Play with us this Saturday! Bring your all-ages team to the FREE GameFest OKC

A person stands behind a 2-D sculpture of a green barrel in an art galery

Installation view of Open World

Grab some loot and score some XP at GameFest OKC, November's FREE leveled-up Second Saturday. From 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Nov. 13, we’ll activate all three levels of our new building with gaming, creating and cosplay inspired by Open World: Video Games & Contemporary Art.

GameFest began at the Akron Art Museum, where Open World was organized and premiered in 2019. 2021 sees GameFest Akron’s third iteration, in conjunction with GameFest OKC.

Explore the detailed schedule below to plan your day! Tickets are not required for this free program; visitors are encouraged to drop in based on which activities they’d like to try. Whether you walk in the door in your fave cosplay or you create a new look with us, we guarantee a fun-filled day for gamers, geeks, pop-culture fans and complete noobs of all ages.

A graphic of a parchment covered in unreadable words, a compass rose and part of a map

Available all day (11 a.m.-4 p.m.)

GameFest Quest: Pick up your directions in the lobby and set forth on your GameFest adventure. Complete activities on all three floors, and return to the front desk for your GameFest prize
Pixel Pictures: The Oklahoma Contemporary Teen Arts Council leads this fun project! You’ll map out a video game themed design on a template, and then create your pixelated masterpiece with colored squares, scissors and glue.
Avatar Creation Station: It’s time to cosplay! Under the guidance of our Youth & Family staff, you’ll create an idea for your character. You’ll dream up their skills, personality and background plus sketch a design that you’ll then bring to life with of Camp Contemporary costume design instructor Dayna Brown. You’ll sculpt your armor, wings or whatever your character requires out of foam sheets that you can decorate and embellish. (If you’re on site from 12-3 p.m., you can finish your look with custom face paint!)
Just Dance Studio: Hit our third-floor Dance Studio to challenge your friends to a first-class dance-off! May the best moves win!

A retro video game style graphic with a light green background says GNOME ADVENTURE, JOURNEY TO THE MARKET

Indie Video Games: In partnership with Akron, we’ll run “Akron Arcade” games, indie video games chosen by Kent State’s Animation Game Design Program. Drop by our first-floor studios to try your hand at a variety of games, include Gnome Adventure, which tests the morality of your decisions as you quest to make the best birthday cake. Will you mug that child for a few extra cents? Or will you go through your adventure with kindness?
Get your photo with a real-life video game characters (@halloffemme as Mortal Kombat's Jade and @ashelynneofficial as Fortnite's Bright Bomber) or check out our video game-inspired selfie station.

Photo of an arcade game cabinet called Crystal Castles with a reflection on the screen

Play retro arcade games in the lobby and Creative Lounge: Don’t miss the FREE arcade cabinets from Up-Down OKC and FlashBack Retro Pub, including Pac-Man Plus, Donkey Kong Jr., Sinistar and Crystal Castles.
Spot AR artwork by Jaiye Farrell: Use your phone (or try the iPad in our lobby) to bring Jaiye Farrell’s augmented-reality artwork to life in the space around you!
Explore Open World: Go on an epic art adventure to see the exhibition that inspired the entire day, Open World. From Sims stuck in free will mode and the interactive I Shot Andy Warhol to gamer-focused quilts and knitted controllers (plus prints, sculptures, game mods, gorgeous animations and so much more), Open World features a wide swath of pop culture-focused art. But it's not all fun and games — many of the works offer commentary on worldwide issues like hunger, violence and gender bias, among others.

12-3 p.m.

Custom Character Face Painting: Perfect your cosplay look with expert facepaint from artists Creative Key.

12:30, 1, 2 and 3:30 p.m.

Open World Tours: Dive even deeper into our showstopper exhibition. Our Gallery Guides will share behind-the-scenes tidbits about the works and their artists and answer your questions.

1 and 3 p.m.

Mortal Kombat Stage Combat: Hit our North Lawn for demonstrations from Fight Club OCU, led by OCU’s Luke Eddy.

A cover of a video game with the words "OVERCOOKED! ALL YOU CAN EAT" on an illustration of a cartoon landscape

2-4 p.m.

But ... Is It Art? Twitch Livestream: Gamer and game researcher Samantha Blackmon, Ph.D., and indigenous game developer and associate producer Miranda Due kick off our first Twitch Talk! The avid gamers will discuss topics ranging from how video games exist as a mirror for society and making the gaming community more inclusive —while playing Overcooked! All You Can Eat, a chaotic cooking game where players need to work together (or alone) to serve as many dishes as possible. Join us via Twitch Stream or in the Te Ata Theater. Viewers can jump into the conversation online and in person.