list.co.uk/festival WiFi Wars | FESTIVAL FEATURES
GAME ON Ben Williams discovers interactive gaming show WiFi Wars is not just for the geeks and hardcore gamers
show is usually considered just plain rude.
S taring at the glowing screen of a smartphone during a live comedy Not at WiFi Wars. Steve McNeil and Rob Sedgebeer’s live, interactive comedy video-gaming show not only encourages punters to whip out their mobiles, but using them is integral to the show. Heck, it’s the whole show.
‘By describing it you sort of suck the fun out of it,’ admits McNeil, co- creator of the show and half of sketch double act McNeil & Pamphilon. ‘Basically, its a big game that we all play together. We get you to connect to our WiFi network, go to a web address, and then Rob starts beaming games into your phone.’ But McNeil’s keen to stress that the show isn’t just for hardcore gamers. ‘Dont think of it as video games,’ he explains. ‘It’s just games. The show is 400 people sharing the fun in a room together.’ It might sound clichéd, but ‘fun’ is the most apt word for it. One minute the audience plays a giant version of Whack-a-Mole, the next they l y
11–18 Aug 2016 THE LIST FESTIVAL 41