Gamers dress as heroes for record

Gamers are said to regularly dress as game characters at conventions Enlarge Image

Hundreds of video game fans have dressed as characters from their favourite games to set a world record.

A total of 342 gamers dressed as icons from games such as Final Fantasy, Zelda and Solid Snake in east London as part of the London Games Festival.

They narrowly broke a record of 337 set last week in Germany.

Festival director Duncan Best said: "It was a bit touch-and-go for a while but the gaming community really stepped up to the challenge."

The record was verified by Guinness World Records at the Excel Centre in Docklands on Saturday.

A further 50 fans in fancy dress could not take part, however, as rules stated that characters who were primarily famous from movies were disqualified.

"So we had people turning up dressed as Lego Batman, for example, who could not be counted," said Mr Best.

It's no different from seeing fans dressed as Romulans or Mr Spock at a Star Trek convention London Games Festival director Duncan Best

It is not unusual to see people dressed as video game heroes or villains at gaming conventions, he added.

"It's a measure of how games have really got into popular culture," Mr Best said.

"It's no different from seeing fans dressed as Romulans or Mr Spock at a Star Trek convention."

The festival continues with events throughout the capital until 2 November, including game demonstrations and advice on working in the industry.