Birmingham E d i t i o n

Winter 2011

Editor & DesignerSyeda Islam

Graphic DesignerGurpreet Bangar

PhotographerSuzanne Hunt

IllustratorEllis Williams

Our Thanks to:

The Oasis Market Game HQ

Reader’s WorldForbidden Planet

Nostalgia & ComicsWaterstones

Net Adventure

and hunting the United Kingdom for geek communities so we can point them out to you guys -

Our First stop is Birmingham City Centre; does this city have what we want? The comics? The games? The Cards? The Books? but more importantly the community feel that means that you can share your passions with other people.

One of our 4 elite troupe, happens to be from birmingham and he claimed that we wont find anything here; so we went out into the city and well... you’ll see if he changes his mind or not.

But first and foremost is you guys, when we use the term ‘geek’ we mean it in the best possible way. People who have passion and want to share it but just need other passionate people to give them that extra push.

Thanks, The Editor

StOpWelcome to a little slice of

heaven my friend- Okay, maybe not heaven but close enough- We’re known as the Geektrippers - a group that specialises in going around

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Contents

Colour Code

No Article Colour

32-33 The Birmingham Science Fiction Group Green

36-41 Forbidden Planet Green44-45 Nostalgia and Comics Green

10-11 The game community Blue

48-49 The Final Verdict Red

28-29 Where to start Green

14-15 Net Adventure Blue18 The Oasis Blue19 Education Blue

Books & Comics Games & Cards

The Final Verdict

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GAMES &

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GAMES &

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Well that was the question I had to

answer and here is what I have – so I’ll leave it to you to decide whether you think – But remember that the goal here is to inform you guys that live in Birmingham (all your life or new to the city) what we do have. Having grown up in Birmingham myself, this was all so new to me! From my journey around central Brum, I found that there is much more here than I thought. I’ll admit that I thought there wouldn’t be anything

here; but boy, was I wrong. There is a whole chain of secret gaming communities here.

Give it a couple years ago, Birmingham was a much better hub for gaming than it is now – what with recession hitting us hard and gaming cafes and shops having to close. It’s a sad story that half of these places are now gone, shells of their former selves. So presently, there isn’t as many as there could have been.

THE GAME COMMUNITYTHE GAME

COMMUNITY

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THE GAME COMMUNITYTHE GAME

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Gamestation in Birmingham City Centre is pretty huge - and though they didn’t want to talk to us (Big Retail companies can be like that), they do events like Pre-game Launch tasters. In November they let people come in and play Uncharted 3 for the PS3 before it was out!

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NET ADVENTURE

NET ADVENTURE

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Every time I asked someone at a larger retail shop where I could find a little gaming community they would point and direct me to a building that unfortunately had closed down their gaming facilities…and suddenly I began to think that there was nowhere that catered for gamers anymore – until I came across ‘Net Adventure’ – a cyber café where gamers can play against each other or other communities from different cities around the world. They have tournaments that cater to console and pc gamers – these can even last up to 24 hours at a time. They sell drinks and snacks so that you don’t have to go back into town if you’d rather just kill time on their pcs. Don’t let their old-looking monitors put you off as their machines are powerful things. They even cater to card-gamers who love the magical gathering and yu-gi-oh!

NET ADVENTURE

NET ADVENTURE

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Did you know?

That codemasters is based in Birmingham City?Dirt 3 is their latest hit; A few years ago they made games like Worms 4 and if we go back even further : micro machines - That was a hilarious game.

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Then there was A small shop in the oasis market - it sold a few retro games that was really

really good for people who’s gaming preferences were of older and more classic games.

They had a nice mix of games from favourites like the sega megadrive, the super nintendo and so on. They had a live card gaming facility here too, where people could pay to use the tables in hopes to meet someone to compete against in a game of magical gathering, yu-gi-oh and various other card games.

Birmingham has some facilities for people who are sometimes forgotten in the gaming communities. It’s a shame I couldn’t find any dungeons and Dragons gamers.

The oasisThe oasis

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Education in Brum for gamers is a delight as colleges and local Universities have brilliant

hands on gaming courses, I should know as I had to visit local colleges and find out what they did exactly; and for job prospects? We have Codemasters – It was pretty cool!

My personal thoughts are that Birmingham has got some gaming communities and as a city it does involve events, clubs, conferences for gamers to share their view and meet new peers that have the same passion about gaming, but it partially because of the recession, maybe not so many as they would have originally thought.

So if you have lived in Birmingham all your life or you’re new to living here… or you’re visiting for the day and you want to meet people who are passionate then come and try it out. Experience it yourself

EducationEducation

Comics & BooksComics & Books

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Comics & BooksComics & Books

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The best place to start (as much as we may not want to admit it)is a large corporate chain that is more than likely to have something you like…. We found that the best place

Of course Waterstones has the issue of being a part of a huge retail chain – so expect full retail prices and the occasional deals- but

Their sci fi & Fantasy floor at the large Waterstones in Birmingham Centre Is fantastic. It has a place for people to put their own notices up – from simple individuals asking if C

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anyone wants to meet to play Dungeons & Dragons or for bigger and longer running groups to put their event posters up.

to start was Waterstones – since I myself am not native to Birmingham I had no idea where to go for my comic needs…and this is where I went first.

otherwise the staff are extremely nice and will help you with whatever they can… and with a Costa on the same floor – you can sit with friends and gain a sense of community.

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Don’t forget WHSmiths Sells Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels.

And they also stock a various amount of specific interest magazines!

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Birmingham ScienceFiction Group

Birmingham ScienceFiction Group

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The Birmingham Science Fiction Group was formed in June 1971 by a group of local fans. The BSFG meet up once a month to discuss new releases, goings-on in the sci-fi world and such forth. Even though the BSFG is a non-profit organisation; they do charge for membership. Membership costs £16 per year. or £21 for two people living under the same address.

The monthly meeting takes place at Briar Rose Hotel, not too far from Birmingham New Street Station.

There is a small charge to attend these meetings; £3 for members and £4 for non members. Other benefits of being a member are; monthly news letters and special previews of up coming books. Most meetings start with a speech, either by an author, artist or scientist.

The first NOVACON convention was held by Aston University, with the help of the BSFG. This also took place in 1971. NOVACON is usually held in Birmingham in November.

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Did you know that there is a bi-annual Comics Convention (Birmingham international comics)

In Birmingham Every year August & October time - Though this year they cancelled the october show due to venue booking issues.

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Forbidden Planet- one of the biggest retailers

that work with comics and collectables – more aimed at the older generations. It’s a brilliant place for your needs and if you’re the type of comic enthusiast that prefers to just get their comic and go then this might be perfect for you. These guys are run by a more strict company and so they’re

not great for community or noticeboards- or any of that sort of thing. Unfortunately otherwise, they’re not good for much else except for the occasional dressed up events – but even then these events tend to be held in more than just one Forbidden Planet in the UK….which doesn’t make it very local to Birmingham.

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FORBIDDEN PLANETFORBIDDEN PLANET

One of the main retailers for comics is Forbidden Planet. They are an international company, and just so happen to have a store in Birmingham. The store stretches across two floors, full to the brim with comics, t-shirts, posters and many more items that

your geeky heart desires. Forbidden Planet holds many events such as Harry Potter and Dr. Who Days, or book signings with famous authors. Forbidden Planet is located just over the road from The Oasis. There is also a Games Workshop next door.

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FORBIDDEN PLANETFORBIDDEN PLANET

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Try smaller book shops!

And you never know what you might find hiding around in a charity shop!

Second Hand shops are great finds!

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Q & AQ & AWe popped int

o Forbidden Planet in Birmingham for a quick intervi

ew with the Store’s Manager.

He’d like to be known as “Mace”

What Events are there for Geeks In Brum?

We have various events throughout the year.

We recently held a “Dr Who Day” which was featu

red in the

Evening Mail. In the past w

e have also held Harry Potter

and Magic Gathering days. From time to time we also have

book signings with various authors.

Do you do customer Orders?

Yes. We cater

for as as many people as w

e can.

Do you have a lot of regular customers?

We do have a lot of regular customers. I guess they

become a family of geeks!

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FORB IDDEN

PLANETFORB IDDEN

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We popped into Forbidden Planet in B

irmingham for a quick interview with the Store’s Manager.

He’d like to be known as “Mace”

What do you think of independant comic stores?

I quite like independant comic book stores, in a

way they

seem more homely. Even though I work for Forbidden

Planet, independant book and comic stores are better.

What do you think about clubs and groups?

At the moment there isn’t a comic book group or

anything, but there is a sci-fi group. I per

sonally think

that a comic book group would have a great reaction

within the geek community.

bring is more together?

What would bring gamers and comic readers

together?

They have a common ground. They all like to escape

reality and it’s boring ways. Comics , games and books

allow people to enter a world that stret

ches our own

and puts them in shoes more interesting... Which is fair

enough.

Everyone would like to have super powers or something

right?

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FORB IDDEN

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Not too far from Forbidden Planet, there is a similar shop Called “Nostalgia & Comics”. This also specialises in books and comics, but is aimed at the more underground audience.

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Nostalgia & ComicsNostalgia & ComicsCO

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Not too far from Forbidden

Planet, there is a similar shop Called “Nostalgia & Comics”. This also specialises in books and comics, but is aimed at the

Nostalgia & Comics

more underground audience. Nostalgia & Comics is a local comic book shop and personally, I thought that this might be a future drop in zone for

any of you

interested in comics. The staff there are friendly and much more open to customers and conversations. Unfortunately, they’re not that interested in hosting events and community gatherings as such. Though, after talking to them we discovered that they had tried to split it into a game/comics shop. What they found was that people

stayed separated and didn’t really attempt to mix. On whole, they’re the type of place to try new things every now and then so they’ll be good to keep an eye on.

And they open their doors to all types of people, focusing a little on card

gaming – occasionally hosting magical gathering tournaments et cetera. On rare occasions they hold book signings – but they tend to

be rare since they specialise in being a local buisness so they have to make sure to keep themselves running rather than keeping up face with the customers… which is a little sad, but on the whole I believe they deliver to the customer’s a better service in comparison to Forbidden Planet that holds regular Events.

Nostalgia & Comics

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...And the verdict is......And the verdict is...

So finally, we’ve told you the best places to get your “geek on”.

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If comics are your forte then I hope you have read the comics section! It tells you where to go, and what to expect from the different places around the Birmingham area. It also talked about what sort of service you can expect to find from the different franchises but also what sort of community they have to offer. I don’t want to give too much away but if you’re interested in comics and need some extra information then it’s a great help!

When I first moved to Birmingham I found myself lost spending most days exploring, not being a Birmingham native I found it really hard to find places that had comics, Sci-fi, and game communities. Upon reading the articles the main point that keeps reoccurring is that all these communities within Birmingham seem to be hidden. But that’s what this magazine was for! So If I had this when I started roaming around - maybe I would have had an easier time.It seems to me that all these groups and communities are hidden away and quite underground; there doesn’t appear to be any mainstream groups.

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Let’s not forget the interesting world of sci fi & fantasy fiction! The previous articles talked about the Sci-Fi and book communities located in and around Birmingham, what they’re interested in and if they’re the places you want to know about.

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Overall, the verdict on the ‘geek’ community in Birmingham would have to be that it is definitely there... but it’s a little underground and needs to be sought after - It’s not going to be served to you on the high-street unfortunately, unless Waterstones and Gamestation are the places you’re happy to stick with.

If gaming is more your scene, then you had better have read the gaming section. Looking through the article can really help you find information on the gaming groups within the Birmingham area. It also talked about the communities within Birmingham and how they have changed over the last couple of years both for the better and worse. It touches on the Educational and Career opportunities Birmingham has to offer and you can also find information on the gaming cafés, gatherings and tournaments. It’ll really help you find others who love games as much as you!

Alright, so I hope you guys have found this magazine helpful. One of the main things all the businesses and communities told us was that there wasn’t anything that showed people they existed and that they were there for the public to get involved with. That’s what we tried to do here, I hope it helped.

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Birmingham definitely h as a community, but what with how recession has hit people, maybe it isn’t as fabulous as it could have been.

Alright, so I hope you guys have found this magazine helpful. One of the main things all the businesses and communities told us was that there wasn’t anything that showed people they existed and that they were there for the public to get involved with. That’s what we tried to do here, I hope it helped.

It’s up to you if you if you want to ‘catch your geek’ in Birmingham City

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Disclaimers

All characters belong to their respective owners and have been

reproduced for no profit.

Spider-man illustrated by Gupreet BAngar

All Adverts and Graphics Designed by Syeda Islam

Photograph Editingby Suzanne Hunt

All other character illustrationsby Ellis Williams

CARDIFF