Featuring in a new BBC Radio 4 documentary about video gaming, While My Guitar Gently Bleeps, and with a TV adaptation of their original live show, Go 8-Bit, to be hosted by Dara O’Briain and air on UKTV’s entertainment channel Dave this autumn, comedian and regular videogames commentator, Steve McNeil, and his tech wizard side-kick and coding king, Rob Sedgebeer, have announced a UK tour of their exciting new live and interactive show, WiFi Wars.

We sat down with Steve McNeil to discuss the show in more detail…

1. Tell us, why should people come along to a WiFi Wars show?

Because a legitimate genius, King Rob aka Rob Sedgebeer, has created an insanely fun experience that you can’t do anywhere else in the known universe!

2. How did you meet Rob and how did the idea for the show WiFi Wars come about?

Rob was the boyfriend of someone who came to my double act’s (McNeil and Pamphilon – Go 8 Bit) live shows.

Rob came to an early version of Go 8 Bit and then, afterwards, showed us the first game he’d developed his tech for, which was Pong.

He agreed to let us use this in the live show (and then the TV show which has recently been commissioned) and ever since then, Rob and I have been developing a whole show of shenanigans that take his technology further and further.

3. What’s the dynamic like between the two of you in/out of the show?

My favourite tweet about the show was from an audience member, @damienrobertson, who described us as “Penn & Teller for video games. One does the talking, the other the impressive stuff”.

4. Can you explain how the audience gets involved in WiFi Wars?

You log in to a WiFi network that we build in the venue, then you go to a webpage. Once you’re there, we can beam buttons, graphics and entire games to your phones using what I assume is some sort of wizard magic.

5. How does the show differ from other live shows out there?

EVERYONE in the audience PLAYS THE ENTIRE SHOW.

6. Can you briefly talk us through how the technology in the show works?

No idea. That is very much a ‘King Rob’ question. All I know is, he keeps sending me receipts for routers and wires, and I keep giving him money. For all I know, he’s building a robot that will kill us all.

7. What excites you most about the show?

Smartphones and games can often become scapegoats for antisocial/lonely experiences. At our show, we take both, and make them celebratory, communal things. Instead of staring at your phone and ignoring everyone and everything around you, at our show, by tapping away at your screen you become part of a shared and joyful experience.

8. Do you have to have pre-existing knowledge of both gaming and technology to enjoy the show?

None whatsoever. All you need is a phone, a finger, and a desire to have fun.

9. Go 8-Bit was your original live comedy gaming show that has been commissioned as a TV series on Dave to air this autumn. How does the live show differ to the TV version and how similar/different is it to WiFi Wars?

We will be playing a couple of our adaptations of the classic games in the TV show (Pong, Track and Field), but the live show takes things to the next level technologically.

10. Tell us about your upcoming world record attempt due to take place on 22nd July at the London Royal Institution…

Apparently the world record for ‘most people playing a single game of pong’ is currently 251. They did it with laser pointers. We’re going to try to do 400 with the tech Rob created. And Rob just pointed out to me that Pong’s the first game we play in our show, so we’re opening the show with a World Record attempt. So, no pressure…

Wi Fi Wars are will be zapping in to Swindon on Wednesday, September 7 at the Swidnon Arts Centre, Devizes Road in Old Town. Tickets are available from 01793 524481 https://swindontheatres.co.uk/