Duplicity and deception on the cards for major gaming convention at York St John University

Demons, werewolves, traitors and the forces of good and evil will do battle on the York St John University campus as part of Europe’s largest social deduction gaming convention. 
 
Demons Wake will bring a weekend of mystery, deception and strategy to York in August, pitting experienced masters of deception alongside newcomers eager to try hidden role gaming. 
 
The 3-day event is being sponsored by York St John University and investigate.games, a research group based at the University looking into interactive gaming. 
 
Like the global television show The Traitors, social deduction games such as Blood on the Clocktower and Werewolf, are all about deciding who you can trust, with players taking on roles to either work together to identify the spy among them - or fooling and betraying their fellow gamers. 
 
As well as unique game playing experiences, Demons Wake will also include a script writing contest, a board game library, local traders, and panels and Q&As with special games and industry experts – including former The Traitors players Ivan Brett and Zack Davies.  
 
Matt Coward-Gibbs, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Criminology at York St John and the Technical Director of investigate.games, described Demons Wake as a unique opportunity for players to connect with fellow gaming enthusiasts, test their powers of deduction, and build a sense of community. 
 
“Hosting Demons Wake on the York St John University campus is a fantastic opportunity to put tabletop games research into practice,” said Matt. 
 
“The tabletop games community is very vibrant, diverse and growing rapidly, and creating more welcoming and accessible spaces is vital to its continued success. 
 
“Demons Wake sits at the core of investigate.games’ mission to have a positive and research-led impact on local and wider communities. Plus, we are always up for playing some games!” 
 
The full event will take place between Friday 8 and Sunday 10 August.  
 
Tickets for Demons Wake go on sale at midday on Friday 21 March for mailing list members. General sale begins at 12.00pm on Saturday 22 March.  
 
Full details are available on the Demons Wake web page. 
 
Learn more about the investigate.games Research Group at York St John University.