Headline sponsor Sony will be showing off Uncharted 3 and Resistance 3, while Sega, THQ, Disney, Nintendo, EA and Bethesda will all be providing demos of their Christmas wares. Perhaps the big news, though, is that Activision is bringing military shooter sequel Modern Warfare 3 along - it'll be the first time UK consumers get to play the game. The event is exclusive to reward card holders, though, so you may need to pop into your local store before applying for tickets. It's £10 for over-12s and a fiver for children.

Euro Gamer Expo

The excellent video game site Eurogamer has been running its consumer games show as part of the wider London Games Festival for a couple of years now, and although the festival itself is having 2011 off, the expo certainly isn't. Aimed squarely at the public this is a chance to play some of the biggest titles of the winter including Battlefield 3, PES 12, Dark Souls, Rage and Saint's Row The Third. The event will also host the UK premiere of the OnLive games service, and apparently they'll be giving away thousands of OnLive consoles on the showfloor. There's also an indie games arcade, a retro corner and gaming tournaments. Keep an eye on the official Twitter feed for regular updates.

Shepton Digi Festival

Haskins Retail Centre, Shepton Mallet, October 6 to 8
The first of two extremely interesting West Country festival. DigiFest is produced as a festival of digital art and media culture in Somerset, Bristol, Bath and the wider South West, and centers mostly on photography, film and performance will be charged. However, the event will feature a panel discussion on the UK game industry, which is hosted by Sean Dromgoole of industry market research firm, GameVision. It 's an official Twitter feed with the latest information.

GameCity

Various Venues, Nottingham, 26 to 29 October

RuneFest