Join us on our bi-weekly Night of FREE Gaming!

Arcade Hall, PC game room, modern & retro consoles, board games, Secret Garden, food, many folks to expand your network with, FREE NFT’S and live music from our resident DJ’s – who are, of course, also DJ-ing in the metaverse.

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Join us for an engaging talk on the magic of open-world games!

Open worlds are more than just games with large maps — they are rich landscapes filled with small adventures. Players can journey between these experiences, creating their own unique story of immersion and self-exploration. 

In this talk, we will delve into the intricate level design systems behind these adventures and explore the complexity that allows players to lose themselves in open worlds.

The speaker for the day is Lisanne Bakker. She is a level designer specialising in creating emotional impact through open-world and large map design. Lisanne focuses on narrative and serious games that address mental health, exploring emotionally complex topics through the lens of play. Lisanne has worked as a technical game designer at Liminal Game Studios, where she helped implement the world’s first AI-driven gameplay for human experiences

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from an industry leader and gain insights into the art of designing captivating open worlds!

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Curious about Magic: The Gathering? Join us for a welcoming introduction to the game, designed for women and non-binary players.

Hosted by @women_in_magic

Have you ever wanted to learn how to play Magic: The Gathering but didn’t know where to start? This is your chance! Join us for a fun and inclusive afternoon dedicated to introducing women and non-binary players to the world of MTG.

Our friendly instructors will guide you through the essentials – no prior experience needed. You'll learn the rules, practice gameplay with new friends, and even take home your own 40-card deck, all included in the ticket price, so you can continue the adventure on your own.

Whether you're aiming to dive deep into the MTG community or just curious to try it out, this event is crafted to make you feel welcome, engaged, and ready to play!

Secure your spot below. See you there!

Join Us for Casual Commander Play Night!

Hosted by Lize Korpershoek, @mtg.lize!

Elder Dragon Highlander fans, get ready for a night of fun, casual play! Bring your most creative Commander deck and join fellow Magic enthusiasts for Casual Commander Play Night – the perfect chance to enjoy your favorite format in a laid-back setting.

Whether you're a veteran or just getting into Commander, this event is all about having fun and meeting new people. Show off your deck, play unpredictable multiplayer games, and embrace the spirit of Magic without the pressure of competition.Bring your best deck, meet new players, and join us for a night of exciting Commander games!

Secure your free spot below. See you there!

Join us on our bi-weekly Night of FREE Gaming!

Arcade Hall, PC game room, modern & retro consoles, board games, Secret Garden, food, many folks to expand your network with, FREE NFT’S and live music from our resident DJ’s – who are, of course, also DJ-ing in the metaverse.

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Explore how architect Dafne Wiegers blends gaming & design, creating spaces that are both playable & inspiring.

Step into the world where architecture meets gaming with Dafne Wiegers. Dafne is an architect known for her work on gaming & architecture, including Esports HQ's for Liquid and Mouz, and educational projects such as the Colegio Americano de Quito. Dafne’s vision goes beyond creating spaces to play games—it’s about making the space itself playable. In this creative talk, she’ll reveal how Liquid HQ is filled with hidden Easter Eggs, blending digital games with physical environments. Dafne will also explore the fascinating parallels between game design and architecture, showing how architects can learn from game designers and vice versa. Discover how thoughtful design not only boosts player well-being and performance but also inspires new ways to experience space, both digitally and physically.

Enjoy free gaming afterwards!

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Join Dr. Max V. Birk to explore how video games impact mental health, well-being, and ethics through design and player experience research.

Pop culture has explored mental health for decades – and games are no exception. But interactivity, the pull of games, and games’ capacity to engage us emotionally and cognitively go far beyond storytelling about mental health and themes that are mental health inspired.Dr. Max Birk has studied video games for more than 14 years. In his talk, he will discuss the connection between games and mental health from a design, public health, and scientific perspective. Max worked on research projects focused on understanding player experience, behavioural design, and cognitive measures in games.

He is passionate about game design and methodologies to learn about people and their behaviour and experiences in games. His work contributes to designing and developing interactive systems supporting physical, social, and mental well-being.Independent of your own journey playing and learning from video games, Max will broaden your understanding of how games and mental health are intertwined and provoke conversations about ethical considerations in game design.

Enjoy free gaming afterwards!

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Join us on our bi-weekly Night of FREE Gaming!

Arcade Hall, PC game room, modern & retro consoles, board games, Secret Garden, food, many folks to expand your network with, FREE NFT’S and live music from our resident DJ’s – who are, of course, also DJ-ing in the metaverse.

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Join us on our bi-weekly Night of FREE Gaming!

Arcade Hall, PC game room, modern & retro consoles, board games, Secret Garden, food, many folks to expand your network with, FREE NFT’S and live music from our resident DJ’s – who are, of course, also DJ-ing in the metaverse.

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Join us for the opening of the REBORN Expo by Blackrockstar, featuring six captivating visuals displayed on the gallery walls.

Experience the exclusive first listen of Blackrockstar's powerful new single, "Power," which intimately narrates his journey of coping with kidney disease. The event also marks the official kick-off of the auction for limited-edition REBORN merchandise, including unique T-shirts and tote bags.

Enjoy an evening of drinks 'n bites and a fun gaming area – blending art, music, and entertainment into one unforgettable night.

Join us on our bi-weekly Night of FREE Gaming!

Arcade Hall, PC game room, modern & retro consoles, board games, Secret Garden, food, many folks to expand your network with, FREE NFT’S and live music from our resident DJ’s – who are, of course, also DJ-ing in the metaverse.

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Looking to kickstart your career in game music composition?
Join us for an interactive Workshop!

Do you want to learn how to use adaptive music in your games? Join us for an interactive Adaptive Music for Games Workshop! In this workshop, you will explore the concepts of adaptive music and how you can use it in your game designs.

In this workshop you will:

• Dive into the world of adaptive game audio and learn about how music can dynamically respond to gameplay.

• Learn how adaptive music can improve your game designs. Gain hands-on experience and insights into the process of creating and using adaptive music.

The workshop will be wrapped up with a closing drink!

About QuestBeat

The workshop will be given by game composer Sonya Vos who has composed for multiple games over the last 10 years (Cat Cafe Manager, Tracks of Thought and more) and has played in many bands. (Amber Arcades, Lakshmi) She graduated from the Conservatory in Amsterdam in 2019 and this year she started QuestBeat with three other game/music industry professionals. QuestBeat is a company specialising in music for video games. They provide music supervision and sell readymade compositions online for game prototypes.

Secure your spot and get your tickets now!

Join us on our bi-weekly Night of FREE Gaming!

Arcade Hall, PC game room, modern & retro consoles, board games, Secret Garden, food, many folks to expand your network with, FREE NFT’S and live music from our resident DJ’s – who are, of course, also DJ-ing in the metaverse.

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Join us on our bi-weekly Night of FREE Gaming!

Arcade Hall, PC game room, modern & retro consoles, board games, Secret Garden, food, many folks to expand your network with, FREE NFT’S and live music from our resident DJ’s – who are, of course, also DJ-ing in the metaverse.

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Join us on our bi-weekly Night of FREE Gaming!

Arcade Hall, PC game room, modern & retro consoles, board games, Secret Garden, food, many folks to expand your network with, FREE NFT’S and live music from our resident DJ’s – who are, of course, also DJ-ing in the metaverse.

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Introduction To Game Composing For Musicians, by QuestBeat!

Looking to kickstart your career in game music composition?
Join us for an interactive Game Composing Workshop! In this workshop, you will explore the concepts of adaptive music/audio and its applications in games.

In this workshop you will:



-Dive into the world of game audio and learn the intricacies of creating music that dynamically responds to gameplay.



-Learn valuable tips on how to find work opportunities and also sell your compositions online. 


-Bring your own composition and learn how to adapt it to seamlessly integrate into a game environment. Gain hands-on experience and insights into the process of composing for games.


So how will we do that?!


We’ll start by diving in a little bit of history and listen to some examples. What were the old game music hero’s doing and why? What options are available to us now, how can we use them in the best way possible. Composing for games needs a little bit of a different musical approach and there are new things to consider. Such as:

What is the difference between good music and good music for games? How do you develop the right mindset for making music that supports and amplifies the setting and story of a game? What are technical aspects to consider? How do you export music in the right ways and how does the implementation of your music work


Next we’ll talk about implementation, how do we map out what pathway our music might take and how do we translate that to the people we’re working with. Also, what might happen musically when the player doesn’t play the game in the way we expected them too. 


After the first part of the workshop we’re going to get our hands dirty, let’s make our own piece of adaptive music, you get to create and we’ll walk around to assist you and give feedback.

The workshop will be wrapped up with a closing drink!

TIP: If you want to participate in creating some music or adjusting your composition to an adaptive format, make sure to bring a laptop with your music software and some headphones.

Secure your spot and get your tickets now!

Sonya Vos of QuestBeat


The workshop will be given by game composer Sonya Vos who has composed for many games over the last 10 years (Cat Cafe Manager, Tracks of Thought and much more) and has also played in many bands. (Amber Arcades, Lakshmi) She graduated from the Conservatory in Amsterdam in 2019 and this year she started QuestBeat with three other game/music industry professionals. QuestBeat is a company specialising in music for video games. They provide music supervision and sell readymade compositions online for game prototypes.

Join us on our bi-weekly Night of FREE Gaming!

Arcade Hall, PC game room, modern & retro consoles, board games, Secret Garden, food, many folks to expand your network with, FREE NFT’S and live music from our resident DJ’s – who are, of course, also DJ-ing in the metaverse.

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Join us on our bi-weekly Night of FREE Gaming!

Arcade Hall, PC game room, modern & retro consoles, board games, Secret Garden, food, many folks to expand your network with, FREE NFT’S and live music from our resident DJ’s – who are, of course, also DJ-ing in the metaverse.

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Happy Independence Day! Join us for our bi-weekly Night of FREE Gaming and celebrate the 4th of July with us 🇺🇸

Arcade Hall, PC game room, modern & retro consoles, board games, Secret Garden, burgers, hot dogs, many folks to expand your network with, FREE NFT’S and live music from our resident DJ’s – who are, of course, also DJ-ing in the metaverse.

Please be aware that this isn't our only event page. We have numerous exciting gatherings in the works, and there will be a larger turnout than what is currently shown here.

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Join us on our bi-weekly Night of FREE Gaming!

Arcade Hall, PC game room, modern & retro consoles, board games, Secret Garden, food, many folks to expand your network with, FREE NFT’S and live music from our resident DJ’s – who are, of course, also DJ-ing in the metaverse.

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Free entrance: Join us for an art exhibition by Mia Simova!

Mia (Miroslava) grew up in the Czech Republic during a wave of subcultures following the Velvet Revolution that ended communism in 1989. Various music styles from abroad influenced local subcultures like punk, 90s hip-hop, rock, metal, techno, and reggae, leading to a flourishing underground scene. From a young age, Mia was drawn to underground music, especially hip-hop.

"Access to good music was limited, so we relied on friends sharing pirated music on DVDs. We were fans of artists like Wu-Tang Clan, Biggie, Onyx, Mobb Deep, and Nas."

After graduating from art and graphic school, Mia's passion for music influenced her work. She created posters for small music festivals, wood carvings for skateboards, experimented with printing, and painted on canvas while working full-time as a graphic designer. Seeking broader horizons, Mia moved abroad, first to Madrid's Malasaña district, immersed in retro clothing, street art, and vinyl records, then to the south of France, where the strong hip-hop culture and relaxed lifestyle inspired her work. 

After five years in the Netherlands, she finally combined her life and work experiences to lay the foundations for an ongoing project.

Claim your free spot now and immerse yourself in Mia's vibrant world.

*Welcome drink included!

See more of Mia at the exhibition, and check out:

Behance: https://www.behance.net/mijisimova333

Instagram Mia Simova: https://www.instagram.com/miasimova/

Instagram Mellow Tanto: https://www.instagram.com/mellowtanto

Website/webshop: www.mellowtanto.com

Join us on our bi-weekly Night of FREE Gaming!

Arcade Hall, PC game room, modern & retro consoles, board games, Secret Garden, food, many folks to expand your network with, FREE NFT’S and live music from our resident DJ’s – who are, of course, also DJ-ing in the metaverse.

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Unraveling Stealth Gameplay with Toni Pape!

This Arcade Talk explores the genre of stealth games, which task players to achieve a goal without being detected by enemies. Our guest speaker Toni Pape will share insights from his forthcoming book The Aesthetics of Stealth. Where does the idea of stealth come from? What is its history in gaming? And what different types of stealth gameplay are there? Toni’s talk will answer these questions through number of short case studies. We will compare the sneaking stealth of Splinter Cell to the social stealth of Hitman and the surveillance stealth of Assassin’s Creed. Toni’s talk will show that each of these gameplay styles assign different functions to stealth, which range from targeting-to-kill to creative worldmaking.

Toni Pape is associate professor at the Department of Media Studies (University of Amsterdam). He is the author of Figures of Time: Affect and the Television of Preemption (Duke UP 2019), The Aesthetics of Stealth: Digital Culture, Video Games, and the Politics of Perception (MIT Press 2024), and co-author of Nocturnal Fabulations: Ecology, Vitality and Opacity in the Cinema of Apichatpong Weerasethakul (OHP 2017). Toni is a co-editor of NECSUS: European Journal of Media Studies and the 3Ecologies imprint at Punctum Press.

Claim your FREE spot now!

Join us for an unforgettable concert experience featuring Extra Lives!

Extra Lives is the world’s first Audience RPG: a fully narrated, inclusive choose-your-own-adventure game where you are the main character. Plunge into an exciting story with visuals, music, sound effects and footage drawn from the legendary console games of the ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s... and a live score provided by the lovable nerds of Extra Lives. At key junctures you'll get to vote on how the character proceeds, leading to special story branches. With multiple endings and 60+ possible variations depending on the audience's in-game choices, this immersive feast for the imagination will transport you back to your childhood. To the next level!

After the concert, dive into a Night of Free Gaming with us. See you there!

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Join us on our bi-weekly Night of FREE Gaming!

Arcade Hall, PC game room, modern & retro consoles, board games, Secret Garden, food, many folks to expand your network with, FREE NFT’S and live music from our resident DJ’s – who are, of course, also DJ-ing in the metaverse.

*This edition has a special addition: Interactive Video Game concert by Extra Lives, starting at 7:30PM.

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Into the Stars: Tim Davies' In-Game Environments Revealed

Join Tim Davies on an interstellar journey as he unveils his masterful creation of in-game environmental graphics for Star Trek: Online. Delve into the world of Star Trek as he shows the vital role of meticulous research and unwavering attention to detail when navigating beloved franchises.

Tim boasts over a decade of publishing experience specializing in crafting brand materials for a diverse array of game genres. His portfolio includes notable titles such as Star Trek: Online, Neverwinter, Remnant, Torchlight, Subnautica, and many others.

Claim your FREE spot now!

ArCos Fest: The Ultimate Cosplay Hangout!

Come hang out with us for a cozy and fun get-together designed just for cosplayers. Expect lots of fellow cosplayers, games, and a relaxed vibe. We've got computers for playing PC games, arcade games for those who love them, and a bar serving up tasty food and drinks at reasonable prices. Outside, there's plenty of space to chill with friends, play games, and snap some awesome cosplay pics. Don't miss out on the fun!

Cosplay showcase

Get ready for a dazzling cosplay showcase where everyone is invited to join in the fun! Get your best cosplay ready and stay tuned for more details on how to strut your stuff on our stage. Click here to apply for the showcase!

Cosplay contest

Step into the spotlight with your stunning cosplay creation! Strut your stuff on the stage, and if our panel of judges is impressed, you just might walk away with an amazing prize! Click here to apply for the contest.

Panel talk

Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn from a cosplay champion and gain valuable insights into the world of cosplay craftsmanship! More details following soon…

PROGRAM

12 PM: Doors open

1:00 - 2:30 PM: Cosplay showcase

2:30 - 3:30 PM: Panel

3:30 - 4 PM: Cosplay showcase results

5 PM: Pub Quiz! Click here to apply.

And afterwards; good vibes, lots of gaming, connecting and more!

Level Up and Elevate Your Game's Visibility with Ksenia Koster

A game maker must always market their game. That is the key guideline our speaker, Ksenia Koster, believes in. In this talk, she will drill down on high-level "how" questions and will give you some new ideas and motivation for the uneasy task of getting your game out there.

Ksenia is a marketing expert with over 10 years of experience in the video games industry. Passionate about helping game creators find success, she'll be sharing key marketing concepts and practical advice applicable to a wide range of games in her talk and Q&A session. Ksenia has worked on publishing all sorts of games throughout her career - mobile, PC, console, VR, free-to-play, buy-to-play, shooters, strategy, clickers, you name it. She did it with a team of 20; she did it with just an intern; she did it with 2 million dollars, and she did it with 500 dollars too.

Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting out, Ksenia's insights will enhance your understanding of who are players, what do they want, and how to start a long and happy relationship with a game’s audience.

Claim your FREE spot now!

Join us on our bi-weekly Night of FREE Gaming!

Arcade Hall, PC game room, modern & retro consoles, board games, Secret Garden, food, many folks to expand your network with, FREE NFT’S and live music from our resident DJ’s – who are, of course, also DJ-ing in the metaverse.

Sign up now to secure your free spot.

Free entrance: Join us for an inspiring art exhibition by Molly Heady-Carroll!

Arcade Hotel presents an exclusive exhibition bringing together the art of hand animated cartoon Zenibeasts: Kaiju Cutie! Released earlier this year to great success on Youtube, Zenibeasts: Kaiju Cutie is the creation of independent animator Molly Heady-Carroll. Get a personal look behind-the-scenes of Zenibeasts through a selection of sketches, concept art and production art on display. To kick off the exhibition, Molly will reveal the secrets of animation production in a live Q&A session. During the presentation, there will also be an exclusive preview for the next Zenibeasts cartoon. Don't miss this enlightening opportunity to peek backstage into the world of animation! www.zenibeasts.com

Irish-born Molly Heady-Carroll is a 2D artist and animator based in the Netherlands who specializes in all things creatures. Always obsessed with studying animals (especially reptiles), she now makes up her own as a Creature Consultant in the games and animation industry. In 2013, Molly co-founded Arcane Circus, the game studio behind "Crap! I'm Broke" and the Kaiju-based pan media IP "Zenibeasts", whose recently released animated short “Kaiju Cutie” just blew up on YouTube. Molly freelances for clients such as Netflix, Universal Pictures, Night School Studios, BBC, Impact Gameworks, Crackshell Games and Anikey Studios. She also gives lectures about creature design at conferences all over the world and teaches at the Utrecht University of the Arts.

See more:

www.youtube.com/@ArcaneCircus

www.zenibeasts.com

www.creatureconsultant.com