Mole Valley & Arun Valley lines

Two lines which share a common destination in Horsham in West Sussex, and have links to London’s termini at Victoria and Waterloo. The Sutton & Mole Valley line serves south-west London and parts of Surrey, while the Arun Valley (or Mid Sussex) line branches from the Brighton mainline to join the West Coastway line at…

‘Put it to the People’ Brexit March

My partner and I flew back to the UK on the last weekend before the original Brexit deadline. We journeyed into London specifically to join this protest march of 1 million+ people, calling for a second referendum on exit from the country’s (badly) planned exit from the EU. I sought to capture the moment, but…

Creative Coast Festival

An annual festival of games and interactive art, held in Karlshamn in southern Sweden. I attended every year from 2014 to 2018, co-hosting its welcome fika. Other regular highlights included an exhibition, talks, a prizegiving, and possibly best gigs/parties in the industry.

Ferrovie d’Italia: Milano & Modena

This was my first time visiting Italy alone, and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to see some parts of it by rail. Though my stay was brief, I travelled from Milano Malpensa airport to the city — and again on a return trip from Milano to my destination, Modena. Milano to Modena Milano Centrale

North Yorkshire Moors Railway

A heritage line which was built to serve the formerly-much-busier port of Whitby, on the northern English coast. The line also serves Pickering, Grosmont, and the photogenic village of Goathland. We finally took a ride to Grosmont and back after many years of having enjoyed steam trains’ arrivals at Whitby station, as seen during Goth…

GDC

The annual Game Developers’ Conference, which I attended as a speaker in 2016 and 2017. It’s the games industry’s largest and most influential conference, as far as American and European branches of the medium are concerned. GDC attracts speakers and attendees from all over, including post-release discussions on big-budget releases and indie showcases, as well…

Train Jam 2017

A grand, game-making adventure from Chicago, Illinois to Emeryville, California. Train Jam is an annual event which precedes the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco. In this, the only year in which I’ve been able to attend, the Amtrak California Zephyr was almost cancelled or diverted due to heavy snowfall in the Sierra Nevada. As…

Railway-spotting Aboard “California Zephyr”

Trackside sights of- and from Amtrak’s “California Zephyr” route, which I took in late February 2017 whilst participating in Train Jam. This route connects Union Station in Chicago with Emeryville in California, travelling via Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, Colorado and Nevada. Passengers can then swap to a coach in order to reach San Francisco. When we…

Chicago ‘L’

Though I only spent some 14 hours in Chicago ahead of Train Jam 2017, that granted me enough time to add a Ventra card to my collection. I also had cause to visit a few stations on the blue, pink and green lines.

GameCity Festival

A once-annual games festival held in Nottingham, initially at various venues and then under the roof of the National Videogame Arcade, which I attended on a few occasions until 2016. Its diverse attractions included twin-screen gaming in the Old Market Square, immersive trails through the city and its caves, curated games showcases, and media involvement…