Tucked deep within the month of August, home to the International Edinburgh Festival, is a burgeoning event known as the Edinburgh Interactive Festival. For the past seven years, the EIF has grown into a major event in the industry's calendar and this year will be no exception.

This year's festival will run from the 10th to the 16th of August and will include a season of free screenings sponsored by retailer Gamestation, an industry conference, free gameplay and Dare to be Digital's Protoplay event - a showcase for Channel 4 and Abertay University's world-renowned young developer's competition.

Gamestation will also be holding a warm-up event just before the beginning of the festival at their flagship store on Princes Street in the heart of Edinburgh. The event will include competitions, giveaways and free gameplay. Tickets for the screenings will be available for free from the 10th of June and more information about the pre-launch event will be posted at the end of July, all at Gamestation.co.uk.

Gamestation’s Dean Shaw, said: “We are proud to be at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival for the fourth year running, as this year it will be bigger and better than ever before.”

Edinburgh Interactive Festival Chairman, Chris Deering, said: “We are delighted to welcome back Gamestation this year as a key partner of the Edinburgh Interactive Festival. The Festival is a fantastic opportunity to build visibility within a wider cultural arena that celebrates the talent and creativity from all with a common interest in video games.”

More info after the jump.

As well as Gamestation, Nintendo have also added their continuing support for the EIF, after bringing a demonstration of their immensely popular Cooking Guide for DS to the festival last year along with a chance to try out the Wii Fit.

David Yarnton, General Manager for Nintendo UK, said: “We are very pleased to be a part of the Edinburgh Interactive Festival once again this year. The festival is unique in that it brings together all the different aspects and facets of our business under one roof and provides the perfect opportunity for us all to celebrate our industry's rich creative diversity. Edinburgh is an important platform for interactive entertainment and showcasing software to the public alongside TV, film, literature and comedy highlights the cultural worth and credibility of our industry to the UK and the world."

For more information of the EIF please visit their website here.