A few hundred Pittsburghers are expected to gather downtown this weekend to make some new friends, get a little sweaty and play some of the best new games invented this year.
It's all part of the Best Games Festival put on by City of Play.
“You don’t have to be a hyper-athlete to show up to what we do,” said City of Play Director Adam Nelson. “That’s one of the foundations of the organization and the festival.”
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., field games will take center stage, including a game that looks a lot like soccer but instead of having two goals, there is one central pole where points can be scored.
“I don’t want anyone to be concerned that they are not going to measure up," Nelson said. "It’s all about coming out and having fun. You can be 90 pounds, you can be 300 pounds, you can be in great shape, you can be in terrible shape, it does not matter. As long as you are out there to have fun.”
Social games will reign from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., including a progressive tag game know as Zombie Wars.
Nelson said it can be hard at times to get people to try new games. In an effort to get over that hurdle, he has search similar festivals held in other cities throughout the year to find the best games possible.
Nelson said he did not have to search far for many of those he chose for this year’s fest.
“One of the major reason for that is City of Play designs more sports and more of these kind of games than any other organization around the country,” Nelson said.
The largest adult play event in the U.S. is the Come Out and Play Fest held annual in New York City.
A full rundown of the games can be found at the City of Play website. Tickets for the fest are $25 dollars.
WESA listeners can get a $10 discount on their festival tickets by using the code "WESA" at checkout. The group’s weekly meetings are free.
Nelson hopes that through play people will be able to jump start new friendships while at the same time building a strong relationship with the city.
